The Borrowers Afield
Mary Norton
 While looking at a cottage with her friend Mrs. May, Kate discovers that the present tenant, Tom Goodenough, knew Arrietty Clock, a tiny "Borrower" that Mrs. May's brother claimed to have met. He tells her what happened to Arrietty and her parents after they were driven from their original home in an old, English house. Homeless, they are forced to live outside. When they discover that the relatives they had hoped to stay with are nowhere to be found, they take up residence in an old boot. Arrietty meets a mysterious, wild Borrower named Spiller who assists them by bringing them meat and saves Arrietty's life from a dog. Although nearly everything outside - cows, moths, field mice, cold weather - is a life-threatening danger for the tiny Borrowers, they learn how to survive in the wild. One night the boot's owner, a gypsy named Mild Eye, discovers his lost property and brings them back to his caravan. With the help of the human boy Tom Goodenough, Spiller rescues them and leads them on to the their next home, the cottage that Tom lives in. There the Clocks find their long-lost relatives and Arrietty finds a friend in Tom.