[1] The Borrowers won the 1952 Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's outstanding children's book by a British author.

[3] In the 70th anniversary celebration of the medal in 2007, it was named one of the top ten Medal-winning works, selected by a panel to compose the ballot for a public election of the all-time favourite.

[1][2] It was also published in four parts, with illustrations by Erik Blegvad, during the summer of 1953 (June, July, August, September) in Woman's Day magazine.

[6] Puffin Books published a 700-page trade paperback omnibus edition in 1983, The Complete Borrowers Stories[7] with a short introduction by Norton.

The main character is teenage Arrietty, who often begins relationships with Big People that have chaotic effects on the lives of herself and her family, causing her parents to react with fear and worry.

As a result of Arrietty's curiosity and friendships with Big People, her family are forced to move their home several times from one place to another, making their lives more adventurous than the average Borrower would prefer.

[8] The narrative, told by Homily to Arrietty, occurs before the first of the full-length Borrower novels, and concerns a small adventure Stainless has when he gets lost.

After Arrietty goes to bed, Pod tells Homily that he has been seen by a human boy who had been sent from India to live with his great-aunt while recovering from an illness.

Remembering the fate of their niece Eggletina, who disappeared after the "human beans" brought a cat into the house, Pod and Homily decide to tell Arrietty.

The Boy offers to take a letter to a badger sett two fields away where her Uncle Hendreary, Aunt Lupy, and their children are supposed to have emigrated.

Driver suspects the Boy of stealing after catching him trying to open a curio cabinet full of valuable miniatures.

Believing this is where the Boy cached his stolen goods, Driver peers beneath the boards and is horrified to discover the Borrowers in their home.

Some time later, the Boy's sister (a young Mrs May) visits the home herself in hopes of proving her brother's stories were real.