The Borrowers
by Mary Norton · Grades 3–6 · Middle Grade Fantasy
The Borrowers by Mary Norton is a book for readers at grades 3–6. No school reading list we track includes it yet.
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Before you buy: Grades 3–6 · 180 pages. The button opens the print edition (ISBN 9780152047375). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
This page shows the grade level, length and editions of The Borrowers. No school reading list we track includes it yet. Not a summary or study guide.
Reading level at a glance
- Grade range
- Grades 3–6
- Pages
- 180
- Reading time
- about 3h 20m (est.)
- First published
- 1952
- Genre
- Middle Grade Fantasy
- ISBN-13
- 9780152047375
Sources: pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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See all books like The Borrowers→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Who it suits
This middle grade fantasy title is typically read at grades 3–6. Written in the 1950s; pairs with curriculum units on family and secrecy.
Themes
family · secrecy · resourcefulness · friendship · home
Where this book is assigned
No curriculum assignments on file yet.
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Common questions
- What grade level is The Borrowers?
- The Borrowers is a book for readers in grades 3–6. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read The Borrowers?
- It takes about 3h 20m to read The Borrowers (180 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 200 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is The Borrowers banned in schools?
- The Borrowers does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally. See the banned books list by state.
- What themes does The Borrowers explore?
- Central themes in The Borrowers include family, secrecy, resourcefulness, friendship, home.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 3–6 — drawn from the curriculum sources cited on this page.
- Curriculum alignment
- Not yet documented in any tracked curriculum.
- State-level evidence
- Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.