The Borribles Trilogy

The Borrible tales may be aimed at children but their engaging blend of fantasy and adventure is just as appealing to adults. First published between 1976 and 1986, they still maintain their freshness and excitement. De Larrabeiti creates a totally believable fantasy world right in the middle of 'real' London. It's a violent world, a filthy world, but wholly engrossing. The central characters, the Borribles, are London street children, living by their wits, stealing and 'borrowing', sleeping in derelict buildings. But they aren't ordinary children. Once they leave their families or foster homes and take to the streets they get pointy elf-like ears and live forever, maintaining their child-like appearance. Their ancient enemies are the Rumbles - rodent-like creatures that live in complex underground dwellings. But they're not the only foe. There are Borrible snatchers, who force the Borribles to steal for money - totally abhorrent to a community whose motto is to take only what is needed and never touch money. Worse still is the Special Borrible Group, a division of the London police whose sole aim is to apprehend as many Borribles as possible and make them conform. That is achieved by clipping their ears, a fate worse than death because it turns them back into normal children and makes them forget their Borrible ways. At its core the trilogy is about the importance of friendship and loyalty. Add to that a healthy dose of mistrust of conformity and authority, and you can see that the moral of the story is well worth pondering at any age. (Kirkus UK)