Heidi

Heidi

Author: Johanna Spyri

ISBN: 0517189674

Publisher: Children’s Classics, 1998

Age: 9-12

Genre: Classics, Adventure

Summary: Heidi lives with her aunt Dete, but when Dete gets a position in Frankfurt she is unable to take Heidi with her.  Instead she is to go live in the mountains with her grandfather.  Grandfather is at first unhappy to see Heidi.  He is unsure of how he will entertain her or even where she will sleep.  Heidi joyfully finds a little spot in the hayloft and makes herself at home on the hay.  She loves to gaze out the window at the valley below.  Grandfather shares her love of the beauty of the mountain and begins to appreciate her sweet spirit.  As the months pass, Heidi makes friends with Peter, the shepherd boy, and his grandmother.  She visits them regularly and brings joy to all she comes into contact with.  Aunt Dete becomes engaged and returns for Heidi.  Her fiancé is looking for a friend for his daughter, Klara, who is confined to a wheelchair.  Heidi is deeply saddened to leave the mountain but must obey her aunt.  While in Frankfurt, she learns to read and becomes close with Klara.  But Heidi misses her grandfather and the beauty of the mountain.  Her sadness makes her ill.  She is unable to eat and becomes frail and thin.  She is then sent back to live on the mountain with her grandfather and is elated to be home again.

Read A-likes: Secret Garden; Black Beauty; Little Women; Anne of Green Gables; and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Personal Thoughts: What little girl didn’t love the story of Heidi?  I plowed my way through the book at a very young age, and still consistently watch one of the movie adaptations with my two sisters who love it as much as I do.  The story of a little girl shuffled from place to place, but almost always retained her positive and happy outlook was an inspiration to my young self.  The friendships and relationships in this book are complex and teach wonderful lessons about both.  I don’t usually suggest the original text as a first reading for most tweens, but instead suggest the abridged or condensed story to get them interested in reading the whole thing.