Heidi meets Pippi Longstocking

I picked up today’s book recommendation thinking (from the cover!) that I was unlikely to enjoy it. As it turns out—it brought unexpected delight.

The best way I can describe this delightful work of historical fiction When Mischief Came to Town, by Katrina Nannestad, is to do that thing they do in Hollywood to pitch new work, comparing it to some familiar combination. You know, like “Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games.” Here it is:

When Mischief Came to Town is Heidi meets Pippi Longstocking.

Summary:

In 1911, when orphaned ten-year-old Inge comes to live with her stern grandmother in a remote island village in Bornholm, Denmark, she ends up changing the climate of the town, bringing joy and laughter to her grandmother’s life and finding a new family for herself to assuage her grief over losing her mother. 

When I glanced at the table of contents, the chapter names made me think this was going to be rather a silly tale. But then I met Inge, who, while traveling to Bornholm on the crowded local ferry boat, falls asleep against a goat to stay warm, and wakes with one of her braids chewed off.

I had at least one haircut in my youth so terrible that my fellow students made horrible fun of me—thus Inge endeared herself to me right off the bat. Forever finding herself in unintended trouble, Inge’s heart of gold and fierce determination to be herself make her as unforgettable as both Heidi and Pippi Longstocking!

It’s my hope that Piper or another of the girls in Piper Pan and Her Merry Band wraps herself around your heart the way Inge wrapped herself around mine!

Hop on down to your library and put When Mischief Came to Town on hold!

Happy Reading!