Pippi Longstocking

In a Swedish city in a shabby house lived a very unusual girl. Her name was Pippi Longstocking. Her father was a sailor and his name was Efraim Longstocking. He bought the house so he could have a place to live in when he abandons the sea. There was an accident and a wave took Ephraim from the deck. Pippi never saw him again but was certain that he will show up eventually.

She was an unusually strong girl that could take care of herself. In her neighborhood there was a house in which Annika and Tommy lived. They used to spend their days in boredom and wanted a new kid to come. It was Pippi but when they first saw her they were surprised by her unusual look and behavior.

Pippi called them for breakfast and they became friends. She introduced them to other residents of her house. There were Nilsen, the monkey and a horse that lived on the front porch just because he was a disturbance in the kitchen and did not like the bedroom. The second day Annika and Tommy went to Pippis house. When they arrived, Pippi suggested that they should play a game of searching things. As Pippi was a strange girl she was interested in finding strange things.

In the search they found a boy Willie who was beaten up by 5 boys. Pippi was angry because of this great injustice and then Tommy and Annika saw how strong she was for the first time. She hung the two boys on a branch, sat one on a pol, threw one over a fence and stuffed the last one in a baby carriage. She was sorry that Tommy and Annika didn't find anything strange so she told them to to check the hole in the wood where they found something for themselves.

It was bedtime and Pippi even slept unusual. She would put her legs on the head of the bed and her head under the covers because according to her people slept like that in Guatemala and that was the best way to sleep. She would sing herself a lullaby every night.

Pippi was 9 years old and the people of the city were concerned about her. They thought it was unsafe for a girl to be living alone. They sent two police officers to convince her it was time to go to a orphanage. Pippi did not like police officers so when they started chasing her she thought they were playing. When she got tired of playing she carried both of them out of the house. After that they decided that Pippi does not belong in a children's shelter.

She decided to go to school as Tommy and Annika did. She came to school on her horse and galloped loudly through the classroom. She was also late because she did not like to get up early. Pippi did everything her way as always so the teacher decided that she was too restless and immature to go to school and send her home.

Pippi said that she was sorry about her behavior but that she didn't have anyone to raise her up because her mother was an angel and her father was the king of the natives. She said to the teacher that she was nice and gave her a golden watch. She ran out to the backyard where children gathered around her horse while she was telling the stories about a magnificent school in Argentina where most of the times children are on vacation and their most important work is to eat candy.

Every day spent with Pippi was an adventure for Tommy and Annika. They found a hole in an old oak that will serve as their shelter, they went on an fieldtrip where Pippi tamed a bull that attacked Tommy and they even saw a circus show. Pippi couldn't stay seated for a second so she had to participate in every act. The visitors were loving her and the manager was furious.

Pippi had a lot of golden coins and she started counting them right when two robbers were passing by and saw the light in her house. They saw that she had a lot of money and lives alone. Of course they tried to rob her but she managed to defend herself. At the end they danced polka with her and she gave each a golden coin.

Pippis birthday came along. She invited her friends Tommy and Annika. It was a completely different birthday where even the guest got presents. Pippi suggested that they should go to the attic and say hello to the ghosts. Tommy and Annika were suspicious and frightened of an owl and then of Pippi that wore a big white shirt that used to belong to her father. Going through her fathers sailor chamber she came to a conclusion that she will be a pirate.

They went to town one day and Pippi bought candy for all of the children. After that she bought them toys. In the pharmacy she bought a lot of medication for different diseases and then she drank them all together to prevent any illnesses.

Summer was here and a surprise came along. Pippis father came back. He told her that he was the king of the natives for half a year and the other half he spend sailing. Efraim was going back to the island Gula-Gula and wanted Pippi to come with him. They threw a big going away party but when the time came to pack her bags Pippi couldn't abandon Annika and Tommy.

The kids spend their time playing and having fun until Annika and Tommy got chickenpox. Pippi tried to make them laugh over the window. The disease passed but Annika and Tommy were pale and skinny. Pippi got a letter from her father saying to come back to Gula-Gula to become the princess of the natives. She came up with a great idea.

She invited Tommy and Annika to come with her and recover from the horrible disease and their parents allowed. They boarded a ship and went to the island. The natives prepared a big party and Pippi and her friends got together just fine with the other kids. One day dad Longstocking took the grownups for a tour and the kids were left alone.

The kids took advantage of their absence and went for an adventure. They went to the caves where the natives kept cocnuts. Even though Tommy encouraged Annika it was him who fell into the sea. Pippi saved him by grabbing a shark,  giving him a lesson and throwing him far away.

Two robbers showed up on the island. Pippi already knew them. The kids on the island did not own marbles but they used pearls instead of them. The greedy robbers saw an opportunity in their game. They tried to convince the kids that they want to buy them and then they decided to wait until the children weren't hungry enough to leave the cave but they didn't know that the kids have coconuts. They would not give up so Pippi threw their boat. They never came back and Pippi told her father that everything went fine while he was away.

Despite the great fun they were having Tommy and Annika wanted to see their family. They wanted to come home for Christmas but at the end they got home in January. Their family threw them a party with a Christmas tree so that they would feel like they are home for the holidays. The kids said that they never want to grow old and always want to have fun with Pippi. Pippi offered them pills that will keep the young forever. The kids fell asleep happy and were looking forward to a new day with Pippi.

Genre: children's novel

Place: street where Pippi lives, island Gula-Gula

Characters: Pippi Longstocking, Tommy, Annika, Efraim Longstocking

Author: Astrid Lindgren biography