Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter

Ronia, the Robber's Daughter is a book for children by Astrid Lindgren.

The night Ronia was born, thunder rolled over the mountains, yes, it was such a night of thunder all the little elfs who lived in the Matt Wood hid scared in caves and cavities. Only the terrible, wild harpies liked thunder the best of all kinds of weather. They flew howling, yelling, around the robber's castle on the Matt Mountain.

Ronia is the youngest girl in the family of Matt. One day she is old enough to venture into the woods on her own, where there is many a threatening danger. She is told to be cautious of Hell's Gap, so that's where she is going - to practice not falling into Hell's Gap. And that's where she meets Birk from the family of Borka, and he is the same age as Ronia. Eventually they become as close as siblings, and together they do whatever they can to turn the rivalling families into friends.

The original title in Swedish is Ronja Rövardotter.