Hugo and Josephine

by Maria Gripe

Hugo and Josephine are two very real children. Josephine (who gave herself this name in preference of her dreary real name, Anna Gra) is the mischievous, wispy-haired daughter of a minister in a small Swedish town. At school, she is often teased and at home in the big, old parsonage, she is sometimes lonely. But when Hugo, a wild, happy vagabond comes into her life, everything changes. Hugo, who attends school only if he is not too busy carving trolls or tending his spider collection, is more than a match for the school bullies, let alone the teacher. Their friendship from the opening of school through the Swedish winter darkness, up to a momentous Christmas celebration is a sometimes hilarious but always a touching story. - From Inside Flap