Spyri, Johanna: Heidi

"Where did you live with your grandfather, Heidi?" "Up on the mountain." "That wasn't very amusing; rather dull at times, eh?" "No, no, it was beautiful, beautiful!" Little orphan Heidi is sent to live with her grandfather Alm-Uncle at his remote house high up in the mountains. She soon begins to love her life there and makes friends with Peter, the goatherd, and his grandmother. With time, the mountain inhabitants grow more and more attached to her. But one terrible day, she is suddenly shipped off to Frankfurt to be companion to the physically disabled daughter of a wealthy family. Although the two girls become friends, Heidi soon turns homesick and yearns for her grandfather. Will she be able to return to the Alps and live the life she dreams of? Johanna Spyri was born in Switzerland. She is the author of many novels but is best known for her book Heidi. Born in the rural area of Hirzel, Switzerland, Spyri spent several summers as a child in the area around Chur in Graubünden, the setting she later used in her novels.