Rasmus and the Vagabond by Astrid Lindgren (1956)

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I absolutely love reading and reviewing great books you’ve never heard of! This book by the author of Pippi Longstocking is a far more human, far less silly tale of yet another 9-year-old in Sweden. It’s a fantastic read.

Because I had recently read to my kids (ages 11 and 12) the last available Pippi Longstocking book, Pippi on the Run, I thought I’d seek out something else from Astrid Lindgren. This title was available on PaperbackSwap, so I immediately ordered it, not really knowing what to expect. Abnormally, the sender also shared a personal message with the book: “You’ll love this story. We read it many times to our children over the years.” That person was so right.

Rasmus is a straight-haired orphan growing up in Vaesterhaga Orphanage alongside his buddy Gunnar and a whole bunch of other kids, all under the watchful eye of Miss Hawk. Always wishing that he’d get picked for adoption by the next wealthy grocer and his wife, Rasmus and Gunnar are both consistently disappointed that hopeful parents only want to adopt curly-headed girls. When one day Rasmus gets in serious trouble with Miss Hawk, he determines to run away and seek out a family on his own, a family that will love a straight-haired kid like him.

On his first day out, he meets a vagabond/tramp named Paradise Oscar. They travel together, sing together, and grow fond of one another. All the while, however, they’re getting caught up in a scheme of thieves and being chased by the county police. These extra elements made the book a whole lot more exciting than I’d anticipated, and my 12yo son especially looked forward to every next chapter. It’s one of the rare books where my kids asked for “just one more chapter!” not because they wanted to stay awake, but because they were so engrossed in the tale. In fact, we were so caught up in the story last night that I ended up reading the final 55 pages at once, which is far more than my normal.

Lindgren’s characterization and dialogue in this book is as strong as it is in her Pippi stories, even if they’re not as whacky. Take this little exchange for example, when Rasmus and Paradise Oscar meet for the first time:

“Haven’t you ever heard of Paradise Oscar? That’s me. The paradise tramp and God’s best friend, that’s me.”

God’s best friend! Rasmus began to wonder if that tramp was all right in the head. “Why are you God’s best friend?” Asked Rasmus .

Many deep wrinkles appeared on Oscar’s forehead. “Someone has to be, and what’s more, there has to be a tramp who is God’s best friend. God approves of tramps.”

“Does he?” asked Rasmus suspiciously.

“Yes he does,” Oscar assured him. “When he has gone to so much trouble to put the world together, he wants to have everything in it. Don’t you understand? How would it look if there was everything except tramps?” Oscar nodded, apparently pleased with his explanation. “God’s best friend, yes sir, that’s me.” (43)

Perhaps our favorite line from the book was Oscar’s constant declaration to the police: “I’m as innocent as a bride!” This cry may not become commonplace in our own house, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one of my kids whips it out next time we parents wrongly accuse him or her of something. Bonus points if they use the same Roaring-Twenties Brooklyn accent I gave Oscar throughout the book.

We loved this tale, and while I usually give gems like this away to friends and family, this is a book I’ll be keeping in my own library. I’ve done the same with all our Roald Dahl books, and hopefully the kids (or I) will appreciate reading them to grandkids someday. Stories like this are worth preserving and sharing—so time now to go get yourself a copy!

Read more from Astrid Lindgren: