Summary
"Five-year-old Heidi, an orphan, has been sent to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. All of his neighbours fear him, but Heidi knows he is kind at heart, and the two learn to live happily together. Heidi loves her life, but soon her aunt takes her away and forces Heidi to work for strangers in town as a companion to their handicapped daughter, Clara. Heidi befriends Clara and begins to learn to read and write, but she is also homesick for her grandfather and best friend, a goat-herd. Will she ever make it back to her beloved mountain home? Johanna Spyri's classic tale has been adapted into an easy-reading Stepping Stones format, while keeping all the love, friendship, and adventure of the original book."
Johanna Spyri was born in the village of Hirzel, Switzerland on June 12, 1827. She was tutored at home and attended school both at home and in Zurich. She married Bernhard Spyri, a lawyer, in 1852 and moved to Zurich. She wrote her first story, A Leaf on Vrony's Grave, in 1871. She wrote numerous stories for both children and adults, but her most famous work was Heidi, which was published in 1880. Both her husband and son died in 1884. She spent her remaining years writing, raising her niece, and doing charity work. She died on July 7, 1901.
(Bowker Author Biography)