Astrid is the little thunderbolt of Glimmerdal. She is the only child and her best friend is an elderly neighbor, Gunnvald. Astrid's life on the mountain seems idyllic. She lives with her father; her mother is away in Greenland studying the icebergs. She spends her days with Gunnvald inventing the most amazing sled or just listening to him play his fiddle. She has the run of the mountains and valleys of her home. That all changes when Gunnvald becomes injured and his estranged daughter comes to Glimmerdal. Suddenly things aren't how Astrid thought they would be. 

I was completely charmed by this book and by Astrid. The comparisons to Heidi are definitely there, but Astrid is definitely not Heidi. She is her own little hellion on skis. The freedom Astrid enjoys and her love of the outdoors and nature were a nice change from modern kids who spend a lot of time on devices and indoors. But really this is a book about relationships and Astrid's are enviable. Her family and neighbors are all people who genuinely care about each other. It was just such a refreshingly fun story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.