Den vita stenen


Den vita stenen is a 1964 Swedish children's book written by Gunnel Linde. In 1965, Linde received the Nils Holgersson Plaque for this book. In 1973, a TV version of the story was produced.

Plot

The book takes place in a village in the Swedish countryside during the 1930s. Fia and her mother Mrs Pettersson, a piano teacher, live in the big house of the village's "häradshövding", where the bad-tempered housekeeper Malin lives. People say bad things about Mrs Pettersson because she is useless and lazy as she just plays piano. Fia always gets teased by her school mates because she has a useless mother who is a piano teacher in their school.
One summer day, a boy called Hampus comes to the village together with his stepparents, his uncle who is a poor shoemaker and his wife, and their 6 children. The shoemaker's wife and her children think Hampus is stupid as he "always makes trouble and makes them move house" as they have changed home often. When Hampus and Fia meet, they don't want to say their real names. The two children, who are alienated, start their own fraternity and call themselves "Fideli" and "Farornas konung". They "fight" for a white stone and order each other on "missions": "when you have completed the "mission" you'll get the stone".

TV series

In 1973 a TV series with 13 parts, directed by Göran Graffman, based on the book, was produced.

Cast