I was about eight when I first got this book as a Christmas present from my parents. The story tells of a young girl born into a band of robbers during 'a dark and stormy night.' The robbers, whose leader Ronia's father is, live in a castle that was split in half by lighting the night Ronia was born. The other half of the castle is inhabited by a rival group of robbers whose leader has a son the same age as Ronia. One summer Ronia meets Birk, her counterpart, in the woods, and the children start a secret friendship.
Filled with wholesome adventures in the woods, interesting creatures (none of them TOO scary), and a conflict of families that gets solved in the end, the book is a delight. This book remains one of my favorite books from childhood, one that I read many times and always looked forward to reading again.