Rasmus and the Vagabond

Posted by Becca
Categories: Fiction, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Astrid Lindgren, Good Read Aloud, Orphans, Out of Print, Quick Read, Sweden, Tramps
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Our rating:

Rasmus is tired of living at the orphanage. Everybody who comes to adopt an orphan always picks a girl with curly hair. Nobody wants a boy with straight hair. One day, Rasmus decides to take matters into his own hands and sets out to find a family who wants him. The very next morning, Rasmus meets up with a tramp named Oscar who seems very friendly. Oscar says that he will help Rasmus find a home, but the two new friends run into trouble when Oscar is suspected for a crime he did not commit.

Probably the biggest thing I didn’t like about this book was Oscar’s disrespect for policemen because he is tired of them assuming that “tramp” equals “badguy.” That’s all well and good, but Oscar doesn’t even try to be nice to the policemen, which would help to clear the “tramps are bad” mindset. Another interesting item to note is that, unlike other books by Lindgren, Rasmus and the Vagabond is not a humorous story. The ending is somewhat predictable, but this is still a good quick read for days when you don’t have time for a long story.