Seacrow Island facts for kids

Seacrow Island (its original Swedish name is Vi på Saltkråkan) is a super fun children's book by the famous author Astrid Lindgren. If you love this story, you can find out what happens next in the book Scrap and the Pirates.

Plot Summary

The Melkersson family from Stockholm decides to spend their summer holidays on Seacrow Island. Melker, a dad with four kids, rents a house called Carpenter's Cottage. He hasn't even seen it before!

When they arrive, rain leaks through the roof, which is a bit of a bummer. But soon, they all fall in love with their cozy house by the sea.

Malin, the 19-year-old daughter, helps run the house and goes on dates. Her older brothers, Johan and Niklas, quickly become friends with Teddy and Freddy, who live on the island. These friends have many exciting adventures together. One time, they even get lost in the ocean on a foggy day!

Teddy and Freddy's younger sister, Tjorven, becomes best friends with Pelle, Melker's youngest son. Tjorven has a giant St. Bernard dog named Bosun. Pelle really loves Bosun and wishes he had such a cool pet.

Pelle and Tjorven often hang out with Stina, who visits her grandpa on the island for holidays. Since Pelle loves animals so much, Tjorven gets him a rabbit named Jocke. Tjorven takes care of Jocke when Pelle is back in Stockholm.

After several amazing summers, the family hears bad news: Carpenter's Cottage is going to be sold! The Melkerssons are very sad because they don't have enough money to buy it. It looks like a rich man wants to buy the house, tear it down, and build a new holiday home.

Then, something amazing happens! Melker earns a lot of money from writing a book. But it seems the house has already been sold by the real estate agent. Luckily, Pelle and Tjorven are super clever! They manage to find the original owner of the house. They convince her to sell the cottage to Melker instead. Now, the Melkersson family can stay on Seacrow Island whenever they want!

Meet the Characters

• Melker Melkersson is a single dad from Stockholm. He is almost 50 years old. His wife passed away when Pelle, his youngest son, was born. Melker is a bit clumsy but everyone on Seacrow Island loves him.
• Malin Melkersson is Melker's 19-year-old daughter. She is like a mother to her brothers, Johan, Niklas, and Pelle, because their mom died when Malin was 12. Malin is very pretty and many boys like her.
• Pelle Melkersson is seven years old and loves all kinds of animals. He has a very special bond with his sister Malin.
• Johan & Niklas Melkersson are Malin and Pelle's brothers. They always do things together. On Seacrow Island, they become good friends with Teddy and Freddy and have many adventures.
• Tjorven Grankvist is six years old. She lives on Seacrow Island with her parents, her dog, and her two sisters. Tjorven is a lovable troublemaker, kind-hearted, and always speaks her mind. She often encourages her friend Pelle to go on adventures with her. At the end of the book, she helps Pelle convince the old owner of Carpenter's Cottage to sell the house to the Melkerssons.
• Bosun is a two-year-old giant St. Bernard dog. He belongs to Tjorven.
• Nisse Grankvist is the island's shopkeeper and Tjorven's father.
• Marta Grankvist is Tjorven's mother.
• Teddy (Teodora) & Freddy (Frederika) Grankvist are Tjorven's older sisters. Teddy is thirteen and Freddy is twelve. They grew up on Seacrow Island and know the area very well. They always spend time with Johan and Niklas when the boys visit for holidays.
• Stina is about five years old. She often visits her grandfather Söderman on Seacrow Island. Stina loves to tell fairy tales and stories.
• Söderman is Stina's grandfather. He lives on Seacrow Island.
• Westerman lives on Seacrow Island and is always looking for money.
• Krister is a boy who likes Malin. However, Malin's brothers always interrupt their dates, so they stop seeing each other.
• Björn Sjöblom is a teacher. He teaches the children of Seacrow Island on a nearby island where he lives. He falls in love with Malin, but she doesn't feel the same way. He later gets engaged to another woman.
• Peter Malm is a scientist who comes to Seacrow Island. He is the first person Malin truly falls in love with. They eventually get married.

Behind the Story

The book Seacrow Island is based on a TV series called Vi på Saltkråkan and a movie, Tjorven, Båtsman och Moses. While the book has been translated into English, the TV series and film have not. Seacrow Island is the longest novel Astrid Lindgren ever wrote, with 360 pages.

The story takes place on a made-up holiday island called Seacrow Island. This island doesn't actually exist. However, some real places are mentioned in the book, like Söderöra, Furusund, and Rödlöga. This means Seacrow Island is imagined to be in the northern part of the Stockholm archipelago in Sweden.

Astrid Lindgren and her family often spent their summers on the island of Furusund, which is in the Stockholm archipelago. Many of Astrid Lindgren's famous books were written there. After thirty summer holidays in the Stockholm archipelago, Lindgren started writing Vi på Saltkråkan. The story is set on a fictional island in that same beautiful area.

The Swedish name for Seacrow Island, "Saltkråkan," comes from the name of a sailing boat that the Lindgren family owned in Furusund. Astrid Lindgren bought this boat from Hans Rabén, who was her publisher.