This mischievous boy, now a beloved character, lived on the Katthult farm in the Småland province town of Lönneberga with his father, Anton Svensson, his mother, Alma Svensson, and his younger sister, Ida. As Emil starts school, the family’s maid, Lina, remains skeptical, claiming that Emil might get a place in heaven only if they ever need help creating thunderbolts. In this story, Emil strikes a few wild deals at the Backhorva auction, catches twelve hundred crayfish, ends up at a temperance meeting with his trained piglet, accidentally locks his father in the tool shed on Bible study day, and performs an act of such heroism for his dear friend that Lina and all the townsfolk of Lönneberga finally change their opinion of him.
