Ronia, The Robber's Daughter

Happy to have read it since it's a classic, but it didn't really tug at my heartstrings. If I'd read it back when I was 7 or 8 I'm sure I would have loved it though.

Matt makes his living by stealing from travelers and he makes an old castle his headquarters. On the night his daughter, Ronia, is born, a lightning bolt splits his castle in two. Soon, his archrival and his band come to live in the other half of the castle and, with them, comes Birk, Matt's rival's son. Soon Birk and Ronia meet and become best friends, but this does not lead to family happiness. A great story.