Please note that for simplicity's sake, I will be using the main character's American name (Meg) throughout, although I personally know her as Madita (from the German translations) and in the Swedish original, she is called Madicken (in the British translations, Madicken is known as Mardie); these all seem to be nicknames for Margaret.
Now the German translations of Astrid Lindgren's Madicken novels (both the first book and its sequel) take their well deserved places amongst my very favourite childhood reads (and even as an adult, I tend to reread them regularly). This here American translation, however, truly and unfortunately leaves much (actually leaves everything) to be desired. And most problematic and for me really rather unforgivable is the salient fact that in Mischievous Meg a whole chapter has been omitted (the entire episode where Meg and her sister Elizabeth first meet Mia and her sister Matti is simply non-existent). Now I guess either the American publisher (Viking Press) or the translator (Gerry Bothmer), or perhaps even both, could not handle or stomach the fact that in this "missing" chapter Meg and her sister Elizabeth loudly and rather joyfully swear at Matti and Mia (who swear right back at them). And aside from this being a wildly entertaining episode (maybe not entirely comme il faut, but oh so much fun, from Elizabeth getting a pea stuck up her nose, to the expressive and in-your-face war of words between the four little girls), this chapter also represents the first face-to-face meeting and confrontation between Meg and Mia and as such, it equally sets the tone for the conflict between the two in the sequel (which is likely also one of the main reasons the sequel has never been translated into American English, a serious lack and shortcoming, as in my humble opinion, the sequel is actually somewhat superior to the first novel, more evocative, dealing with heavier societal themes, and giving especially Meg a chance to truly shine).
Truth be told, reading reviews of Mischievous Meg posted by my GR friends, I was rather and at first almost unpleasantly surprised that they kept mentioning the fact that for an almost ten year old, Meg acts surprisingly naively, innocently and immaturely. And I thought, "wait a minute, Meg is not nine going on ten, but six going on seven." And yes, this all did not make much sense until I actually got my hands on an ILL copy of Mischievous Meg and realised that aside from having left out an entire chapter, translator Gerry Bothmer has also (and for really no legitimate reason whatsoever) aged Meg, that she is definitely described in Mischievous Meg as being nine years old, whilst in the original Madicken novel, and in the German translation, Astrid Lindgren portrays her as much much younger, as only six, although Meg will indeed soon be seven. And that seemingly small and minute change, it is in actual fact not such an insignificant change after all, but a rather massively frustrating and annoying one, as it makes Meg and her funny escapades and shenanigans appear as considerably sillier, less mature and more potentially naughty (as many of them could easily be forgiven a six year old, but not so much anymore a nine year old).
And finally, while Meg is definitely mischievous at times, generally she is not what in German we would call "ungezogen" (deliberately naughty). She is a bit rash, a bit thoughtless, but she is sweet, loving, and for the most part kind to and patient with her younger sister (except perhaps in the Joseph episode, but Elizabeth did bite the head off of the chocolate doll Meg was saving and then refused to apologise). And thus, I even have my issues with Mischievous Meg as the book title, since it makes it appear as though Meg is by nature an unruly and rather naughty unmannerly child, which in my opinion, she simply is not. And it is really too bad that Gerry Bothmer's translation leaves out so much important and in my opinion absolutely necessary content (an entire chapter, that is simply flabbergasting and unacceptable) and strives to even change the age of the main protagonist. It is thus, and in my opinion, really and truly time for a new and updated American translation of both of Astrid Lindgren's Madicken books (one that keeps to author's original text as much as possible, does not arbitrarily leave out entire chapters that might be a bit problematic with regard to American cultural and behavioural norms, and renders characters almost three years older than what they are supposed to be).