Vesper Holly is the protagonist in a series of novels by Lloyd Alexander.
She is a young high-society orphan from Philadelphia, the daughter of an eccentric wealthy archaeologist who disappeared while on an expedition to the Balkan state of Illyria.
Vesper is looked after by her guardians, Uncle Brinnie[1] and Aunt Mary.
Alexander describes her as having "the digestive talents of a goat and the mind of a chess master.
Orson Scott Card reviewed The Illyrian Adventure favorably, saying "It is the stuff that dreams are made of.