Hans Brinker Or The Silver Skates

Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates

by Mary Mapes Dodge

Mary Mapes Dodge created an instant bestseller with "Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates." She wanted the book to be partly a book of travels and partly a domestic story. It is a tale written for children that adults also find interesting and uplifting. Dodge writes as if she is sending a series of letters from Holland to children in America, and her you-are-there perspective is aided by a nice attention to detail and vivid imagery.The Brinkers are a poor but stoic family under a dark cloud - Raff, the man of the house, fell from the dikes while reinforcing them during a bad storm, and for ten years he has been in a vegetative state. With no steady income, the family's lot is grinding poverty. Despite their unfortunate circumstances, Hans and Gretel are cheerful children, yet always attentive to the needs of their mother and their present-but-not-really-there father. Their social standing is very low, but they both attract firm friends, even among the gentry, for their honesty, industry, and good-heartedness.Then a glorious skating race is proposed for the town of Broek, with the prize a pair of silver skates for both the winning boy and girl. In the weeks leading up to the race, we follow the adventures of five of the local boys who are showing a visiting relative from England the sights of the Netherlands. Hans improbably meets the one man who might be able to heal his father, and somehow Hans finds a way to afford some skates so that he and Gretel can enter the race.This all leads up to a dramatic, moving, and entirely satisfactory conclusion. "Hans Brinker" hits a series of high notes and encourages children to cultivate and display their finer qualities.

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

The Birth of Merlin: The Childe Hath Found His Father Cover image

The Birth of Merlin: The Childe Hath Found His Father by William Shakespeare

The Birth of Merlin, or, The Child Hath Found his Father is a Jacobean play, probably written in whole or part by William Rowley. It was first perform...

The Teacup Club Cover image

The Teacup Club by Eliza Armstrong

In a small town where secrets are hidden behind closed doors, a group of women gather to share their deepest desires and darkest fears. Welcome to th...

Tom Slade On The River Cover image

Tom Slade On The River by Percy Keese Fitzhugh

This book follows the adventures of Tom Slade, a young Boy Scout, as he navigates the challenges and rewards of scouting life. He experiences the thri...

The Children of Odin  Cover image

The Children of Odin by Padraic Colum

Master storyteller Padraic Colum's rich, musical voice captures all the magic and majesty of the Norse sagas in his retellings of the adventures of th...

Heautontimorumenos; the Self-Tormentor Cover image

Heautontimorumenos; the Self-Tormentor by Terence

Heautontimorumenos, or The Self-Tormentor, is a play by the Roman playwright Terence, adapted from the Greek playwright Menander. The play centers aro...

Picture-Books In Winter Cover image

Picture-Books In Winter by Robert Louis Stevenson

Picture-Books In Winter is a collection of 26 poems by Robert Louis Stevenson that capture the magic and wonder of winter for children. The poems are...

Amazing Interlude Cover image

Amazing Interlude by Mary Roberts Rinehart

‘Amazing Interlude’ is a captivating tale that unfolds during the early days of World War I. It follows the journey of Sara Lee, a young woman whose p...

Muse and Mint Cover image

Muse and Mint by Walter Seymour Percy

Walter Seymour Percy, a Canadian minister, penned a collection of poems in 'Muse and Mint.' The poems, often written for his children, reflect his dee...

Misericordia Cover image

Misericordia by Benito Pérez Galdós

Misericordia is a powerful and unflinching exploration of poverty and social inequality in late 19th-century Madrid. Galdós, through meticulous observ...

Helen with the High Hand Cover image

Helen with the High Hand by Arnold Bennett

It follows the story of Helen Rathbone, a confident and independent young woman living in Edwardian England. In this coming-of-age tale, Helen is fac...

Reviews for Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates

No reviews posted or approved, yet...