Status
Available
Local notes
PB Dod
Collection
Genres
Publication
Aladdin (2012), 308 pages
Description
A Dutch brother and sister work toward two goals--finding the doctor who can restore their father's memory and winning the competition for the silver skates.
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1865
User reviews
LibraryThing member andyray
when i read this last in or about 1953, i was struck with the kids and the race for the silver skates. i remembered nothing about the other 200 plus pages chock full of Dutch customs and culture and history. Oh well. It was better the second time around. There isn't any problem with the language.
Show More
Somehow Mary Mapes Dodge writes in almost the same way another European woman wrote 130 years later. Her name is J. K. Rowlings. This is not a dated story and I recommend it to anyone's children . . . wait. back up the truck. I recommend it to anyone, period. Show Less
LibraryThing member LibraryCin
Hans and his younger sister live in Holland and love to skate. Unfortunately, their father had an accident 10 years earlier when Gretel was just a baby, and has been in a coma(?) since, so Hans makes their skates out of wood. But, with a race coming up, a nice girl offers to buy Hans some new
This was ok. I liked Hans’ family’s story, but there was also a section (mostly in the middle of the book) that focused on some of the other local boys. I mostly lost interest when the focus was on them. There was some nice descriptions of the area and the (19th century) culture in the book, and one of the other boys was from out of the country, so some of this was seen through his eyes, in a way. Overall, it was ok.
Show More
skates. Meanwhile, they are still hoping their dad will wake up, as he had hidden away a large chunk of money just before his accident. Money they could really use. This was ok. I liked Hans’ family’s story, but there was also a section (mostly in the middle of the book) that focused on some of the other local boys. I mostly lost interest when the focus was on them. There was some nice descriptions of the area and the (19th century) culture in the book, and one of the other boys was from out of the country, so some of this was seen through his eyes, in a way. Overall, it was ok.
Show Less
LibraryThing member GeorgeBowling
The sort of kids' book that an adult can read with genuine enjoyment. A good yarn.
As in most children's books from the moralistic 19th cnetury the hero and heroine are perhaps a little too good to be true or to be totally likeable. But Dodge has a fine ear nor the nicities of social discourse, on
As in most children's books from the moralistic 19th cnetury the hero and heroine are perhaps a little too good to be true or to be totally likeable. But Dodge has a fine ear nor the nicities of social discourse, on
Show More
lines of class and gender - doubtless she would not put it that way herself butit is true. And she certainly succeeds in making Holland sound a magical place. Show Less
LibraryThing member tlesr
Endearing classic about a brother and sister who work together to find a doctor who can help their father and winning the competition to win silver skates.
LibraryThing member sharonstrickland
A very nice story about a brother and sister living in poverty. Their mother is their sole support while taking care of their handicapped father who suffered a work accident and cannot function. Hans seeks to enlist the doctor to visit to see if there is any help he can offer. They have a strong
Show More
desire as well to skate in a great race but cannot afford suitable skates. The story also takes the other group of boys on a skating journey through some of the great places in Holland where they are exposed to the appreciation of art and history. Show Less
LibraryThing member Readoooodles
My dad had a copy of this book. It was one of the few he owned as a kid and it was given to him by his older sister. I read and re-read this book as a kid and remembered liking it very much.
LibraryThing member davepave
Excellent condition for a book this old. Found it in an antique shop in Ludington, MI
LibraryThing member antiquary
I still remember about fifty years ago my teacher read this aloud to my class in primary school. I especially recall the trephining operation which restores Hans' father's memory.
LibraryThing member MiaSquires
Set against a backdrop of frozen canals in a winter wonderland, the year's most exciting event in a little Dutch village is about to take place. But will Hans Brinker and his sister Gretel, with their hand-carved wooden skates, be able to compete against their well-trained young friends who own
Show More
fine steel blades? Show Less
LibraryThing member GraceZ
I liked this book a lot more than I expected to! I thought it was a simple children's book about Dutch kids, but it turns out Hans Brinker is basically used to add some adventure to a book that is actually more like a child's history of the Netherlands, made really fun by the exciting historical
Show More
events it talks about, and made adventurous by all of the skating and strange/exotic vehicles and foods and sights. At first I thought it was a little stereotypical, and although there are definitely some generalizations, they didn't seem so bad after the first 20-30 pages. Show Less
LibraryThing member MarisaVarley
Some of the themes in this book: redemption, forgiveness, perseverance, and knowing who you are rather than living by other people's opinion of you. I liked how Mary Mapes Dodge created the conversations between characters. Some of the descriptive parts were a bit long for me.
LibraryThing member SarahGraceGrzy
A wonderful tale of a close-knit family, set in the beauty of Holland. I come back to this nearly every winter! A perfect read to curl up in front of the fireplace with.
Similar in this library
Pages
308