Hans Brinker; Or, The Silver Skates

By Mary Mapes Dodge

Book Overview

Rediscover the charm of "Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates," a beloved classic of juvenile fiction by Mary Mapes Dodge. Set in 19th-century Netherlands, this timeless tale explores themes of family, friendship, and perseverance against a backdrop of Dutch history and culture.

Immerse yourself in the world of ice skating and youthful adventure as the story unfolds. This meticulously prepared print edition preserves the historical integrity of the original text, offering a glimpse into a bygone era. Perfect for readers of all ages who appreciate historical fiction and heartwarming stories of camaraderie and resilience. "Hans Brinker" remains a cherished work of literature, celebrated for its enduring appeal and captivating portrayal of life in the Netherlands.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1023311143
• ISBN13: 9781023311144
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Anson Street Press
• Length: 254 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

I read about the author first

When I was in grade school, I read a biography of Mary Mapes Dodge. which described her personal life while she was writing Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates.The book became the #1 item on my Christmas wish list and that wish was granted. I read the book numerous times during my lifetime and quite unexpectedly as a corporate wife, I had the quite lovely experience of living in the Netherlands in an extraordinary year when the canals froze and when they had actual ice skate racing and kettle sweeping on the canals. I felt I was living in the story which I had read so many times. I hope today's children read it with all the excitement I did and then get the wonderful opportunity to speak the language and live with the wonderful people there.

Delight for all ages

I remembers Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates as one of my favorite childhood books and wanted to try it again. It was as delightful in my middle age as when I was seven years old. The forward about Mary Mapes Dodge, when she lived and how she came to write, was an added pleasure. The facts about Holland blended with the touching story of Hans and his family make it a nearly perfect read. My 70-something mother-in-law finished the book in a day and liked it as well. To read it is to feel like you are flying down the ice yourself.

a wonderful book

Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates is one of the best books I've ever read. It is one of the only books that has ever made me cry. This book uses some Dutch words. Next to the word there is sometimes a small 1 telling you at the bottom of the page is a definition. For example in one sentence it says: Lets go get some 1. Tiffen. At the bottom of the page it says something like: 1 Tiffen - lunch. Hans Brinker and his sister Gretel have been living with their mother who has spent the last ten years caring for their father who got what you could kind of call amnesia while out on the dykes. He has no memory and has sometimes done awful things without realizing it. Suddenly the Brinker's luck begins to change and they have happiness as well as some pain.

Canals as Connections

With a book like this, many readers cheat themselves by assuming that they already know what it's about, because they heard the outline of the story before, and therefore they have no need to really read it. A lot like the way some people treat the Bible, or at least large parts of the Bible. Anyway, I recently re-read this book to one of my daughters, and can report that upon close consideration, this book is really a retrospective Calvinistic explanation for how old Dr. Boekman finds a successor for his surgical practice, following Dr. Boekman's disappointment in his only son, who never liked medicine and who in fact found a reason to run away from Holland to resettle in England to pursue a business career. The rich descriptions of Dutch history and culture form the context for this drama. Consequently, Dr. Boekman's whole outlook on life, exemplified by his perpetual frown, descends into depression as he humorlessly goes about his surgical practice, all the while increasing his fame which radiates from Amsterdam far out into the provinces, symbolized by the transportation and communication pathway of the frozen canals, over which all ages and classes of people happily skate through what used to be extremely cold winter months in Holland. These canals have not frozen solid on a regular basis for many decades. These frozen canals in turn exemplify Dr. Boekman's frozen heart, which ultimately gets melted as a result of the importuning of Raff Brinker's son, young Hans, who cajoles old Dr. Boekman into taking a look at old Raff, who has been an invalid since suffering a closed head trauma while working out on the dikes during a fierce storm. Dr. Boekman ends up surgically unblocking the "brainfreeze" suffered by Raff Brinker, who comes back to life "talking like an Amsterdam lawyer" which is a complete turn around from his invalid state where he appeared to be a distant, angry, barely controllable hulk crouching in his house by the fire, and casting a gloom of social obloquy which tainted not only his children, but his very cottage, in the eyes of most of the other respectable members of Dutch society, as they skated by on their local frozen canal.By the end of the book, the connection achieved by Hans Brinker between his remote father and the remote surgeon seems to have spread, or networked, and young Hans is a rising surgeon practicing with Dr. Boekman, and happily married, while Dr. Boekman's biological son returns, or is redeemed back from England to practice a bustling business trade also in Amsterdam. The silver skates and the races on the canals are mainly a way for Hans to prove something to himself, that he can set his mind to what he wishes to achieve, and against all odds achieve it. The fact that all of this works to bring reconciliation and happiness back into people who are disconnected and frozen, rather than constituting a sappy, Dickensian series of unlikely coincidences, instead creates more of an echo of predestination

Smakelijk eten

Is this the greatest book ever? Maybe, maybe not. Shakespeare had some good ones. Either way, this merits the five stars I've given it. Delve into one of the greatest stories ever told, and learn all about Holland. By the time you're done, you'll want to go ice skating.So strap on your wooden skates and squeek across the ice of Ole Holland. Who gets the silver skates? Who is the greatest hero? Is hidden fortune just under the peat moss?Dat hangt er van af . . .