Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates

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. (9 hr 57 min)

Chapters

Preface/A Letter from Holland	7:38	Read by Mark F. Smith
Hans and Gretel	9:15	Read by Mark F. Smith
Holland	19:09	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Silver Skates	10:44	Read by Mark F. Smith
Hans and Gretel Find a Friend	13:46	Read by Mark F. Smith
Shadows in the Home	14:36	Read by Mark F. Smith
Sunbeams	9:07	Read by Mark F. Smith
Hans Has His Way	8:07	Read by Mark F. Smith
Introducing Jacob Poot and His Cousin	11:51	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Festival of Saint Nicholas	18:14	Read by Mark F. Smith
What the Boys Saw and Did in Amsterdam	19:24	Read by Mark F. Smith
Big Manias and Little Oddities	16:31	Read by Mark F. Smith
On the Way to Haarlem	7:29	Read by Mark F. Smith
A Catastrophe	7:22	Read by Mark F. Smith
Hans	11:08	Read by Mark F. Smith
Homes	14:36	Read by Mark F. Smith
Haarlem--The Boys Hear Voices	12:09	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Man With Four Heads	10:15	Read by Mark F. Smith
Friends in Need	14:39	Read by Mark F. Smith
On the Canal	12:57	Read by Mark F. Smith
Jacob Poot Changes the Plan	14:15	Read by Mark F. Smith
Mynheer Kleef and His Bill of Fare	5:57	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Red Lion Becomes Dangerous	23:27	Read by Mark F. Smith
Before the Court	6:45	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Beleaguered Cities	11:51	Read by Mark F. Smith
Leyden	11:59	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Palace in the Wood	6:10	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Merchant Prince and the Sister-Princess	25:29	Read by Mark F. Smith
Through the Hague	14:49	Read by Mark F. Smith
A Day of Rest /Homeward Bound	13:02	Read by Mark F. Smith
Boys and Girls	11:12	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Crisis	13:15	Read by Mark F. Smith
Gretel and Hilda	13:19	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Awakening	6:43	Read by Mark F. Smith
Bones and Tongues	6:51	Read by Mark F. Smith
A New Alarm	9:12	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Father's Return	9:17	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Thousand Guilders	10:16	Read by Mark F. Smith
Glimpses	7:34	Read by Mark F. Smith
Looking for Work	10:09	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Fairy Godmother	11:01	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Mysterious Watch	16:37	Read by Mark F. Smith
A Discovery	16:46	Read by Mark F. Smith
The Race	33:17	Read by Mark F. Smith
Joy in the Cottage	15:54	Read by Mark F. Smith
Mysterious Disappearance of Thomas Higgs	5:38	Read by Mark F. Smith
Broad Sunshine	10:37	Read by Mark F. Smith
Conclusion	6:57	Read by Mark F. Smith

Reviews

(5 stars)

Lisa Pizza

FANTASTIC! I learned so much about Holland AND was enthralled by the sweet story of persevering love and faith. Great for young people to hear about character qualities. As always, I sure enjoy hearing the SKILLFUL reading of Mark Smith. I will choose my next story from the list of his narration. Thank you Mark and Librovox. Listening to these classic stories helps me get my paintings done :)

I loved it!

(5 stars)

Sandy

Thank you for the fine reading of this sweet book.

(5 stars)

•raeganbrooke•

Very quaint indeed good reader😄nice book to listen too

(5 stars)

A LibriVox Listener

Mark reads so well. I always enjoy his work. Hans Brinker was a Christmas favorite at our home — we watched it on TV, then video and also as a theater production. I grew up in a Dutch home; my parents both have Dutch ancestry. Walt Disney produced the movie version of the well known book which is how I always knew the story line. My mother took us to a theatre production in Holland MI as well. I had not been a keen reader as a child, so had not even thought to read the book. No doubt, the historical value would have been ‘lost’ on me as a child. This December I picked up the audio version for a Christmas ‘read’. The story has a scene of St Nicholas and with the festive skating always felt like a good story for the holiday season. I am glad I listened to it as the characters are so well presented— I love the central story; Mark’s reading also gives a flavor of the Dutch words and conversations between the boys on their skating journey. So appreciate his choice in reading this classic book. GoodReads has a wonderful history of Mary Mapes Dodge: she was a contemporary of Mark Twain! I hope to read more of her stories in future. Again my thanks to Mark for his excellent performance of each character.