Hans Brinker and his sister Gretel would love to enter the great ice skating contest with all the other children. Who wouldn't? The winner will receive a magnificent pair of silver skates! But wearing their old wooden skates that squeak and moan on the ice, Hans and Gretel don't stand a chance. And there's no money for new skates--not with their father so terribly ill.
Suddenly, the Brinker family's luck seems to change. Almost magically, Hans and Gretel receive enough money to buy themselves some real skates.
This is the complete and unabridged version. (343 pages)
Suddenly, the Brinker family's luck seems to change. Almost magically, Hans and Gretel receive enough money to buy themselves some real skates.
This is the complete and unabridged version. (343 pages)
A classic of children's literature. I had forgotten how much of the book is meant to teach children about the geography and history of the Netherlands in the late 1800s. Still, the story is well-told and the main plot -about the poverty-stricken Brinker family, whose breadwinner was disabled in a dike disaster- is very memorable (and apparently based on a historical incident.)
