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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Loved all the skating and felt I was gliding through the frozen Russian canals with Hans himself. The Russian history and scenery was fascinating. The storyline was amazing and I really appreciated the underlying theme of St Nicholas.
(Also really enjoyed the Netflix movie - very different from the book but in another great spin)
(Also really enjoyed the Netflix movie - very different from the book but in another great spin)
The copy of the book I read was my dad's copy that he received as a gift from his sister. I loved this book and read it several times.
It was kinda hard to get in to but it's such a sweet little story. I loved the ending. It follows a little town and the kids in it. And at one point it follows the kids travel. There are some parts where I really wasn't interested or didn't understand. But there were parts overall I did enjoy. Might reread in the future.
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.5 ★ - (loved it, favorite)
Roughly two years later and I still think fondly of this book whenever I see it on my shelves. Full review to come. 12/21/23
Roughly two years later and I still think fondly of this book whenever I see it on my shelves. Full review to come. 12/21/23
Dodge's voice is charming. Her way of directly addressing the reader encourages active participation of the imagination. This is a delightful story for children. However, the author ignored the main plot for the majority of the book in order to describe the Holland's landscape and history. Over half the book was unnecessary. I recommend an abridged version, or a quit skim of the bulk of the story.
I had a vague idea when I started this of attempting to read this when I was a child and not getting very far. This was borne out as I read, for I remembered the wooden skates and nothing else. So I made it to chapter one?
I do not blame my youthful self, because this book is so exactly what you think of when you imagine Victorian children's fiction. Poor but noble protagonists, family love, great hardship. What is this--a contest? Classmates both kind and cruel. MASSIVE serendipity strikes-twice! All is resolved in the best possible way, and the action was only mostly impeded by the massive doses of educational information...not completely impeded!
Mary Mapes Dodge was a widowed mother when she wrote this, and the most affecting scenes are the ones in which the wife is interacting with her husband. However, as much as I don't think any modern child would really care much for this, as an adult I enjoyed this atmospheric winter read. Highly recommend for anybody flying to the Netherlands as a travel read!
I do not blame my youthful self, because this book is so exactly what you think of when you imagine Victorian children's fiction. Poor but noble protagonists, family love, great hardship. What is this--a contest? Classmates both kind and cruel. MASSIVE serendipity strikes-twice! All is resolved in the best possible way, and the action was only mostly impeded by the massive doses of educational information...not completely impeded!
Mary Mapes Dodge was a widowed mother when she wrote this, and the most affecting scenes are the ones in which the wife is interacting with her husband. However, as much as I don't think any modern child would really care much for this, as an adult I enjoyed this atmospheric winter read. Highly recommend for anybody flying to the Netherlands as a travel read!
Re-reading as an adult, I was unpleasantly surprised to find so much racism and stereotyping mixed in the book; perhaps I only read the abridged version as a child? The basic story is still a good one, but I was very disappointed with so many incidents mixed in.
I came across this book while growing through old stuff and it sure sprouted up a lot of memories inside me. I remembered this as one of the books I had enjoyed the most when I was a kid. I remembered it being magical. No wonder that I re-read it! Loved every bit as much as I had done the first time around. Set in the beautiful Holland during the winter season, this is the perfect winter read. Tucked up inside a blanket reading about those kids making that amazing journey on skates felt so good!