The Silver Skates

The books of Mary Mapes Dodge 1831—1905 had a significant influence on American children's literature. «The Silver Skates» — her most famous novel about Dutch teenagers in the mid-19th century. The entertaining melodramatic plot intertwines with legends and historical facts and extraordinarily vivid descriptions of the boys' journey on skates through the canals of amazing Holland. In the small town of Broek, competitions for young speed skaters are forthcoming. The winner awaits the coveted prize — the Silver Skates. The children of the poor Brinkers, Hans and Gretel, dream of them the most, whose father fell from the dam ten years ago and became a cripple. And although this dream seems unattainable to them, on the eve of Christmas, when the very air smells of magic, miracles are bound to happen.