The Silver Skates a Story of Life in Holland. By
M. E. Dodge. (Low, Son, and Marston.)—Internal evidence leads us to conclude that this story has not crossed the German Ocean, but the Atlantic. It is well worthy of either voyage. Like its characters, it moves on skates, and is therefore at once easy and graceful. The crowning event is a race for a pair of silver skates, but the whole story leads us up to this, and prepares us for their being won by the heroine. Almost the only part of the book which seems out of place is that containing accounts of Dutch towns and their history in the style of Murray's Handbook.
But though this ie not interesting to grown-up readers, and seems some- what inartistic to critical ones, it must be borne in mind that the story is written for the young, and that to them such information will pro- bably be welcome. When the young idea is taught how to shoot, we must be prepared to meet with the first elements of archery. The incidents are always natural, if the talk is too didactic, and though the adventure with the robber at the inn where the party of boys was passing the night and the ten years' imbecility of the heroine's father seem to have no connection with skating, we should be sorry to miss them from the story.
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