The Little Silver House

I didn’t even know this sequel to The Golden Name Day existed until I was an adult, so I’m fudging a bit when I call it a childhood favorite, but really, it’s a necessary follow up to The Golden Name Day, and required reading in your Swedish indoctrination course.

As winter comes, so does Christmas, and after reading this I’m willing to believe that there isn’t one better than a Swedish Christmas. The special visits throughout Advent, the carefully wrapped karameller, Grandma in her lighted Lucia wreath, Dipping Day, count me in. Everything except the lutfisk. I’m afraid I’m with the children on that one.

But before we get to the delight of the holidays, Nancy and her friends have many adventures. They discover a little silver house that has been boarded up for 30 years and they long to know its secrets, their hunt for information has all sorts of surprises for them. And again the characters in this book set a new standard for what friendship really means. Alex is still in his wheelchair, but is very much a part of all adventures. The crowd meets a new boy Ben who is lonesome for his life in the city. They make him feel welcome, but the true measure of their kindness comes when they put together a Christmas box for Ben’s friend Dick. Dick can’t walk either, but unlike Alex can’t afford a wheelchair. The children are not wealthy so in order to get Dick a present, they decide to part with much loved belongings of their own. The decision about what to send weighs heavily on some of the girls, but in the end they are all very generous. I think what impressed me most was that the gift was enough for them. None of their treasures were replaced when they received their own gifts. What they gave up for Dick was truly out of the goodness of their hearts, which is something that is often lost nowadays.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – Alex’s father died when he was a baby.  As they are trying to solve a mystery, the girls discover that another little girl died at age 10.  There’s a weird bit where Elsa said she’s glad the girl died at 10.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – A fire closes the school for two weeks.  Ben had lived with his grandmother but then she had to go live in a home and he was sent off to be a hired boy.  The Taylors aren’t well. Ben has a friend named Dick who also can’t walk like Alex except without a wheelchair or people to check on him.