For kids who enjoy a mystery and adventure, Amanda always delivers. In Holland, she gets involved in searching for a missing gardener, rare tulip bulbs, and a home for an abandoned puppy, all while seeking clues as to why her great-uncle didn't return from the second world war.
Amanda is in Holland to see the tulips with her best friend, Leah, travelling the canals of Amsterdam, visiting Anne Frank House, checking out windmills and a wooden shoe factory, and taking pictures of the flowers of Keukenhof Gardens. While she’s there, she is keen to find out what happened to her great uncle who never returned from WWII and was declared missing in action. What she doesn’t expect to find and fall in love with is Joey, an abandoned puppy. While trying to find a home for him, she meets Jan, a Dutch boy who offers to help, a suspicious gardener, a strange woman on a bicycle, and an overprotective goose named Gerald.
Follow Amanda around the charming country of Holland, filled with colourful tulips, windmills, and more bicycles than she could have imagined. Once again, intrepid traveller Amanda encounters danger and intrigue as she tries to solve more than one mystery in a foreign country.
Excerpt
They boarded a long, low boat that took them at a leisurely pace through busy canals. Mr. Anderson explained,
“Amsterdam was built around the canals. The city is below sea level.”
“Why doesn’t it flood then? Why don’t the houses sink? And why are they so tall and skinny?” Amanda had so many
questions.
Leah smirked and pulled back her long blonde hair into a ponytail. “I’m sure my dad, the engineer, will be able to
explain all that.”
Mr. Anderson cleared his throat. “Well, the houses in Amsterdam used to be taxed on frontage, so they built tall, narrow houses to save money. Wooden stilts driven into the
wet ground before construction were used to support the houses. That is why they don’t sink.”
Amanda pointed. “Why is that one over there leaning sideways?”
“Due to the wet ground, some of the supports are now rotting, causing houses to tilt and sink into the earth. They now build the houses with concrete.”
Leah rolled her eyes. “I think it is time to get off the boat as I have had enough of the construction lesson.”
They disembarked at the next stop in front of a shop with large wheels of cheese piled high outside the door. Once inside, the sour milk scent of cheese greeted them. A cheerful
girl in a pointy white hat with wings on each side handed out samples.
“Yum, this cheese is so good.” Amanda smacked her lips.
“Let’s buy some for a snack later.”
Mr. Anderson took out his wallet. “Good idea. We’ll take a wedge of Gouda and one of that one we just sampled.” He pointed to the cheeses.
“You mean the Edam?” asked the sales clerk. “These are good choices.”
While Leah’s father paid for the purchase, the girls went outside. Amanda heard a whimpering sound. “Did you hear that?” she asked Leah.
“Did I hear what?”
“A sound like a baby or a baby animal. I think it came from over there.” Amanda pointed at a large garbage can
across the road. “There it is again!” She stepped off the curb.
“Amanda, watch for bikes!” Leah shouted.
One whizzed past, barely missing Amanda. She didn’t even notice. She headed for a cardboard box sitting beside the smelly garbage. Bending over, she opened it. Curled up
in the bottom, a brown and white puppy, with the biggest chocolate brown eyes she had ever seen, stared up at her. The puppy whimpered and put his head between his front paws.
Professional Reviews
A Tour of Holland
This book was quite a bit of fun. Foster combines a middle-grade fiction plot with a colorful tour of Holland, including its famous sites, snippets of history, and its wonderful flowers and food. I had the great fortune of visiting my grandparents in Holland when I was Amanda’s age, and her experiences in the book mirror my memories in great detail. It was a blast to traipse along beside Amanda and enjoy the country once again.
The main plot focuses on the recovery of a lost puppy, but secondary plots weave through the story, and all come together nicely at the end. There’s a bit of mystery and some danger to keep the tension up. There are also some very moving scenes when Amanda visits Anne Frank’s home and a war memorial dedicated to the Canadians who helped liberate Holland during WWII. A lovely book for young readers and absolutely perfect for readers who plan to travel the world.
Action packed and filled with interesting titbits of information
Amanda in Holland is the latest addition to the exciting Amanda series of books written by Canadian author, Darlene Foster. Each book in the Amanda series is set in a different country and details some of the amazing cultural and historical sites as well as dishes, drinks and clothes that are specific to that country. This aspect of the series makes it unusual and appealing to young and older readers.
Amanda, who lives in Canada, travels to Holland to meet up with her best friend, Leah Anderson and her father, who live in England. Mr Anderson is in Holland for business purposes and the two teenage girls are free to enjoy themselves seeing all the wonderful historical and cultural sites Holland has to offer. The story starts with a bang when Amanda is nearly ridden over by a woman on a bicycle on her first morning in Amsterdam. The woman's behaviour is a bit odd and this event is followed by Amanda and Leah discovering a young puppy which has been abandoned in a box next to a rubbish bin around the corner from a cheese shop they are visiting.
Mr Anderson agrees for the girls to keep the dog until it can be taken to an animal shelter and this decision sets in motion a series of occurrences that draw Amanda and Leah into an exciting adventure involving selling animals from puppy farms and stealing rare tulip bulbs. While the two girls investigate the mysterious circumstances of the abandonment of the puppy and the strange behaviour of various individuals who keep turning up, like the woman who nearly ran Amanda over, they also visit a number of interesting places such as the hide out of Anne Frank of The Diary of Anne Frank fame, the Keukenhof Botanical Gardens and a Canadian war-memorial cemetery. Amanda has the picture of her great uncle Harold who disappeared in Holland during the war and whose grave she is hoping she might find. The two girls meet a number of interesting people and get to spend time with a number of Dutch people who introduce them to some delicious Dutch treats.
The book is action packed and filled with interesting titbits of information about life in Holland, WWII and perseverance and determination in unravelling a mystery.
Amanda is a clever and kind girl who will appeal to middle school and young teenagers who will admire her pluck.
Another episode in excellent series-Amanda is a great character!
This latest of the Amanda series has the 12 year old visiting Holland, meeting her English friend, Leah, who is there with her father. While he does some business, they will sightsee. Another goal of Amanda’s is to see if she can learn anything about her great uncle who was missing in action in the Netherlands during World War Two.
As in the last book I read, the history and geography of the area is enveloped into the story quite seamlessly. Amanda and Leah visit Anne Frank’s house and learn information useful and appropriate for their age. There is also cultural detail, mention of the dikes and water situation and environment. And tulips of course. And Amanda learns of the role of the Canadian forces in liberating Holland, driving out the German army during WWII.
There is a rather convoluted plot involving dogs and tulips which I found a bit exaggerated but young people might not. It brought intrigue and excitement to the story and I know I loved that in the books I read at that age.
All in all Amanda is an interesting character who exposes the reader to new people and places. And that is to be applauded!
Patrick is just about to celebrate his second birthday, and all of a sudden, he is afraid of the dark. What happens next offers a wonderful respite for siblings to learn. This book is a Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver seal of excellence Recipient in fam
Patrick is just about to celebrate his second birthday, and all of a sudden, he is afraid of the dark. What happens next offers a wonderful respite for siblings to learn. This book is a Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver seal of excellence Recipient in fam
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