The Whisper of Glocken facts for kids
First edition
|
|
| Author | Carol Kendall |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Imero Gobbato |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Minnipins Series |
| Genre | Speculative fiction, Fantasy |
| Publisher | Odyssey |
|
Publication date
|
1965 |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 304 |
| Awards | Newbery Honor, ALA Notable Childrens Book, and Ohioana Book Award |
| ISBN | 0-590-45103-0 |
| Preceded by | The Gammage Cup |
The Whisper of Glocken is an exciting children's fantasy novel by Carol Kendall. It was first published in 1965. This book is the second story in a series about tiny people called the Minnipins. It continues the adventures from the first book, The Gammage Cup. In this story, the Minnipin valley faces a big flood. Five new and unexpected heroes must go on a quest to save their homes. They need to find out what is causing the flood and stop it.
Contents
The Adventure Begins: A Flooded Valley
The story starts in Watergap, a village along the Watercress River. Glocken, the village bell ringer, and other villagers notice something strange. Their village is flooding, even more than usual after heavy rains. The Minnipins quickly realize they must leave their homes to escape the rising water.
During the rush to evacuate, five special Minnipins come together. These five become the main heroes of the story. They are Glocken, the bell ringer, who dreams of adventure. There's also Scumble, who presses fish and manages the river gates. Crustabread is a quiet loner. Gam Lutie is an elder who cares deeply about her family's treasure. Finally, there is Silky, a kind Minnipin woman.
Journey to Slipper on the Water
These five new heroes travel down the flooded river. Their destination is Slipper on the Water. This is the town where the heroes from The Gammage Cup live. Glocken is very excited to finally meet these famous heroes. When they arrive, the villagers welcome them. Glocken briefly meets the old heroes but doesn't realize who they are at first. After a warm meal, he is taken to sleep at the house of Mingy and Muggles.
The next morning, Glocken and his four friends meet the five heroes from the first book. They are given an important task. They must find out what is blocking the Watercress River and remove it. They also hear about an old, magical bell called The Whisper of Glocken. Glocken has a stone with a map on it, passed down in his family. This map makes Walter the Earl believe The Whisper is hidden in Frostbite, near the river blockage. Glocken then realizes who the old heroes are. He feels a little disappointed because they seem so ordinary.
Through the Sunset Mountains
The old heroes take the new heroes to a knoll. This is where their quest begins. Together, they travel through a tunnel in the Sunset Mountains. This tunnel was dug by the Mushrooms in The Gammage Cup. They roll away the stones blocking the entrance. The old heroes know they can't help further. They leave the new heroes to continue their journey. They give them supplies like fishcakes, medicines, and a book of wise sayings. Crustabread also gets Mingy's sand-colored cloak, which is good for hiding.
Left on their own, the new heroes get ready for the tough journey through a desert. While others look for water, Scumble searches for food. He tries to dig up a root but the ground is too hard. When he returns with a spade, he finds a hole with the root already at the bottom. The others think he's confused. They call the root a "moon melon." It smells bad, but Scumble tries it and finds it refreshing. The others refuse to eat it. Scumble then scrapes around other moon melon plants. Before sleeping, they roll a boulder back to block the tunnel entrance. The next morning, they push the boulder and themselves out into the open desert.
The Pit and the Diggers
Silky lands hard and hears a whimpering sound. She realizes they are all in a deep pit. A small, fuzzy creature is trapped under the boulder they pushed. Soon, bigger fuzzy creatures start dropping into the pit. They copy Silky's efforts to free the trapped creature. The injured creature is finally freed. Gam Lutie realizes that these fuzzy creatures, whom the new heroes call "Diggers," dug the pit. Scumble is partly to blame because he wanted moon melons, and the Diggers dug the pit to get them.
All the new heroes eat the moon melons that Scumble and the Diggers dig from the pit's side. Scumble wishes they could get someone out of the pit to show the Diggers how to fill it in. Glocken suggests forming a human pyramid against the pit's side. Once Glocken is out, he shows the Diggers what to do. The Diggers climb out easily. An hour later, the other four heroes and the baby Digger also walk out of the pit. Another hour later, the pit is completely filled in. The new heroes can now rest in the shade of the tunnel.
