The Silent Bells

by William MacKellar, Ted Lewin

A young Swiss girl dreams of the day the cathedral bells, which no one has ever heard, will break their long silence when a special gift is presented at the cráeche on Christmas Eve.

Genres: Christmas, Childrens

96 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1978

About the author

William MacKellar was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His family relocated to America when he was eleven years old. He and his family resided on Long Island. He attended New York University and University of Geneva in Switzerland. MacKellar later served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. After the war, he had the opportunity to return to his native Scotland. There he received inspiration for many of his later books, such as The Witch of Glen Gowrie. Along with authoring twenty-nine books for children and young adults, MacKellar taught courses in creative writing and conducted many literary workshops. He resided in West Hartford, Connecticut, until his death in 1994.

Reviews

[LeahBethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Silent Bells was a wonderful Christmas story!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wondrous tale! It reminds me of Elizabeth Goudge’s Sister of the Angels. The main character is one of my favorite types: the holy fool.

1 Corinthians 1:25
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

One of the most touching parts was Anne-Marie’s father’s realization that his daughter’s seeming foolishness was actually the wisdom of God in her childlike breast. I’m so glad I read this. It contains that light-filled trio of goodness, truth, and beauty.

[Qt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful Christmas story! I thought it would be a nice book, but it was even better than I expected and really captures, in my opinion, the meaning and spirit of Christmas.

[Karen (Living Unabridged) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never seen this book on a list of holiday "must reads" or classics. I picked it up at a thrift store because vintage Weekly Reader books tend to be decent finds. (In this case the 1978 publication date worried me a little bit because I prefer books published earlier than 1965 for children, but I digress.)

Anyway, this is a seemingly forgotten gem that deserves to be rediscovered by more families / children. The story is sweet but not overly so, the introduction to Christmas traditions and legends in a Swiss village is a great peek into how the Savior is celebrated in another part of the world, and it's only 8 slim chapters. (Coming in at slightly less than 100 pages including simple pencil drawn illustrations.)

[Amalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great story that can be enjoyed as a young child as a story and a very symbolic story as an adult. It was an amazing read aloud for a couple afternoons and while it is a Christmas story it was a great Jan read. A young girl makes a gift she intends to give to the Christ child in thr creche on Christmas eve. Her hope is this gift will finally make the silent cathedral bells ring 200 years after their installation. Each chapter, this young girl encounters a new stranger and each interaction is such a great warming experience. This is going to go on my yearly christmas read aloud last with my children to remind us of the reasons we give.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book because the title caught my attention. Then the author's explanation of the book intrigued me. The story is a retelling of an old Swiss legend about a cathedral whose bells have never rung, not even when they were first hung. Each Christmas, pilgrims from far and wide flock to the village to present gifts to the Christ Child in the Nativity, believing that when the perfect gift is given, the bells' voices will be unlocked.
I've often scoffed at the idea of Christmas in July, and I have a pretty strong aversion to things that strike me as being too sentimental or melodramatic. Like the girl at the heart of this story, I know I dream too much, and I know I'm living in a world that puts a high value on practicality. So ...
Take a dreamy, big-hearted girl and pair her off with a fat, seemingly stupid dog. Then send the two off on errands around a Swiss village. Throw in a blind man, an old traveling woman, goats ... ah, did somebody say something about goats?!
I couldn't stop reading. Then I couldn't stop smiling. Then I couldn't stop crying ... so much for not being sentimental or melodramatic.
But hey, it's Christmas in July. I can dream.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story based on a legend with so many elements of a fairy tale: a spunky heroine, a dog as a jester, a journey encountering “misfits” each offering gifts- and a prince at the end. A sweet but not saccharine story of a big hearted Swiss girl who yearns to be the one who breaks the 200 year old spell of the silent church bells by presenting just the right gift to the baby in the crèche. The writing is a bit awkward but the story highlights the true spirit of Christmas in caring for others and gifting extravagantly.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An almost modern-day fairytale that reminds us that miracles are there for those whose eyes are searching for them. A delightful gem of a book. Again, I ordered it for my 9yo but it lit up my quick evening read.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet Christmas story. Very predictable, reads like an old folktale. Lovely illustration. Really sets the mood for the season.

[Michelle Fournier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, short christmas story. Swiss folktale. And also full of lovely descriptions of Swiss life.