Over the past several months I've read Noelle several of the American Girl books. We've experienced the Depression with Kit, WWII with Molly and the Victorian era with Samantha. I was warned to watch out for the Kirsten series because Kirsten's best friend dies in the first book. (wow, that could be a downer.) Therefore Noelle and I plunged into the Addy series.
I guess I should be astute enough to know a book based on a slave during the civil war would not be all sunshine and roses. Be warned, Addy is not light reading.
In the first chapter Addy recollects her older brother's attempt to run away the previous year only to be hunted down by the master's dogs and given a sever beating to 'teach him a lesson'. (okay, that's not exactly fun reading)
The second chapter involves Addy finding her brother gagged and shackled in the back of a wagon while her dad is laying face down in the dirt, being shackled so that he may join his son in the wagon. They were being sold and Addy would probably never see them again. Addy gets a lash of the whip for clinging to her father when the master tells her to stay away. (Okay, now it's getting gut wrenching)
Several times throughout the story I've asked Noelle if I should continue. It was emotional for me to read all this and I assumed it would be upsetting to her as well. She was enthralled (and probably not fully grasping all that was going on) so she urged me to keep reading.
The third chapter was the point when Addy's mom informed her they would be running away. When Addy questioned how this would work with her 1-year old sister Addy's mom revealed that the younger sister would be left behind to be cared for by the other slaves - again probably never to be seen again. At this point I couldn't handle any more sorrow and I burst into tears - not just little tears but the kind that don't stop for a while.
I told Noelle I couldn't read the book to her anymore and if she wanted the chapter finished she would have to get Brad to finish it.
The next day Noelle asked if I could please read more the of the Addy book. I decided I had given myself a little time and really, could the book get any sadder? I agreed to read another chapter. Two pages into it I was in tears again and told Noelle she will not be hearing the rest of the Addy series - at least not from me.
No More Addy.
Please pass me the Kirsten series. A dead best friend can't be this bad!
6 comments:
I have the Kirsten series if you want to borrow it. I tried reading it to Jacob some time ago and he was not amused.
Melissa, thanks for the offer, but we were given the series at Christmas so we're all set.
Oh yeah, I hated the Addy series. I read it as a teenager when my little sister got it and I'm the same way. It's just too raw. I realize that kids have to learn the history at some point, but I don't really like such cruel fiction. My absolute favorites are Molly and Samantha.
Janelle, I'm going through the same thing with Charlotte's Web! In the first chapter we had to deal with killing an animal with an ax because it was small -and I'm reading this to a 'small' child! Anna has only seen one Disney princess movie because of the horrible way they portray stepmothers. Anna's absolute favorite however is the book Hansel and Gretel -she is always asking me why the mother and father left the children all alone in the woods with an evil witch who wanted to cook them in her oven and then eat them. I feel your pain!
Now you know what I only want movies that are happy, with nice clothes and a sharp apartment. No reality! That's the life around me.
If you'll remember, Noelle was nonplussed by the lions eating small animals in Planet Earth and mommy Janelle had to leave the room. She's tough. The only problem her daddy, Brad, had with books is if the animals wore clothes.
Oh no! Aren't I the one who gave you the Addy books?? Yeah, move on to Kirsten - probably less traumatic!
Post a Comment