Since I have used Addy books from the American Girl Series, I know they are popular with students. Though aimed at girls, they are also popular with boys. Presently, there are five American Girl characters. Each of the girls lives during a particular historical time period and stars in six different books. Addy is the only African American girl featured in the series. The "girls" have been a commercial success. You can purchase a variety of dolls and many related items on more than one web page. (This commercialization is worth a side discussion.) Despite this fact, I think the Addy books have a positive influence on my students. Besides encouraging reading, they allow me to painlessly and naturally interject factual material and they, in turn, make it easier for students to understand history on a personal level.
Addy's historical time period begins during the Civil War when she and her family were slaves. Her stories continue up until the time of freedom after the War when her family has been reunited and is living in Philadelphia. The events of the stories relate accurately to the experiences history tells us occurred during these time periods.
In Meet Addy: Escape from Slavery, we follow Addy and her mother as the family makes plans for escape moving on through their experiences on the road to freedom. Poppa and her brother have been sold to another plantation owner and Addy's baby sister along with other relatives have been left behind. The fears and courage students can identify in Addy and her family give more meaning to the events of history. Many opportunities for pupils to make predictions and to voice opinions are available as the story moves along.
