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Happy Birthday, Addy!: A Springtime Story (American Girl: Addy #4) by Connie Rose Porter

 

Summary (from the publisher): It's springtime in Philadelphia, and Addy and her parents have moved from the garret into a boarding house. There Addy finds a wise and inspiring friend, M'dear. Like many people who grew up enslaved, Addy doesn't know when she was born. M'dear encourages Addy to claim a special day for her birthday, but no day seems just right. One day, M'dear falls ill. When Addy and Sarah take a streetcar to get medicine for her, they face prejudice-and danger. M'dear helps Addy overcome her anger and hurt and gives her a deeper understanding of freedom. When Addy finally claims a birthday, she has grown in many ways. Her birthday is a special day indeed, and the whole city celebrates.

Review: A lovely fourth installment in Addy's story, and we finally see some happy updates in Addy's story! She and her mother are reunited with her father and the added income he brings to the family means they have been able to move out of the cramped and cold garret into a boarding house. Addy becomes friends with M'dear, the elderly mother of the owner of the boarding house, who helps fill the long hours when Addy is home alone waiting for her parents to return from work. Born in slavery, Addy has no idea when her real birthday is, but decides to choose a day to celebrate herself, and ends up chooses a momentous day for the country. 

But despite all the positives, not all is ideal in Addy's world. The family is still separated from her brother and sister who were left behind in slavery. And the family faces harsh prejudice, in everything from streetcars rides to her father struggling to find work as a carpenter despite his significant talent and experience. 

Like nearly every American Girl book, this story sparked some great conversations with my daughters about the way newly freed blacks had to live, with my daughters appalled at how unfairly Addy and her family were treated. They also had lots of questions about what carpenters do, the concept of boarding houses, streetcars, and more. I loved rereading this as an adult, sharing it with my daughters, and remain deeply devoted to Addy and her stories!

Stars: 4

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