Last weekend I had an unusual opportunity to have a long uninterrupted conversation with my soon-to-be-8 year old as we drove to see Wicked. She was telling me about books that she was reading in class when they have some opportunity for free reading. Apparently, she is almost finished with the Addy books from the American Girls series.
J has really enjoyed reading this series. She told me about how she learned that Addy’s family was slaves and that her father and brother were sold off and then later in the series, they were able to go North. That led to a conversation about the Underground Railroad and how people went out of their way to save others.
History is something that isn’t talked about in huge amounts in 1st and 2nd grade. They do a little, but I know that this year they have done more general social studies than history. But it is important to learn about what came before and we have loved the way that the American Girls series puts the stories out there.
This is one of those great series that I encourage any young reader to pursue.
I read these books to my daughter in the 90s. They are excellent in teaching young girls about the American Girl, her life in the period of a year. My daughter’s favorite doll was Addy. We still have the dolls sealed in a container with the clothing and books.