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When I Crossed No-Bob
Ten years after the Civil War's end, twelve-year-old Addy, abandoned by her parents, is taken from the horrid town of No-Bob by schoolteacher Frank Russell and his bride, but when her father returns to claim her she must find another way to leave her O'Donnell past behind. 15,000 first printing.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2007
About the author
Margaret McMullan
16 books29 followersMargaret McMullan was born in 1960 in Newton County, Mississippi. At the age of ten, her family moved to Chicago, Illinois.
McMullan earned a Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from Grinnell College and an M.F.A. in Fiction from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
For twenty-five years, she lived in Evansville, Indiana, where she taught and served as the Chair of the English Department at the University of Evansville. She was also the Melvin Peterson Endowed Chair in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Evansville.
McMullan earned a Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from Grinnell College and an M.F.A. in Fiction from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
For twenty-five years, she lived in Evansville, Indiana, where she taught and served as the Chair of the English Department at the University of Evansville. She was also the Melvin Peterson Endowed Chair in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Evansville.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
December 30, 2020
Twelve-Year-Old Addy O’Donnell feels a mixture of pride and shame about being a member of “the meanest family on God’s green earth”. Hers has been a rough, hardscrabble existence on a tract of land belonging the lawless, violent O’Donnell clan of Smith County, Mississippi. Addy’s home territory is commonly known as “No-Bob”— so named after a freed black man made a fatal navigational error: he stepped onto O’Donnell land and never stepped off. A search party was sent to comb the O’Donnell woods for him. When those searching finally emerged from among the trees, they called out that there was “no Bob” to be found there. Bob had disappeared for good, but the words to mark his disappearance stuck.
This is McMullan’s second young-adult novel dealing with the American South’s Civil War experience. As it opens, Addy and her mother arrive at the wedding of a popular young couple. The O’Donnells are filthy but hungry enough to dare eating at a feast to which they haven’t been invited. Although it’s 1875, a full decade after the end of the war, the southern states remain in ruins. It’s not uncommon to stumble on bones of the war dead in the forest. Bandits regularly threaten travellers. Many people are still starving. Even the light is different now; the Yankees burned so much down that people are deprived of something as natural and basic as the shade from trees.
Confederate soldiers were supposed to turn in their weapons at war’s end, but most didn’t do so. Now many families are armed to the hilt at a time when resentments simmer, and it takes barely a spark of anger to produce a conflagration, especially among the volatile O’Donnells. (McMullen seems to suggest that the American South’s love affair with firearms was born during this period.) After the war, Addy’s father, Mark O’Donnell, returned to Smith County, but he apparently didn’t stay for long. As far as Addy and her mother know, he’s gone to Texas. He was supposed to send for them, but Addy is doubtful this will ever happen. At the Russells’ wedding, her mother meets a man with a mule who’s bound for Texas. She seizes the opportunity to go with him, hoping to locate the husband who deserted her. Addy is abandoned.
Frank and Irene Russell take Addy in. Frank is reluctant, having had his own troubles with the O’Donnells, but his tenderhearted wife prevails. Addy proceeds to make herself indispensable to the pair. Rough as her Pappy may have been, he taught Addy a lot. She can manage chores as well as any man, and she knows how to survive. In time, Frank, a teacher, is won over by the girl, and he arranges for her to attend school. She becomes fast friends with Frank’s younger sister. These are Addy’s first steps in crossing from lawless No-Bob with its primitive codes of honour and loyalty to a kinder, more civilized life. Additional hard steps will be demanded of her.
Soon a geography project has Addy and her friend mapping an unfamiliar patch of land where a dual-purpose church/school house for coloured folks stands. One evening the two girls witness an attack on the building during a church service. Hooded men arrive on horseback while members of the congregation sing hymns inside. A flaming cross falls on the schoolhouse, setting it ablaze. Addy rushes inside in an attempt to save her young friend, a little black boy, Jess Still. He dies, and Addy knows who is responsible.
McMullan’s book explores Addy’s struggle to do the right thing, muster the courage to inform on her own people. The girl finds herself back in No-Bob for a time, after her father comes to collect her. Later, Addy wanders in the wilderness for several weeks, witnessing even more terrible things, and then spends some interesting time with the displaced Choctaw Indians, whose culture and mythology McMullan deftly and economically weaves into the story. (I was surprised to learn that “Little People”, tiny mythical beings who may trick or assist humans, figure in Choctaw lore, just as they do in the stories of Canada’s Inuit people.)
I was impressed with McMullan’s first novel, and I am impressed yet again with her second—especially with her ability to communicate about southern culture and history. Once again, too, her narrative hinges on a protagonist’s intense moral dilemma. However, this time around, the author has trouble bringing her novel to a satisfying conclusion. In its last third, she expects her reader to swallow a few too many good things. The Russells’ fondness for Addy is convincing enough, but Frank’s restored relationship with another member of the O’Donnell clan is a bridge too far. More significantly, by the end, Addy no longer sounds or acts much like the girl the reader has come to know. There really is such a thing as a character becoming too much of a heroine for her own good—and the good of the novel.
This is McMullan’s second young-adult novel dealing with the American South’s Civil War experience. As it opens, Addy and her mother arrive at the wedding of a popular young couple. The O’Donnells are filthy but hungry enough to dare eating at a feast to which they haven’t been invited. Although it’s 1875, a full decade after the end of the war, the southern states remain in ruins. It’s not uncommon to stumble on bones of the war dead in the forest. Bandits regularly threaten travellers. Many people are still starving. Even the light is different now; the Yankees burned so much down that people are deprived of something as natural and basic as the shade from trees.
Confederate soldiers were supposed to turn in their weapons at war’s end, but most didn’t do so. Now many families are armed to the hilt at a time when resentments simmer, and it takes barely a spark of anger to produce a conflagration, especially among the volatile O’Donnells. (McMullen seems to suggest that the American South’s love affair with firearms was born during this period.) After the war, Addy’s father, Mark O’Donnell, returned to Smith County, but he apparently didn’t stay for long. As far as Addy and her mother know, he’s gone to Texas. He was supposed to send for them, but Addy is doubtful this will ever happen. At the Russells’ wedding, her mother meets a man with a mule who’s bound for Texas. She seizes the opportunity to go with him, hoping to locate the husband who deserted her. Addy is abandoned.
Frank and Irene Russell take Addy in. Frank is reluctant, having had his own troubles with the O’Donnells, but his tenderhearted wife prevails. Addy proceeds to make herself indispensable to the pair. Rough as her Pappy may have been, he taught Addy a lot. She can manage chores as well as any man, and she knows how to survive. In time, Frank, a teacher, is won over by the girl, and he arranges for her to attend school. She becomes fast friends with Frank’s younger sister. These are Addy’s first steps in crossing from lawless No-Bob with its primitive codes of honour and loyalty to a kinder, more civilized life. Additional hard steps will be demanded of her.
Soon a geography project has Addy and her friend mapping an unfamiliar patch of land where a dual-purpose church/school house for coloured folks stands. One evening the two girls witness an attack on the building during a church service. Hooded men arrive on horseback while members of the congregation sing hymns inside. A flaming cross falls on the schoolhouse, setting it ablaze. Addy rushes inside in an attempt to save her young friend, a little black boy, Jess Still. He dies, and Addy knows who is responsible.
McMullan’s book explores Addy’s struggle to do the right thing, muster the courage to inform on her own people. The girl finds herself back in No-Bob for a time, after her father comes to collect her. Later, Addy wanders in the wilderness for several weeks, witnessing even more terrible things, and then spends some interesting time with the displaced Choctaw Indians, whose culture and mythology McMullan deftly and economically weaves into the story. (I was surprised to learn that “Little People”, tiny mythical beings who may trick or assist humans, figure in Choctaw lore, just as they do in the stories of Canada’s Inuit people.)
I was impressed with McMullan’s first novel, and I am impressed yet again with her second—especially with her ability to communicate about southern culture and history. Once again, too, her narrative hinges on a protagonist’s intense moral dilemma. However, this time around, the author has trouble bringing her novel to a satisfying conclusion. In its last third, she expects her reader to swallow a few too many good things. The Russells’ fondness for Addy is convincing enough, but Frank’s restored relationship with another member of the O’Donnell clan is a bridge too far. More significantly, by the end, Addy no longer sounds or acts much like the girl the reader has come to know. There really is such a thing as a character becoming too much of a heroine for her own good—and the good of the novel.
February 5, 2010
"When I Crossed No-Bob", by Margaret McMullan, is an extremely compelling read, direct and honest, historical and geographically significant. Set in Raleigh, Mississippi in 1875, it weaves together stories of many people: sympathetic white Anglos; proud Choctow Indians; poor, miscreant white folk involved in the KKK, colored folk finding their way post-emancipation. The protagonist is a poor, uneducated 12 year-old girl, Abby O'Donnell, abandoned by her parents after growing up in No-Bob, the woods adjacent to the township. She is a sensitive and bright child, wanting to do right by people, and as she falls into uncertain and even dangerous situations, she develops into a stronger person, highly resiliant and with a gentile noblility.
Some of my favorite passages from the book are as follows. "People. They are like lightning sometimes. Unexpected, beautiful, and scary - mostly you can't run away from either one." "Zula is right. Us Anglos are full up with too much noise and too many words. My ears ring with all the words. Children running around, screaming in the streets, women inside whispering whispering, and the men brawling in the Harrison Hotel, singing, shouting, and making more noise. They can't sit quiet. They can't sit still. When do they think? DO they think?" [Concerning Keats' "Ode to a Grecian Urn":] "Now I think I know what that John Keats fellow means about truth. Once the truth is all laid out in front of you and everybody else and the whole world to see, truth good and bad, it IS a sight to behold, and that sight might be where beauty lies sleeping."
"...No-Bob" is also a book about love - faithful and courageous - and about developing the courage to be true to yourself, while being able to see the value of the greater good in your actions. Highly recommended for grades 5-10 and for adults, too!
Some of my favorite passages from the book are as follows. "People. They are like lightning sometimes. Unexpected, beautiful, and scary - mostly you can't run away from either one." "Zula is right. Us Anglos are full up with too much noise and too many words. My ears ring with all the words. Children running around, screaming in the streets, women inside whispering whispering, and the men brawling in the Harrison Hotel, singing, shouting, and making more noise. They can't sit quiet. They can't sit still. When do they think? DO they think?" [Concerning Keats' "Ode to a Grecian Urn":] "Now I think I know what that John Keats fellow means about truth. Once the truth is all laid out in front of you and everybody else and the whole world to see, truth good and bad, it IS a sight to behold, and that sight might be where beauty lies sleeping."
"...No-Bob" is also a book about love - faithful and courageous - and about developing the courage to be true to yourself, while being able to see the value of the greater good in your actions. Highly recommended for grades 5-10 and for adults, too!
March 6, 2020
A great little book, she is coming to my local university this month. The story starts out with good character development and then about half way in it explodes with mayhem and violence. Very well done. I enjoyed this fascinating fast read and wonderfully real characters.
December 28, 2009
12 year old Addy is the youngest member of the locally deplored and infamous O’Donnell clan, a matter for both pride and shame. When she is finally abandoned by her mother, in the wake of her father’s leaving, Addy is taken in by the local schoolteacher. She struggles with feelings of loss and confusion at her torn loyalties, as the KKK not only gains a foothold in the area, but proves to have an uncomfortable tie to Addy’s own home life. McMullan allows Addy to narrate events and feelings in a wise and practical manner that breathes warmth throughout the story.
I didn’t realise until about half-way through that this is a sequel to How I Found the Strong, which tells the story of Frank, a young boy caught up in the tumult of the war (and is, incidentally, biographical fiction, loosely based on the author’s family). Even without reading this first, it added a richness to the story to know there was a history to the character who takes in Addy.
Definitely a young adult read, When I Crossed No-Bob deftly deals with racism, poverty and family loyalties in the American South just after the Civil War. McMullan has a lovely writing style that never intrudes on the story or her character’s ‘voice’ and the well-researched background manages to infuse atmosphere without suggesting an author with a list of proudly-learned facts to impart.
I have made a note to get a copy of How I Found the Strong and catch up with the story that came before Addy’s.
I didn’t realise until about half-way through that this is a sequel to How I Found the Strong, which tells the story of Frank, a young boy caught up in the tumult of the war (and is, incidentally, biographical fiction, loosely based on the author’s family). Even without reading this first, it added a richness to the story to know there was a history to the character who takes in Addy.
Definitely a young adult read, When I Crossed No-Bob deftly deals with racism, poverty and family loyalties in the American South just after the Civil War. McMullan has a lovely writing style that never intrudes on the story or her character’s ‘voice’ and the well-researched background manages to infuse atmosphere without suggesting an author with a list of proudly-learned facts to impart.
I have made a note to get a copy of How I Found the Strong and catch up with the story that came before Addy’s.
June 9, 2016
When I Crossed No-Bob by Margaret McMullan is a young adult historical fiction book. This is a story about how 12 year old Addy O’Donnell lives her life in Mississippi 10 years after the Civil War. Her family is known for being the worst family in town. The O’Donnells are poor, racist, and uneducated. Once both of her parents abandon her, a nice newlywed couple take her in and raises her as their own. Frank and Irene, the newlyweds, are the opposite of the O’Donnells. Addy becomes very reflective of her family's culture. Addy’s father comes back and stirs up trouble in the town. This puts Addy into a difficult position. Addy witnesses some terrible scenes including her own father participating in Ku Klux Klan hate crimes. Addy eventually learns that justice is more important than family.
This text would be applicable for any middle school/ high school teacher teaching about the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, and how geography influenced the outcomes. The battles in the Civil War as well as specific rivers and streams are often mentioned. This would also be a good example when teaching about the theme or purpose of novels. The main theme of this book is being brave enough to do what right even if it goes against family. Addy was always fighting this battle throughout the book.
-Amy T
This text would be applicable for any middle school/ high school teacher teaching about the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, and how geography influenced the outcomes. The battles in the Civil War as well as specific rivers and streams are often mentioned. This would also be a good example when teaching about the theme or purpose of novels. The main theme of this book is being brave enough to do what right even if it goes against family. Addy was always fighting this battle throughout the book.
-Amy T
January 3, 2015
Addy is from the wrong side of the tracks--or in this case, the wrong side of the stream. The O'Donnells have always lived in No Bob, and they have lived up to their reputation for fighting, drinking, disorderly conduct, and thieving. Mostly amongst themselves, but certainly not limited to their own.
When Addy's mom abandons her at the schoolteacher's wedding, probably the last thing she expects is for the new couple to take her in. But they do. Addy is determined to prove to them that she can be helpful, to disprove her family's reputation.
Then her Daddy comes back into town and claims her. As she goes back to her old life, she realizes that at some point she's going to have to choose how she wants to live. Even if it means going against her own family.
There's a lot of good in this book: Addy, Mr. Russell, the community working together. There's also a lot of hard things, including the KKK burning down a church (resulting in the death of little boy) and the life Addy's family leads in general. Many issues to discuss with your kids in this one. What makes a good person? What does it mean to be brave? Is it okay to retaliate when someone has wronged you?
I think my oldest would be ready for it--if we read it together--(he's 7), but not his siblings quite yet.
When Addy's mom abandons her at the schoolteacher's wedding, probably the last thing she expects is for the new couple to take her in. But they do. Addy is determined to prove to them that she can be helpful, to disprove her family's reputation.
Then her Daddy comes back into town and claims her. As she goes back to her old life, she realizes that at some point she's going to have to choose how she wants to live. Even if it means going against her own family.
There's a lot of good in this book: Addy, Mr. Russell, the community working together. There's also a lot of hard things, including the KKK burning down a church (resulting in the death of little boy) and the life Addy's family leads in general. Many issues to discuss with your kids in this one. What makes a good person? What does it mean to be brave? Is it okay to retaliate when someone has wronged you?
I think my oldest would be ready for it--if we read it together--(he's 7), but not his siblings quite yet.
January 5, 2008
This book is beautifully written but it is a hard one to read because of the experiences that the main character goes through. Addy is from the O'Donnell family, a huge rowdy violent family that is known for getting in trouble. Her father has run away to Texas and one day her mother leaves her as well. She ends up living with a teacher Mr. Frank and his new wife. I don't think the book says what year this takes place in but it occurs after the Civil War with the Ku Klux Klan starts to appear. Addy starts to get settled into her new life, a life in which she doesn't have to worry about whether she will have food to eat or if her mother will sink into depression again and lock her in the closet. Something terrible happens, though, something that Addy witnesse,s and her old life starts to threaten her new life. In the end Addy has a difficult choice to make.
This is one of those books that would be good for kids to read with an adult because of the serious nature of the book. I would also recommend it for sixth grade and up because of the content of the book.
This is one of those books that would be good for kids to read with an adult because of the serious nature of the book. I would also recommend it for sixth grade and up because of the content of the book.
April 13, 2008
Set ten years after the Civil War in Klan-tortured, reconstruction Mississippi, this novel begins the day twelve-year-old Addy's momma abandons her at the local school teacher's wedding. This is no surprise to anyone, least of all Addy. She's the youngest in a family of black sheeps, the O'Donnells, dangerous clan of the nearby backwater, No-Bob, a place so-named for a man who went in and never came out. But like losing her violent daddy, losing her momma turns out to be a stroke of luck. Smart, spunky Addy moves in with the school teacher, Frank, and his new bride, Irene, and tries mightily at a normal life--until one dark day her daddy comes back.
Addy's a bit too wise and rhetorical for an uneducated twelve, and asks a few too many big questions. But this novel's so good, I stopped caring.
Addy's a bit too wise and rhetorical for an uneducated twelve, and asks a few too many big questions. But this novel's so good, I stopped caring.
July 6, 2009
This book is about Addy O'Donnell, a young girl who lives in Mississippi in 1875, during the Reconstruction after the Civil War. Addy's father has gone to Texas and her mother abandons her to go after him. Addy is taken in by Mr. Frank and Miss Irene, two newlyweds. Although Addy is an O'Donnell and they bring nothing but trouble, she tries to do good and help out. She is happy living with Mr. Frank and Miss Irene, until she witnesses a horrible event and then her father comes back to claim her. Addy must make some very difficult decisions. This story is about a time period that is not often written about. Young people who read this will find out about what happened in the South after the Civil War was over and what happened to Civil War veterans.
March 7, 2012
There were some sweet moments and some pretty tough things to take in this story of Addy's journey. The subject matter has to do with the Ku Klux Klan and is set shortly after the Civil War. Times were tough and the people were tougher, especially the O'Donnell's. Addy has a hard time figuring her place among them. Her values are right on target but family pride occasionally mixes her up.
After Addy's stay with Mr. Frank and Miss Irene, she learns a lot more about herself and the world around her. Is it enough to help her when she must return to No-Bob and face the truth about her family?
This book was in the Juvenile Fiction section and while the story was well done, I thought it surely must be too harshly told for children to read.
After Addy's stay with Mr. Frank and Miss Irene, she learns a lot more about herself and the world around her. Is it enough to help her when she must return to No-Bob and face the truth about her family?
This book was in the Juvenile Fiction section and while the story was well done, I thought it surely must be too harshly told for children to read.
August 8, 2014
Life is tough in 1875 in Mississippi for Addy O'Donnell. Her parents have deserted her; what she remembers of her O'Donnell family is meanness. Not only her parents, but all her extended family; uncles, aunts and cousins. Mr. Frank and his new wife Miss Irene take her in. Maybe thing will get better. She makes friends with Little Bit and Jess Still, a black boy. Then she and Little Bit witness the intentional burning of a cross that falls on Jess Still's church during a service. The culprits are wearing hoods with slits in them. Who would do such a thing?
Even though the Civil War ended 10 years before, Addy's story explores the slow recovery of the south and the hatred & ugliness that remained. More appropriate for middle schoolers and mature readers.
Even though the Civil War ended 10 years before, Addy's story explores the slow recovery of the south and the hatred & ugliness that remained. More appropriate for middle schoolers and mature readers.
August 15, 2008
3 1/2 stars, really. Addy, abandoned by both parents and stuck with her family's inescapable reputation (no-goods who live back in the woods and make trouble), works to make good when she is taken in by her teacher and his new wife, and comes face-to-face with the evils of the KKK, post-Civil War conflict, and the life choices that are only sometimes hers to make. I really did like this book and I almost gave it four stars. I appreciated Addy's no-nonsense telling and the inner conflicts she faced as a girl wishing to be loved by her own, not-so-good kin -- but in the end, her voice sounded too much to me like a woman writing as a kid, rather than a kid. Still recommend it, though.
December 19, 2009
This book is set in the South just after the Civil War, when everyone is poor and struggling. Addy's family is poor and rough, and she's been raised by parents who are not nice people. After her mother abandons her, Addy sees that there are good people who are trying to do the right thing in her town, and has the chance to have a better life--but only by turning her back on everything she knows. This story is remarkably well-written, but has lots of difficult situations in it. It would be a good choice for fifth grade kids who enjoy historical fiction.
June 24, 2013
gr 4-8 203pgs
1875 Mississippi. After her mother abandons her to go in search of Abby's father, 12 year old Abby is taken in Frank Russell, a school teacher, and his wife. Unlike most of the townfolk who think that Abby O'Donnell, just like all the other O'Donnells from No-Bob, is nothing but trouble, the Russells see that Abby is a hard worker and eager to learn. When the KKK attack an African American church, Abby recognizes some of the klansmen. Abby must decide whether she should turn them in or stay silent.
Good coming of age story.
1875 Mississippi. After her mother abandons her to go in search of Abby's father, 12 year old Abby is taken in Frank Russell, a school teacher, and his wife. Unlike most of the townfolk who think that Abby O'Donnell, just like all the other O'Donnells from No-Bob, is nothing but trouble, the Russells see that Abby is a hard worker and eager to learn. When the KKK attack an African American church, Abby recognizes some of the klansmen. Abby must decide whether she should turn them in or stay silent.
Good coming of age story.
November 23, 2007
Maybe I was too sleepy or tired when I attempted reading this story but I really couldn't keep my mind on it. I can see that the author has a great voice and that I really really like Addy O'Donnell, the main character, and the story has so many hard-hitting issues, dealing with the Klan and prejudices of many kinds. And yet... it seems fragmented and full of adult sensibilities, delivered as sermons, preaching to the readers. Am I too harsh?
December 6, 2007
This is a well written and heart wrenching tale set in the south just after the Civil War. Issues of poverty,loss,loneliness, fear,ignorance, racial hatred, friendship, and belonging (sorry, it is all in there) are
described through the eyes of a strong and sensitive young woman. Much to discuss here. It is a book adults and award committees will love, but a harder sell I think to young readers themselves. Because of the harsh issues, I think it needs to be 6th grade and up.
described through the eyes of a strong and sensitive young woman. Much to discuss here. It is a book adults and award committees will love, but a harder sell I think to young readers themselves. Because of the harsh issues, I think it needs to be 6th grade and up.
February 26, 2008
I liked the book. It is well written and you become interested in the character's life. I found the messages and moral battles that were expressed by the main character didn't match her age. She is young, but had all these adult-type moral moments and such which I thought were more likely to come out of an older person.
I found this book in the children's area of the library so I can see how the author wanted to get these messages out to adolescent readers.
I found this book in the children's area of the library so I can see how the author wanted to get these messages out to adolescent readers.
March 3, 2008
Sequal to How I Found the Strong, Frank Russell is grown up with a new wife when Addy O'Donnell is left by her mother at his wedding. Addy is an O'Donnell, a family with ties to the KKK. This is Addy's story and she learns how good it feels to do right versus doing wrong. She learns what true love really is with Mr. Frank and his wife Mrs. Irene. Beautifully written, like How I Found the Strong, and perfect for a Civil War Unit.
March 12, 2008
***kids book. An excellent read! I thought the setting would be the dust bowl era. I was wrong. It was right after the Civil War. It gives a good back ground as to how people felt after the war. It has sadness and joy in little ways. Life was hard back then, almost impossible--the lack of food, communication, resources, etc. The main character learns a lot about herself. Even though her parents were good for nothings, she doesn't have to be.
October 10, 2010
This historical fiction book is really sad, yet so good to read. No, really. I feel sad that Abby had to turn in her father, but he was dangerous, and he killed her friend, only because he was black. That is pretty much the Klu-Klux-Klan really hate, non-whites and non-Christians. This book shows a character that will help to do right, no matter waht predicament she is in. In other words, please read this book.
October 5, 2011
This book was really good! The time was back in about 1875 and the book described that time period well.I felt sorry for 12 year old Addy O'Donnell and all she had been through. I was glad though, that the author made Addy a strong willed girl who proved she was not like the rest of her "bad" O'Donnell family. Some books, keep you thinking about them, even once you finished the book. I will remember Addy for a long time!
February 10, 2008
The turbulence of prejudice and poverty in post-civil war Missisippi, told from the perspective of a poor girl from a notrious family clan of thieves and ruffians. Although gut-wrenching at times, exposing the nasty side of human nature--Addie's story is very compelling and I found it hard to put down.
For middle school and high school (and adult fans of young adult lit.)
For middle school and high school (and adult fans of young adult lit.)
February 21, 2008
A girl comes of age in post civil war Mississippi. It’s realistic, historical fiction, for 5-9 grade. Advanced readers and teachers would like it. It’s good for a serious book club or reading aloud in the classroom. There is some violence. It’s perfect for a class project on historical / realistic fiction. The cover art is bad, though. I can’t see teens picking this up for a fun read.
August 25, 2008
After rave reviews from everyone in book club, I finally read 'No-Bob.' It's the story of a 12yo girl named Addy, living in rural, reconstruction-era Mississippi. When her mom takes off, she goes to live with the local schoolteacher and his new wife and experiences kindness for the first time. Really well-written and interesting. But I didn't love it.
July 14, 2012
12 yr old Addy is an O'Donnell and that means trouble. Addy is left alone when her mother runs off. The newlyweds Frank and Irene take in Addy and she goes to school, makes a good friend, and finds out about life beyond the O'Donnell's which she likes. This book takes place in Mississippi during the early 1900's. Great
October 14, 2012
I really liked the handling of tough issues in this Reconstruction Era book including freed slaves, the KKK, poverty, and rebuilding the South after the Civil War. I really liked that there were no easy and simple answers for Addy. I think my favorite part was to read the author's note at the end of the book on how she came up with the story- brilliant!
February 9, 2013
Addy is a tough little scrapper abandoned by her parents in Mississippi after the civil war. She thinks she is born bad but she tries to do good and she does, mostly. I loved parts of the book and other parts left me cold. Don't ask me why, but I thought it was non-fiction and my granddaughter likes books about real things. It's fiction through and through. Terrific cover.
November 27, 2014
Addy, our heroine, is a scrappy little outsider, intelligent enough to recognize injustice, human enough to be belivable and courageous enough to deliver that happy ending.
A good, quick book, probably better for older kids and adults, there are two disturbing, violent episodes that I wouldn't want my kids to endure at this point.
A good, quick book, probably better for older kids and adults, there are two disturbing, violent episodes that I wouldn't want my kids to endure at this point.
June 18, 2016
The second book that follows a family. The reader becomes endeared with Addy and the family who comes to love and accept her as part of their own. Set after the Civil War, Addy must come to grips with the fact that she was born in a seriously dysfunctional family. I found myself quickly becoming her cheerleader and hoping that she would rise above the status of her worthless family members.
October 20, 2016
This is a story of survival during the Reconstruction era in Mississippi. Young Addy O'Donnell is abandoned by her parents and has to make her own way. She is hindered by a disreputable family name and is judged accordingly. How she learns to survive and become a strong young woman is challenging and inspiring.
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