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American Girl Mysteries
Shadows of Society Hill
In the winter of 1866, Addy’s poppa gets a new job. His employer, Mr. Radisson, even offers the Walker family a home of their own on the grounds of his fine house in Society Hill. Addy’s delight quickly evaporates as she realizes that Mr. Radisson's house holds frightening secrets--one of which leads straight back to the plantation where Addy's family was held in slavery only two years before. Girls will enjoy solving the mystery right along with Addy.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2007
About the author
Evelyn Coleman
24 books32 followersEvelyn Coleman is an Edgar Award finalist. She is best known for her many books with American Girl. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
January 5, 2026
"The excitement she'd felt only an hour ago had melted away like a snowflake on her tongue. Addy's heart hurt."
Despite their family always working hard and doing their best, Addy and her family still feel the sting of racism and prejudice in their everyday lives. Her Momma loses her job as a seamstress because her boss is moving and her Poppa struggles to find steady work as a carpenter.
One day, while Addy visits her Poppa on a job, she notices a white man about to get run over in the street. Without thinking of her own safety, she throws herself onto him, pushes him out of the way, and saves his life.
The white man (Mr. Radisson) offers Addy a reward, to which she declines. Mr. Raddison still wants to thank Addy and her family and offers to employ her father as a full-time carpenter and for the family to live (for free) in the servant's house on his property.
Her Poppa doesn't want to accept such charity but is willing to compromise his pride to keep his family warm, fed, and housed.
The family packs up and moves in to the servants' quarters and this house is the most beautiful place they had ever stayed in. There's separate rooms for sleeping, good solid walls, and luxuries that Addy had only dreamed of.
Sam, Addy's older brother, is really excited for this change.
"It's because of you, Addy, and your bravery, that we're in this nice house, " he said, smiling. "And now poppa has steady work. Thanks to you, things are all changing for good. You should be really happy, little sister."
But there's something off about their new place.
Mr. Raddison's mother is from the deep south and keeps accusing Addy and her family of stealing. There's mysterious lights going on in the main house at night. And Addy starts to wonder what horrible secret Mr. Raddison's fiancé is hiding.
Addy knows that she need to figure this mystery out or her family will lose everything.
For context, I've read nearly 70 American Girl books and this is my lowest rated one so far.
The biggest issue was that this one was written by a different author and I could tell. And I just don't feel that the characters were treated right nor was the plot very good for this one. Honestly, it might be better to think of this one as fanfiction rather than canon.
I'll start with the things that I did like:
I really liked how Coleman found a way to put Addy and her family into a more stable financial state than they were in the main series. They now have a house to live in, steady work, and the family seems to be doing well (beyond the paycheck to paycheck stress from before).
But that's about it.
There's little things - like how Addy leaves behind M'Dear and the boarding house and doesn't seem to miss the found family. Or how Addy was so committed to teaching Sarah once Sarah had to drop out of school to help feed her family but Addy doesn't even think about that in the mystery novel.
And there's the even smaller things that still contrasted with the original sword, like this:
"Yes, Momma made it," Addy said. "She can sew real good."
"Really well, " Sam said, correcting Addy.
I don't want to sound judgy but at the same time, why does Coleman have Sam correct Addy's English in this scene?
According to the original books' canon, only Addy has gone to school - specifically I.C.Y. so she can become a teacher. She's taught Momma and (presumably) Poppa their letters, and quite possibly Sam as well. But Sam went from slavery to war to a full-time job, with no indication of him obtaining an education.
Additionally, in the original books, the family were given accents and patterns of speech reflective of their time in slavery in the South. And yet, Coleman has Sam correcting Addy's speech patterns despite that never being an issue in the past and the books not showing Sam learning different speech patterns/a desire to speak differently.
To me, that indicates that Coleman didn't read the original books very carefully or she would have added in sentences to make these moments make more sense.
Without going into spoilers, the mystery itself felt contrived and overly complicated. The level of coincidences needed for all the ducks to be in a row felt rather far-fetched.
And the ending was very frustrating. There's a couple of big reveals and then the story just cut. I truly was shocked, expecting about 10 more pages to wrap things up at minimum AND YET we are left with more questions than answers and so many loose ends.
The most frustrating thing for me was that the author had a responsibility - the mystery book occurred AFTER the main series and the companion books finished, meaning that this book is supposedly the last one in canon.
SO why would you
It just feels very frustrating for me and I almost wish I didn't read it.
More reviews in the Addy-verse
Main Series:
Meet Addy - ★★★★☆
Addy Learns a Lesson - ★★★★☆
Addy's Surprise - ★★★★☆
Happy Birthday, Addy - ★★★★★
Addy Saves the Day - ★★★☆☆
Changes for Addy - ★★★★★
Addy's Boxed Set - ★★★★☆
Short Stories:
Addy Studies Freedom - ★★★★☆
Addy's Wedding Quilt - ★★★★★
Addy's Little Brother - ★★★☆☆
High Hopes for Addy - ★★★★☆
Addy's Summer Place - ★★★☆☆
Addy's Short Story Collection - ★★★★☆
Mystery Book:
Shadows on Society Hill - ★★☆☆☆
Beforever (Re-Release of Main Series in 2014):
Finding Freedom: An Addy Classic - ★★★☆☆
A Heart Full of Hope: An Addy Classic - ★★★☆☆
Abridged Version (Re-Release of Main Series in 2020):
Addy: Finding Freedom - ★★★★☆
Addy: A Heart Full of Hope - ★★★★☆
Addy's Historical and Activity Books:
Addy's Cookbook - ★★★★★
Addy's Craft Book - ★★★★★
Addy's Theater Kit - ★★★★★
Real Stories from My Time: The Underground Railroad - ★★★☆☆
Welcome to Addy's World · 1864 - ★★★★★
Additional Historical and Activity Books Featuring Addy:
American Girl Cross-stitch - ★★☆☆☆
The American Girls Party Book - ★★★★★
American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook - ★☆☆☆☆
Everything I Need to Know I Learned From American Girl - ★★★☆☆
The Making of American Girl - ★★★★★
Minute Mysteries - ★★★★☆
Minute Mysteries 2 - ★★★★☆
The Official American Girl Cookbook - ★★★★☆
Beginner Reader & Picture Books:
Freedom for Addy (Step Into Reading) - ★★★☆☆
Happy Birthday! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★★
My First American Girl Boxed Set - ★★★★☆
Time for School! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆
July 20, 2012
Actually one of the better American Girl mysteries. Addy's books were always pretty good for issues of race in an historical context, and this one is no exception. I liked that the ending was left fairly open.
Re-read: The stakes in this book are really quite high, at least for Addy's family. The solution goes in a surprising direction, something I don't think many readers will see coming, and the ending is left ambiguous. It's interesting to me that this book takes Addy's family in an entirely different direction than we had last seen in the Central Series, and that it incorporates some character details from the short stories.
Re-read: The stakes in this book are really quite high, at least for Addy's family. The solution goes in a surprising direction, something I don't think many readers will see coming, and the ending is left ambiguous. It's interesting to me that this book takes Addy's family in an entirely different direction than we had last seen in the Central Series, and that it incorporates some character details from the short stories.
January 19, 2021
I will always remember the American Girl series as some of the fondest books of my childhood. When the additional American Girl Mysteries came out in the mid to late 2000's, I remember being skeptical, hoping that the company wasn't mindlessly churning out more books and cheapening the original series.
Well, thankfully these fears were unfounded - because the American Girl Mysteries are amazing, and I'd definitely recommend them to Middle Grade and tween readers.
This one was always one of my favorites. The book opens to an exciting start when Addy saves the life of a white man passing by in the street, knocking him out of the way of a charging horse. The man turns out to be Mr. Radisson, a wealthy architect. He's set about restoring a family mansion in town, and to express his gratitude, he hires Addy's Poppa - a talented woodworker - and invites the family to move into the servant's quarters at the house. Addy and her family are overjoyed to be moving to the upper class Society Hill neighborhood, where she and her siblings will have their own rooms.
However, it soon becomes clear that racism and prejudice will overshadow this happy turn of events in the family's lives. Even before they move in, and are walking over to their new home, a policeman stops the family and accuses them of stealing, unable to believe that a Black family is moving to Society Hill. The policeman grudgingly lets them go when their story appears to be credible, but promises to come investigate later, and beats Poppa on the hand, calling him "boy," the entire time.
Then, the rest of Mr. Radisson's work crew refuses to let him join them, and threaten to leave if he is hired as the master woodworker. So instead, he is made by the project's overseer to fetch water and hand the men tools.
There are also strange things going on at the Radisson house, and Addy sees lights inside at night, when no one should be there. Then things begin to go missing, and Addy's family is blamed. Addy becomes determined to catch the thief to clear their name, but her sleuthing one night gives her an unexpected shock.
This book packs in quite a lot of intrigue, mystery, and twists, making for an exciting story. Recommended for younger readers!
Well, thankfully these fears were unfounded - because the American Girl Mysteries are amazing, and I'd definitely recommend them to Middle Grade and tween readers.
This one was always one of my favorites. The book opens to an exciting start when Addy saves the life of a white man passing by in the street, knocking him out of the way of a charging horse. The man turns out to be Mr. Radisson, a wealthy architect. He's set about restoring a family mansion in town, and to express his gratitude, he hires Addy's Poppa - a talented woodworker - and invites the family to move into the servant's quarters at the house. Addy and her family are overjoyed to be moving to the upper class Society Hill neighborhood, where she and her siblings will have their own rooms.
However, it soon becomes clear that racism and prejudice will overshadow this happy turn of events in the family's lives. Even before they move in, and are walking over to their new home, a policeman stops the family and accuses them of stealing, unable to believe that a Black family is moving to Society Hill. The policeman grudgingly lets them go when their story appears to be credible, but promises to come investigate later, and beats Poppa on the hand, calling him "boy," the entire time.
Then, the rest of Mr. Radisson's work crew refuses to let him join them, and threaten to leave if he is hired as the master woodworker. So instead, he is made by the project's overseer to fetch water and hand the men tools.
There are also strange things going on at the Radisson house, and Addy sees lights inside at night, when no one should be there. Then things begin to go missing, and Addy's family is blamed. Addy becomes determined to catch the thief to clear their name, but her sleuthing one night gives her an unexpected shock.
This book packs in quite a lot of intrigue, mystery, and twists, making for an exciting story. Recommended for younger readers!
June 9, 2022
The great AG marathon continues. Again, reading for the first time as an adult.
This one makes me feel melancholy: After this, I've read all the Addy books - even the choose your own adventure. And overall, it leaves me unsettled - beyond the mystery elements that are meant to be unsettling. In order for the plot to work, the book pulls the Walker family away from many of the people and places we're used to, and in their place, the family becomes very dependent on the goodwill of one white man. He offers Poppa not only a job but also the servants' quarters - a small house behind his own fancy one. With Momma also looking for work (and I don't think Sam's job from Addy's Little Brother is mentioned here), it very much feels like the Walkers have all their eggs in Mr. Radisson's basket. And he keeps traveling, leaving them to the whims of (a) workers who don't want to work alongside Poppa (b) his mother, who is awful, and (c) his fiancee, who is lovely until she clams up and starts tossing out accusations. The danger to the Walker family should they lose his support feels too real for this to be a cozy mystery.
Even at the end, the book crashes to its conclusion before the resolution feels entirely solid. Both of the big reveals come out practically on top of each other WHILE we're also caught up in a medical crisis. And the biggest reveal is so dependent on the most unlikely of coincidences. This could have been Addy finding items that are like hers because LOTS of enslaved people held those same customs, and it would have worked JUST FINE without having it all trace back to one single person they both knew.
I can see how it would be an exciting read for its target age group, but it's an uneven coda to one of AG's strongest series. I want to like it more, but I can't help feeling that Addy has wandered into something Poe-adjacent, and I just want our girl on solid ground.
More Addy babble
Meet Addy | Addy Learns a Lesson | Addy’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Addy | Addy Saves the Day | Changes for Addy
High Hopes for Addy | Addy’s Little Brother | Addy’s Wedding Quilt | Addy Studies Freedom | Addy’s Summer Place | Addy’s Short Story Collection
Shadows on Society Hill
A New Beginning
This one makes me feel melancholy: After this, I've read all the Addy books - even the choose your own adventure. And overall, it leaves me unsettled - beyond the mystery elements that are meant to be unsettling. In order for the plot to work, the book pulls the Walker family away from many of the people and places we're used to, and in their place, the family becomes very dependent on the goodwill of one white man. He offers Poppa not only a job but also the servants' quarters - a small house behind his own fancy one. With Momma also looking for work (and I don't think Sam's job from Addy's Little Brother is mentioned here), it very much feels like the Walkers have all their eggs in Mr. Radisson's basket. And he keeps traveling, leaving them to the whims of (a) workers who don't want to work alongside Poppa (b) his mother, who is awful, and (c) his fiancee, who is lovely until she clams up and starts tossing out accusations. The danger to the Walker family should they lose his support feels too real for this to be a cozy mystery.
Even at the end, the book crashes to its conclusion before the resolution feels entirely solid. Both of the big reveals come out practically on top of each other WHILE we're also caught up in a medical crisis. And the biggest reveal is so dependent on the most unlikely of coincidences. This could have been Addy finding items that are like hers because LOTS of enslaved people held those same customs, and it would have worked JUST FINE without having it all trace back to one single person they both knew.
I can see how it would be an exciting read for its target age group, but it's an uneven coda to one of AG's strongest series. I want to like it more, but I can't help feeling that Addy has wandered into something Poe-adjacent, and I just want our girl on solid ground.
More Addy babble
Meet Addy | Addy Learns a Lesson | Addy’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Addy | Addy Saves the Day | Changes for Addy
High Hopes for Addy | Addy’s Little Brother | Addy’s Wedding Quilt | Addy Studies Freedom | Addy’s Summer Place | Addy’s Short Story Collection
Shadows on Society Hill
A New Beginning
June 11, 2021
Hi, Goodreads! After a bit of a reading slump, I figured the best way to get back into reading (and try to reach my Goodreads goal for 2021), was to revisit a shorter story from my childhood. And I was pleasantly surprised to see how well this book held up.
Addy is the first black American Girl from the historical series of dolls to be released. She is an enslaved girl who escapes to freedom with her mother, and most of her stories (including this one) take place after she has reached Philadelphia in the North.
Perhaps you think, like I did, that because this story is targeted to a younger audience, it would be a little nervous to deal with the racial prejudice Addy experiences. Maybe the story would gingerly step into the territory and then scurry away from it all, slapping a "and black people were free so they were happy and safe" sentence in there to make everyone feel better. But this book actually handles the issues of racial discrimination in a very nuanced and mature way. I was fully prepared to give a three star rating, but the candid and disturbing scenes where Addy and her family are put into traumatic situations solely on the basis of their race; treated the readers as intelligent humans capable of digesting the complexities of racial disparities within our society, a phenomenon which continues into today.
The mystery in this story is also really well executed. Which is great, because this is marketed as an "American Girl Mystery". I was so hooked into the story that when the final twist was revealed, I acted like some sort of celebrity winning an Oscar; shaking hands with my stuffed animals and high fiving myself, all because I had solved the mystery myself. It was a truly satisfying way to end the book, and it continued the discussion of black people and their plight.
The characters are sometimes flat, pretty much any line of dialogue could be attributed to any character. And, when the final riddle was solved, and revealed in a "Clue" movie style wrap-up, the character who was being accused appeared to forget they were a grown adult being accused by an eleven-year-old. Instead of going for the invalidating Addy's argument on the basis of her childish naivety, or even just leaving the room, the accused stands around, occasionally gasping or "Why I never!"-ing. You know, as you do.
Overall though, the author here really did their research and ended up crafting an enjoyable historical mystery treat of a novella.
Addy is the first black American Girl from the historical series of dolls to be released. She is an enslaved girl who escapes to freedom with her mother, and most of her stories (including this one) take place after she has reached Philadelphia in the North.
Perhaps you think, like I did, that because this story is targeted to a younger audience, it would be a little nervous to deal with the racial prejudice Addy experiences. Maybe the story would gingerly step into the territory and then scurry away from it all, slapping a "and black people were free so they were happy and safe" sentence in there to make everyone feel better. But this book actually handles the issues of racial discrimination in a very nuanced and mature way. I was fully prepared to give a three star rating, but the candid and disturbing scenes where Addy and her family are put into traumatic situations solely on the basis of their race; treated the readers as intelligent humans capable of digesting the complexities of racial disparities within our society, a phenomenon which continues into today.
The mystery in this story is also really well executed. Which is great, because this is marketed as an "American Girl Mystery". I was so hooked into the story that when the final twist was revealed, I acted like some sort of celebrity winning an Oscar; shaking hands with my stuffed animals and high fiving myself, all because I had solved the mystery myself. It was a truly satisfying way to end the book, and it continued the discussion of black people and their plight.
The characters are sometimes flat, pretty much any line of dialogue could be attributed to any character. And, when the final riddle was solved, and revealed in a "Clue" movie style wrap-up, the character who was being accused appeared to forget they were a grown adult being accused by an eleven-year-old. Instead of going for the invalidating Addy's argument on the basis of her childish naivety, or even just leaving the room, the accused stands around, occasionally gasping or "Why I never!"-ing. You know, as you do.
Overall though, the author here really did their research and ended up crafting an enjoyable historical mystery treat of a novella.
May 25, 2012
This was the only Addy mystery that American Girl ever published, but it is excellent. The story has some pacing issues partway through that I noticed more as an adult reader, but the depiction of racism and injustice is historically accurate and direct, the mystery is gripping, and the unforgettable conclusion is still completely surprising and convincing. There are enough hints to make the reveal believable, without ever heavily foreshadowing or implying what the solution will be.
This is a great Addy story, because it picks up where the series left off, further grows the character, and introduces her to an interesting new context and different adventure. This fits very well with the overall series, and even though some of the other mysteries were hit-or-miss, I would recommend this to any American Girl fan.
This is a great Addy story, because it picks up where the series left off, further grows the character, and introduces her to an interesting new context and different adventure. This fits very well with the overall series, and even though some of the other mysteries were hit-or-miss, I would recommend this to any American Girl fan.
November 2, 2024
It is with a deeply heavy heart that I report: the only Addy mystery is kind of terrible.
The fact she only *has* one is terrible as well - Kit got SEVEN OF THEM, and most other older girls get three to five. Or at the very least two. Only Kirsten shares her fate. Addy is such a smart and clever girl, and I really do think she'd be perfect for more mysteries.
But the one she got... I don't know. I didn't like it. It wasn't enjoyable - that's the first thing to talk about. And a lot of Addy's books do touch on heavy subject matter. But the Connie Rose Porter books still managed to be interesting and compelling reads, and maintain Addy's bright spirit and insist upon her girlhood despite it all. Sadly, the new author just didn't manage that careful balancing act.
I just think it's a bad choice to change the setting so much - to make the entire Walker family reliant on the goodwill of one white man. And then to cause so much angst and peril when they get their entire livelihood threatened, because he is in fact control of their destiny.
The original books made what I read as a very pointed choice to not have the Walker family reliant on white people. A white woman helped them in the underground railroad, and Momma's employer was a white woman. But other then that - Addy's teacher, her priest, their eventual landlords - all of them were Black. I don't think that was an accident.
I understand why the book decided to change this. I think it was smart for the book to discuss and what that meant for them in this era. But I just do not think it was worth it.
Also, I don't think Addy would be dumb enough to take that basket. I simply don't.
The fact she only *has* one is terrible as well - Kit got SEVEN OF THEM, and most other older girls get three to five. Or at the very least two. Only Kirsten shares her fate. Addy is such a smart and clever girl, and I really do think she'd be perfect for more mysteries.
But the one she got... I don't know. I didn't like it. It wasn't enjoyable - that's the first thing to talk about. And a lot of Addy's books do touch on heavy subject matter. But the Connie Rose Porter books still managed to be interesting and compelling reads, and maintain Addy's bright spirit and insist upon her girlhood despite it all. Sadly, the new author just didn't manage that careful balancing act.
I just think it's a bad choice to change the setting so much - to make the entire Walker family reliant on the goodwill of one white man. And then to cause so much angst and peril when they get their entire livelihood threatened, because he is in fact control of their destiny.
The original books made what I read as a very pointed choice to not have the Walker family reliant on white people. A white woman helped them in the underground railroad, and Momma's employer was a white woman. But other then that - Addy's teacher, her priest, their eventual landlords - all of them were Black. I don't think that was an accident.
I understand why the book decided to change this. I think it was smart for the book to discuss and what that meant for them in this era. But I just do not think it was worth it.
Also, I don't think Addy would be dumb enough to take that basket. I simply don't.
October 26, 2022
3.5 stars. It was really two separate mysteries, so in a sense the one was a distraction to the other (the author probably intended it that way). I liked that the author did well meshing her story with the main Addy books, accounting accurately for time and events. Other American Girl mystery authors have not done so well. Addy was very superstitious, but I felt that was an accurate representation of her culture. The conclusion of the story was my biggest complaint. For one, there was no explanation of Esther’s illness. My guess would be croup, but it was never said. Secondly, and more importantly, while I realize that being a book written for kids, tough issues have to be dealt with delicately, there was no explanation whatsoever how a “black” woman was passing as a “white” woman. At first I thought that she was actually somehow “dying” her skin and trying to figure out how that was possible. Then it clicked with me that most likely her father was probably the plantation owner. I know that, unfortunately, that was a fairly common scenario in that time. The “looking back” section did talk about lighter skinned former slaves living as “white” people post civil war, but it still didn’t give any explanation as to how that happened.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2019
“Life just was never simple.”
American Girl Addy has escaped slavery and is living “freely” with her family when she saves a white man from being trampled by a horse. The man invites Addy’s father to work for him and for the family to live in his guest house. Mysteries and secrets ensue.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The mystery was well-plotted and suspenseful. It is also a good introduction to slavery and Reconstruction for young readers. Recommended.
American Girl Addy has escaped slavery and is living “freely” with her family when she saves a white man from being trampled by a horse. The man invites Addy’s father to work for him and for the family to live in his guest house. Mysteries and secrets ensue.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The mystery was well-plotted and suspenseful. It is also a good introduction to slavery and Reconstruction for young readers. Recommended.
December 24, 2024
Tell me why this was actually really spooky? I was literally reading this in bed and when I got to the page where Addy unfolds that piece of paper and freaks out at what she sees, and then I flipped the page and just saw , I literally gasped and had a heart attack, like, it gave me chills, I didn't expect that. Full page with just . What the hell, why did that freak me out so much! The Kirsten mystery book didn't have any interesting text format or images like that, so I wasn't anticipating it and it gave me full-body chills. Girl, that was scary as hell, I don't blame Addy for not being able to stop thinking about that note, my mind was going EVERYWHERE. Like, how did the 'thief' know
Basic premise, Addy's kindness and bravery at the start of the book, saving a white man from being trampled by a horse, turns out to be a lucky boon for their family! The guy, Mr. Radisson gets to talking to Addy and her dad, and is impressed with Ben Walker's carpentry work, and asks to hire him on the spot. He even lets the whole family move into the servant's quarters behind his home in Society Hill! The Walkers are blown away by his kindness and gratefully accept, this is a huge step up for their family, moving to a nice neighborhood with stable work for a nice egalitarian-minded couple.
We get a peek at the police harassment faced by black people in Reconstruction-era America, even in the north. After the Great Migration, there was a lot of racial tension and over-policing, as tends to happen when large groups of poorly-educated impoverished people move into an area to find work. On the way to their new home, a police-man stops the Walker family and interrogates them, accuses them of being thieves and liars, (the implication being that a black family couldn't possible live in a neighborhood as rich as Society Hill, they must be thieves) but Ben stays calm even though he's being disrespected in front of his family, because starting a fight would not end well for his wife and kids. The police man threatens to come back and check on them to make sure they weren't liars, but he never does. He IS used as a threat against the Walkers many times later in the book when Mr. Raddison's racist mother is angry with them.
There's no one living in Mr. Raddison's house for the first couple days, as he's going to go pick up his mother and his fiance in preparation for his wedding. However, that night, Addy sees a ghostly light in one of the house's windows, and thinks there's a ghost in there.
Mr. Raddison is a rare diamond surrounded by an ocean of racist whites. The first day of Ben's new job, his white coworkers refuse to work alongside him, and the manager tells him he'll have to wait for Mr. Raddison to get there. Mr. Raddison's mother is even worse, she's openly racist and is unhappy that they're living there, and accuses the Walker family of stealing, even though she doesn't SEE anyone stealing, she just assumes the thief must be black. Mr. Raddison and his fiance are extremely kind to Addy's family, inviting them into the big house for tea, donating clothes to them, giving them opera tickets, giving both of the parents jobs, etc. I wonder how he turned out that way with such a racist witch for a mother. It's suggested that his uncle was an abolitionist and that this house was a station on the underground railroad back in the day, and Addy does end up finding a
Throughout all of this, Addy is still trying to figure out who the 'thief' is and what is causing the ghost light. My mind was all over the place with theories. Still not sure what was going on with the basket and the notes with dots on them. That was never brought up again. Was that supposed to be morse code? Anyway, this mysterious person starts trying to communicate with Addy specifically.
Ugh!
Addy and Miss Elizabeth, the fiance, have an especially friendly relationship. However, all this changes rather abruptly after a strange conversation in Miss Elisabeth's room. Until this point, Miss Elizabeth seems to support Mr. Raddison's abolitionist and race-egalitarian views.
Although Mrs. Raddison is openly racist and speaks disparagingly about her abolitionist brother, the previous owner of the house, Miss Elizabeth seems to not have a good relationship with her future MIL and is especially nice to Addy and her mother, Ruth. Startlingly nice, actually. She invites them to tea in her own parlor, gives them concert tickets to see the Black Swan, gives Addy one of her dresses, invites her to try on some of her own jewelry; and then there is an abrupt attitude change after she sees Addy's own necklace from Uncle Solomon.
Miss Elizabeth then accuses Addy of stealing the jewelry she offered to let her try on that day, and everyone thinks it was Addy. Addy is hurt, of course, because it wasn't her, and it's clear that even though her parents trust her, they think maybe she's lying because she did something foolish and is now scared.
Girl, my mind was everywhere. Why would Miss Elizabeth change attitudes like that so completely after she saw the necklace Addy was wearing, the stone necklace from Uncle Solomon? Does she know about I thought maybe Miss Elisabeth was secretly in collaboration with an abolitionist group/racial-equality group, and didn't want Mrs. Raddison to find out.
The actual answer to the mystery was... NOT what I was expecting, and I'm surprised my mind never went there, considering I watched Passing last year on Netflix. I'm conflicted with how I feel about Miss Elizabeth after learning that.
We don't find out what happens between Elizabeth and Mr. Raddison in the end. I'm amazed that she came clean, that was incredibly risky.
Basic premise, Addy's kindness and bravery at the start of the book, saving a white man from being trampled by a horse, turns out to be a lucky boon for their family! The guy, Mr. Radisson gets to talking to Addy and her dad, and is impressed with Ben Walker's carpentry work, and asks to hire him on the spot. He even lets the whole family move into the servant's quarters behind his home in Society Hill! The Walkers are blown away by his kindness and gratefully accept, this is a huge step up for their family, moving to a nice neighborhood with stable work for a nice egalitarian-minded couple.
We get a peek at the police harassment faced by black people in Reconstruction-era America, even in the north. After the Great Migration, there was a lot of racial tension and over-policing, as tends to happen when large groups of poorly-educated impoverished people move into an area to find work. On the way to their new home, a police-man stops the Walker family and interrogates them, accuses them of being thieves and liars, (the implication being that a black family couldn't possible live in a neighborhood as rich as Society Hill, they must be thieves) but Ben stays calm even though he's being disrespected in front of his family, because starting a fight would not end well for his wife and kids. The police man threatens to come back and check on them to make sure they weren't liars, but he never does. He IS used as a threat against the Walkers many times later in the book when Mr. Raddison's racist mother is angry with them.
There's no one living in Mr. Raddison's house for the first couple days, as he's going to go pick up his mother and his fiance in preparation for his wedding. However, that night, Addy sees a ghostly light in one of the house's windows, and thinks there's a ghost in there.
Mr. Raddison is a rare diamond surrounded by an ocean of racist whites. The first day of Ben's new job, his white coworkers refuse to work alongside him, and the manager tells him he'll have to wait for Mr. Raddison to get there. Mr. Raddison's mother is even worse, she's openly racist and is unhappy that they're living there, and accuses the Walker family of stealing, even though she doesn't SEE anyone stealing, she just assumes the thief must be black. Mr. Raddison and his fiance are extremely kind to Addy's family, inviting them into the big house for tea, donating clothes to them, giving them opera tickets, giving both of the parents jobs, etc. I wonder how he turned out that way with such a racist witch for a mother. It's suggested that his uncle was an abolitionist and that this house was a station on the underground railroad back in the day, and Addy does end up finding a
Throughout all of this, Addy is still trying to figure out who the 'thief' is and what is causing the ghost light. My mind was all over the place with theories. Still not sure what was going on with the basket and the notes with dots on them. That was never brought up again. Was that supposed to be morse code? Anyway, this mysterious person starts trying to communicate with Addy specifically.
Ugh!
Addy and Miss Elizabeth, the fiance, have an especially friendly relationship. However, all this changes rather abruptly after a strange conversation in Miss Elisabeth's room. Until this point, Miss Elizabeth seems to support Mr. Raddison's abolitionist and race-egalitarian views.
Although Mrs. Raddison is openly racist and speaks disparagingly about her abolitionist brother, the previous owner of the house, Miss Elizabeth seems to not have a good relationship with her future MIL and is especially nice to Addy and her mother, Ruth. Startlingly nice, actually. She invites them to tea in her own parlor, gives them concert tickets to see the Black Swan, gives Addy one of her dresses, invites her to try on some of her own jewelry; and then there is an abrupt attitude change after she sees Addy's own necklace from Uncle Solomon.
Miss Elizabeth then accuses Addy of stealing the jewelry she offered to let her try on that day, and everyone thinks it was Addy. Addy is hurt, of course, because it wasn't her, and it's clear that even though her parents trust her, they think maybe she's lying because she did something foolish and is now scared.
Girl, my mind was everywhere. Why would Miss Elizabeth change attitudes like that so completely after she saw the necklace Addy was wearing, the stone necklace from Uncle Solomon? Does she know about I thought maybe Miss Elisabeth was secretly in collaboration with an abolitionist group/racial-equality group, and didn't want Mrs. Raddison to find out.
The actual answer to the mystery was... NOT what I was expecting, and I'm surprised my mind never went there, considering I watched Passing last year on Netflix. I'm conflicted with how I feel about Miss Elizabeth after learning that.
We don't find out what happens between Elizabeth and Mr. Raddison in the end. I'm amazed that she came clean, that was incredibly risky.
March 26, 2026
Yah… couldn’t put this one down. Amazing! And such a cool look at an interesting part of the aftermath of slavery and the reality for many people. I am sad that I’ll never know what happened to the new family!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2019
This is probably my favorite AG mystery next to The Stolen Sapphire now.
June 14, 2024
Overall a good read! Some parts felt a little out of context story telling wise but I still enjoyed it :)
July 10, 2025
Wow, these bring back a lot of great memories!! I remember reading these mysteries when I was eight, and how they would keep me up at night because I was too scared to go to sleep. “Shadows on Society Hill” was and remains my absolute favorite American Girl mystery.
January 6, 2017
The only thing really keeping me from giving this 5 stars is that there are some strangely improbable things in an otherwise really good book that explores race relationships and prejudices in the north post Civil War.
Addy saves a man's life, he hires her father, ok. But he gives them a house, rent-free, without any expectation that the family other than the father will work for him? That seems really odd and like the author just needed an excuse to get Addy into this location, but surely a more plausible one could have been reached. Even just to be practical, won't he need that house for actual servants to run his house now that he's getting married? Plus, the suddenness with which they've suddenly up and abandoned everything in the previous books is so strange feeling to me that this wound up feeling like an odd alternate universe book for Addy.
There are also a couple things I'm pretty sure are entirely inaccurate, though I am by no means an expert on the subject. Miss Elizabeth stays in the house with the man she's going to marry --was that allowed? I thought she wouldn't be allowed to move in with him until they were wed. Maybe his mother was intended as a chaperone to make it ok? Why would he even invite his jerk mother?
Also, at the end, no one is sure whether he will still want to marry Miss Elizabeth or not, but no reference is made to the fact that it would be illegal. Perhaps we're supposed to believe that everyone is expecting to keep it a secret so the world just thinks he's marrying a white woman, but it just felt strange that no reference was made to the fact that it was illegal, not even in the post-book notes.
That all said, you can probably tell from the length of my thoughts here that I actually really enjoyed this. I didn't figure it out until Elizabeth went to visit the woman in the poor district. This is the first American Girl mystery I've read, but I'm looking forward to reading more!
Addy saves a man's life, he hires her father, ok. But he gives them a house, rent-free, without any expectation that the family other than the father will work for him? That seems really odd and like the author just needed an excuse to get Addy into this location, but surely a more plausible one could have been reached. Even just to be practical, won't he need that house for actual servants to run his house now that he's getting married? Plus, the suddenness with which they've suddenly up and abandoned everything in the previous books is so strange feeling to me that this wound up feeling like an odd alternate universe book for Addy.
There are also a couple things I'm pretty sure are entirely inaccurate, though I am by no means an expert on the subject. Miss Elizabeth stays in the house with the man she's going to marry --was that allowed? I thought she wouldn't be allowed to move in with him until they were wed. Maybe his mother was intended as a chaperone to make it ok? Why would he even invite his jerk mother?
Also, at the end, no one is sure whether he will still want to marry Miss Elizabeth or not, but no reference is made to the fact that it would be illegal. Perhaps we're supposed to believe that everyone is expecting to keep it a secret so the world just thinks he's marrying a white woman, but it just felt strange that no reference was made to the fact that it was illegal, not even in the post-book notes.
That all said, you can probably tell from the length of my thoughts here that I actually really enjoyed this. I didn't figure it out until Elizabeth went to visit the woman in the poor district. This is the first American Girl mystery I've read, but I'm looking forward to reading more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2022
I enjoyed this mystery, which had a rather interesting twist. (Warning: don't read the historical information at the back of the book, until you've read the entire story. :) ) I would have given the book a higher rating, but the things I particularly objected to were that the main character had a "protection stone" throughout the book, although it didn't seem like it offered a lot of protection. And early in the book, she asked her dad if he believed in ghosts, to which he replied, "I reckon so." However, ghosts did not end up figuring in the book.
February 24, 2014
The book "Shadows on Society Hill" is one of the better stories from the American girl mystery series. It has a suspense that keeps you wondering what will happen next. The story really has a lot of surprises that that make you wonder; "Where did they come from?", "How did that happen?" and "when did that happen?". The surprises are a essential part in a mystery and they handled it very well The clues are also very surprising and they keep you wondering if it is a
red herring or not.
The story is about a young girl named Addy and the mystery she discovers and solves. It starts out with Addy and her family moving into a new home on Society Hill. Then, one night, Addy finds out that society hill as dangerous secrets. One of the secrets lead to her days back on the plantation. I will not spoil it for anyone but the ending is very surprising and just the thing to inspire you to read more.
red herring or not.
The story is about a young girl named Addy and the mystery she discovers and solves. It starts out with Addy and her family moving into a new home on Society Hill. Then, one night, Addy finds out that society hill as dangerous secrets. One of the secrets lead to her days back on the plantation. I will not spoil it for anyone but the ending is very surprising and just the thing to inspire you to read more.
October 30, 2017
This books bears reviewing because this was the only American Girl mystery that truly surprised me. I think it is challenging sometimes to write suspenseful children's mystery books without running the risk of being too scary. This did that very well.
March 30, 2023
This was a good book. I would give it 3.5 stars but I decided to round up since you can’t give half stars. I read the last 10 chapters in one sitting because it was so stressful XD. But a lot of the things Addy did seemed out of character for her. Probably because it was a different author than her original six books. Overall I would recommend it because I did learn things about the period after the Civil War and black history that I never knew before!
December 7, 2008
AWESOME
July 28, 2024
So I guess the last we ever hear of Sarah is that she’s too poor to go to school anymore? That’s….depressing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2026
This book is one of the mysteries I remember very strongly from my childhood (along with Samantha's The Stolen Sapphire and The Curse of Ravenscourt; these books were the three I had on heavy rotation). I read this book over and over and was fascinated to learn through it about the concept of racial passing, which I don't recall having learned about before that. I found the mystery very gripping as a ten-year-old, but as an adult, I have much more mixed feelings, particularly about continuity of Addy's character. She just doesn't seem here like the inquisitive, thoughtful, sweet little girl we got to know in her previous books. I can't really describe exactly what it is that makes her feel not herself...maybe just that she seems to make decisions based on what the plot needs rather than those decisions coming directly from who Addy is. Also, Connie Rose Porter didn't write this one, so the different author may have had something to do with it.
Some of it is also that there are some continuity errors from the previous Addy series. For example, Addy's cowrie shell doesn't come from her grandmother; it comes from her dad's grandmother, her great-grandmother. There were some other things that were anachronistic, like Addy's mother saying "don't let the bedbugs bite," which wasn't a phrase until the 1880s, so after Addy's time. Also, this book felt very different from Addy's previous books because Addy is in a completely new setting with completely new characters (except for her immediate family). We don't get to see anyone at the boarding house or from her school (Sarah doesn't show up in this one, nor do Harriet or Miss Dunn). And Addy doesn't seem to be thinking much about these people or these previous parts of her life at all. So this book felt in some ways like an "Addy AU" rather than something in Addy's canon.
The themes of this book also didn't feel contiguous with the rest of Addy's books. There's been a big emphasis in her books about her family taking care of themselves and their Black community looking out for them (and them looking out for others in their community). White people have played only a small part in Addy's previous books. This book makes Addy's family completely dependent on the goodwill of a white man (for her parents' employment AND housing). I understand that involving white people in this story to a greater extent than in Addy's previous books was necessary to explore the topic of racial passing, and I enjoyed the exploration of that topic. But still, I think it does a disservice to Addy's family to depict them as dependent on white people, when the rest of Addy's series intentionally does the opposite.
Some parts of this book I still liked as an adult. I loved the whole family's excitement at their new house. They all deserve happiness so much and I was excited to see them have a taste of it! I loved Addy imagining going to Paris and thinking that now that she's free, nothing is impossible. I liked her going to the concert and having tea at the Radisson house. And in general I loved the brief moment where it looked like Addy and her family's lot was improving. I also liked the realistic parts where they encounter racism. Addy’s family being stopped by the police in society hill was realistic, and I liked the conversation she and Sam had afterwards. The experience Poppa had with the white workers refusing to work with him (but allowing him to fetch their water and tools) is also realistic and just awful, but I'm glad it was included, since it's probably what would have happened.
The mystery part is where it got kind of dicey for me. First of all, the spy seems suspicious. Why is she asking the eleven-year-old for help instead of Addy's parents or brother? I know by the end of the book, you're supposed to think the spy really is a Union spy and was honest with Addy all along, and that may be true, but she is still acting in very irresponsible ways towards a child, and I don't love that for her. Also, how does Addy have so much disposable income to buy food every day for the spy? She isn't doing deliveries for Mrs. Ford anymore since the dress shop is closed. So that felt like a plot hole as well. Addy's family is not well off, and also, she is an eleven-year-old. You're not seriously telling me she gets an allowance.
Then the plot line with Miss Elizabeth gets even dicier, for a few reasons. First of all, her being Uncle Solomon's niece who grew up on a neighbouring plantation to Addy's family is just a huge coincidence, and one that I don't even think was necessary to the plot. Miss Elizabeth could have been passing as white while not being directly related to Uncle Solomon. Addy could have figured it out by seeing that Miss Elizabeth has a cowrie shell, or a protection stone, or a quilt similar to Addy's, or any other number of ways. I feel like the author wanted to make the connection extremely obvious, which was just not necessary; Addy is a smart enough girl that I am confident she could have figured it out without seeing that Miss Elizabeth has the exact protection stone given to her by Uncle Solomon. And Miss Elizabeth could have started to get frightened of Addy once Addy noticed and commented on one of these items in Miss Elizabeth's room. The plot contrivance took me out of it a bit.
Second, as a kid, I thought what Miss Elizabeth was doing in accusing Addy wrongly of stealing was pretty awful, but also par for the course of a mystery book. As an adult reading this, it's way more horrible than I understood as a child. She is a Black woman who grew up enslaved herself. She KNOWS how much Addy and her family have suffered. She is wrongfully accusing a LITTLE GIRL, a little girl who is sweet as can be, who has already suffered so much, of stealing. She is literally telling her fiancé to put Addy and her entire family, including her three-year-old sister, out on the street, and weaponizing her [not-quite-]white tears to get hm to agree, begging him to help her "feel safe in her home" again. She literally plants the choker in the shed where this ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD plays to make it look like Addy stole it.
It is honestly kind of unbelievable how evil a person would have to be to do that. I understand she's scared of being found out, but also these stakes are SO HIGH. Addy's parents would lose their jobs AND their home and the whole family would be out on the street. And none of them did ANYTHING wrong. Addy literally saved Mr. Radisson's life, Momma has been making a beautiful wedding dress for Miss Elizabeth, Poppa is an expert carpenter who has been working for Mr. Radisson, Esther is literally A BABY...it is just unbelievably evil. I didn't understand how high those stakes were when I was a kid. Addy or her family could literally end up in jail, or homeless.
And this is a Black woman who grew up on a plantation. How would Uncle Solomon feel (if he was still alive) knowing that his niece was destroying the life of his adopted (fictive kin) granddaughter? How would Miss Elizabeth's MOTHER feel (if she was still alive) knowing that Miss Elizabeth is prioritizing her own comfort over Addy's family's livelihood and LIVES? Literally every Black person in Miss Elizabeth's family and community of origin would be so disapproving and disappointed in her. I don't understand how she doesn't seem to feel shame until (maybe) the very end, but maybe not even then, or at least not to the degree she should. Like this is SO serious, much more than I understood as a kid.
I hope Mr. Radisson DOESN'T marry her, and not because she's Black (even though it would be illegal for them to get married with her being Black and him white), but because she has shown such an extreme error in judgment and selfishness and callousness towards a LITTLE GIRL that he should understand she isn't someone he wants in his life. And also, it isn't like she JUST lied to him about being Black...she's also clearly made up a whole other life story for herself, so even if I don't necessarily consider her blameworthy for choosing to pass as white (outside of her actions towards Addy's family), I could understand him being like, "Wow, I really don't know this person at all, I need to regroup." But if someone in my life literally tried to get an eleven-year-old punished for a crime she didn't do, that person would be out of my life immediately. Doesn't matter why! And picking on an extremely VULNERABLE eleven-year-old is even more unforgivable. Wow.
So I greatly enjoyed the topic of this book, but the execution felt like it could have been improved. Also, POOR ADDY. She is such a sweet, precious, lovely little girl, and she deserves the world, and when people treat her badly, I want those people to SUFFER.
Some of it is also that there are some continuity errors from the previous Addy series. For example, Addy's cowrie shell doesn't come from her grandmother; it comes from her dad's grandmother, her great-grandmother. There were some other things that were anachronistic, like Addy's mother saying "don't let the bedbugs bite," which wasn't a phrase until the 1880s, so after Addy's time. Also, this book felt very different from Addy's previous books because Addy is in a completely new setting with completely new characters (except for her immediate family). We don't get to see anyone at the boarding house or from her school (Sarah doesn't show up in this one, nor do Harriet or Miss Dunn). And Addy doesn't seem to be thinking much about these people or these previous parts of her life at all. So this book felt in some ways like an "Addy AU" rather than something in Addy's canon.
The themes of this book also didn't feel contiguous with the rest of Addy's books. There's been a big emphasis in her books about her family taking care of themselves and their Black community looking out for them (and them looking out for others in their community). White people have played only a small part in Addy's previous books. This book makes Addy's family completely dependent on the goodwill of a white man (for her parents' employment AND housing). I understand that involving white people in this story to a greater extent than in Addy's previous books was necessary to explore the topic of racial passing, and I enjoyed the exploration of that topic. But still, I think it does a disservice to Addy's family to depict them as dependent on white people, when the rest of Addy's series intentionally does the opposite.
Some parts of this book I still liked as an adult. I loved the whole family's excitement at their new house. They all deserve happiness so much and I was excited to see them have a taste of it! I loved Addy imagining going to Paris and thinking that now that she's free, nothing is impossible. I liked her going to the concert and having tea at the Radisson house. And in general I loved the brief moment where it looked like Addy and her family's lot was improving. I also liked the realistic parts where they encounter racism. Addy’s family being stopped by the police in society hill was realistic, and I liked the conversation she and Sam had afterwards. The experience Poppa had with the white workers refusing to work with him (but allowing him to fetch their water and tools) is also realistic and just awful, but I'm glad it was included, since it's probably what would have happened.
The mystery part is where it got kind of dicey for me. First of all, the spy seems suspicious. Why is she asking the eleven-year-old for help instead of Addy's parents or brother? I know by the end of the book, you're supposed to think the spy really is a Union spy and was honest with Addy all along, and that may be true, but she is still acting in very irresponsible ways towards a child, and I don't love that for her. Also, how does Addy have so much disposable income to buy food every day for the spy? She isn't doing deliveries for Mrs. Ford anymore since the dress shop is closed. So that felt like a plot hole as well. Addy's family is not well off, and also, she is an eleven-year-old. You're not seriously telling me she gets an allowance.
Then the plot line with Miss Elizabeth gets even dicier, for a few reasons. First of all, her being Uncle Solomon's niece who grew up on a neighbouring plantation to Addy's family is just a huge coincidence, and one that I don't even think was necessary to the plot. Miss Elizabeth could have been passing as white while not being directly related to Uncle Solomon. Addy could have figured it out by seeing that Miss Elizabeth has a cowrie shell, or a protection stone, or a quilt similar to Addy's, or any other number of ways. I feel like the author wanted to make the connection extremely obvious, which was just not necessary; Addy is a smart enough girl that I am confident she could have figured it out without seeing that Miss Elizabeth has the exact protection stone given to her by Uncle Solomon. And Miss Elizabeth could have started to get frightened of Addy once Addy noticed and commented on one of these items in Miss Elizabeth's room. The plot contrivance took me out of it a bit.
Second, as a kid, I thought what Miss Elizabeth was doing in accusing Addy wrongly of stealing was pretty awful, but also par for the course of a mystery book. As an adult reading this, it's way more horrible than I understood as a child. She is a Black woman who grew up enslaved herself. She KNOWS how much Addy and her family have suffered. She is wrongfully accusing a LITTLE GIRL, a little girl who is sweet as can be, who has already suffered so much, of stealing. She is literally telling her fiancé to put Addy and her entire family, including her three-year-old sister, out on the street, and weaponizing her [not-quite-]white tears to get hm to agree, begging him to help her "feel safe in her home" again. She literally plants the choker in the shed where this ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD plays to make it look like Addy stole it.
It is honestly kind of unbelievable how evil a person would have to be to do that. I understand she's scared of being found out, but also these stakes are SO HIGH. Addy's parents would lose their jobs AND their home and the whole family would be out on the street. And none of them did ANYTHING wrong. Addy literally saved Mr. Radisson's life, Momma has been making a beautiful wedding dress for Miss Elizabeth, Poppa is an expert carpenter who has been working for Mr. Radisson, Esther is literally A BABY...it is just unbelievably evil. I didn't understand how high those stakes were when I was a kid. Addy or her family could literally end up in jail, or homeless.
And this is a Black woman who grew up on a plantation. How would Uncle Solomon feel (if he was still alive) knowing that his niece was destroying the life of his adopted (fictive kin) granddaughter? How would Miss Elizabeth's MOTHER feel (if she was still alive) knowing that Miss Elizabeth is prioritizing her own comfort over Addy's family's livelihood and LIVES? Literally every Black person in Miss Elizabeth's family and community of origin would be so disapproving and disappointed in her. I don't understand how she doesn't seem to feel shame until (maybe) the very end, but maybe not even then, or at least not to the degree she should. Like this is SO serious, much more than I understood as a kid.
I hope Mr. Radisson DOESN'T marry her, and not because she's Black (even though it would be illegal for them to get married with her being Black and him white), but because she has shown such an extreme error in judgment and selfishness and callousness towards a LITTLE GIRL that he should understand she isn't someone he wants in his life. And also, it isn't like she JUST lied to him about being Black...she's also clearly made up a whole other life story for herself, so even if I don't necessarily consider her blameworthy for choosing to pass as white (outside of her actions towards Addy's family), I could understand him being like, "Wow, I really don't know this person at all, I need to regroup." But if someone in my life literally tried to get an eleven-year-old punished for a crime she didn't do, that person would be out of my life immediately. Doesn't matter why! And picking on an extremely VULNERABLE eleven-year-old is even more unforgivable. Wow.
So I greatly enjoyed the topic of this book, but the execution felt like it could have been improved. Also, POOR ADDY. She is such a sweet, precious, lovely little girl, and she deserves the world, and when people treat her badly, I want those people to SUFFER.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2012
after addy saves a wealthy man named mr. radisson from being trampled by a horse, mr. radisson offers mr. walker a job doing woodwork & carpentry with his crew. mr. radisson has just moved into the fancy society hill home of his recently deceased uncle, & extends the invitation for the walkers to move into the carriage house in the backyard. the walkers are over the moon--it will be their first ever real private family home in freedom.
but it doesn't take long for addy to realize that racism is alive & well on society hill, even though the walkers have been invited to live there. they're stopped by police as they walk to their new home for the first time. the police don't think black people have any business in society hill & say they will be checking up on the walkers' story of living in mr. radisson's carriage house.
addy notices strange lights in & around mr. radisson's house in the dead of night, even though mr. radisson is out of town. he's in virginia collecting his mother so she can attend his upcoming wedding.
mrs. radisson (the mother) ends up being a rather vicious old racist. she wants mr. radisson to put the walkers out & hire european servants, even after mr. radisson explains that mr. walker works for his carpentry crew & is not a servant. there's trouble at work when the white members of the crew refuse to work as equals with mr. walker. they'll only work with him if he serves as a gofer, even though he is a skilled woodworker. while mr. radisson is in connecticut collecting his fiancee, elizabeth, mrs. radisson notices a basket of food on the back porch & accuses the walkers of trying to steal it. they deny it, & addy finds the basket in the trash the next day, the food gone.
she's worried that mr. radisson's house is haunted & that's why there are strange lights & missing food. she stays up late to keep watch & sees someone sneaking into the house. she follows the person--a black woman--& peers at her in the shed. she's writing something & has a lemon. later addy finds what the woman wrote--& it's a note with addy's name on it.
addy rather quickly figures out that the note is written with lemon juice & that she'll be able to read it if she warms the paper. she was totally unfamiliar with this trick & i think it's a damn lucky (read: unlikely) break that she figured it out in like 30 seconds. anyway, the note is a riddle that shows addy how to locate a trap door that will allow her to enter mr. radisson's house & come to the woman who wrote the note. addy does so & the woman explains that she was a spy for the union army during the war. she pretended to be an illiterate slave & sent word of the confederate army's plans north. even though the war is over now, there is a bounty of her head. mr. radisson's uncle was putting her up & helping her escape to a safer place, but when he suddenly died, she had to hide in the hidden room & sneak food. now that mr. radisson is filling the house with his mother & his fiancee, she's worried that she won't be able to sneak around as easily & she asks addy to help her. because somehow it will be easier for addy to sneak around mr. radisson's house, where she doesn't live? kind of weird, but okay.
when mr. radisson returns with his fiancee, elizabeth, things are great--at first. addy has a pretty easy time sneaking food for the spy, & elizabeth really takes to her & the rest of the walker family. she gives addy & her mother tickets to see a famous black opera singer perform, & even gives addy a beautiful dress she has outgrown, with the thought that mrs. walker can fix it up & make it something special for addy to wear to the opera. but things get weird when elizabeth invites addy over to try on the dress. she offers to let addy try on a ruby & pearl choker as well, which necessitates removing the necklace that addy's brother gave her--a protection stone fashioned by uncle solomon, the old man who helped look after esther after addy & mrs. walker escaped the plantation. elizabeth gets an eyeful of the protection stone & practically shoves addy out the door. addy thinks she did something to offend or upset elizabeth.
soon after, elizabeth accuses addy of stealing her choker. addy specifically remembers putting the choker on elizabeth's dresser before she left the room, but elizabeth claims that it's missing. addy denies it, but when the choker is discovered in the shed, where addy often goes to play, pretty much everyone thinks she's guilty. elizabeth begs mr. radisson to put the walkers out & hire europeans instead. addy is confused because elizabeth had talked such a big game about how not-racist she was. addy wonders if elizabeth is being influence by mrs. radisson.
addy asks the spy for insight but it's not much help. she even wonders if maybe the spy stole the choker & left it in the shed to make addy look bad. the spy tells addy that things aren't always as they seem & that she needs to dig deeper.
addy decides to dig deeper by following elizabeth. addy follows elizabeth all the way to a very poor part of town, where elizabeth enters a boarding house & embraces an elderly black woman. she gives the woman some money & after a brief conversation, she leaves. addy asks a man nearby about the boarding house & he explains that everyone in the neighborhood is destitute & recently freed from slavery. most of the folks in the boarding house are from plantations in north carolina, near where addy was enslaved.
addy then sneaks into mr. radisson's house while everyone is out & rifles through elizabeth's bedroom. she finds the choker safe & sound, & opens elizabeth's trunk. inside she finds a quilt that looks a lot like her own family album quilt (a design created by slaves). she also finds a protection stone necklace with uncle solomon's mark on it, & a leather medicine pouch, also made by uncole solomon. before addy can wonder too much about why elizabeth has these things, elizabeth comes home & finds her. addy's family is told in no uncertain terms to get out before the night is through.
but esther falls sick. in fact, she is dying. addy races over to mr. radisson's to ask for help & elizabeth rushes over with solomon's medicine pouch. she makes an herbal poultice that revives esther & addy begins to put two & two together. she retrieves the spy & then has it out with elizabeth, confronting her about the fact that she had to have known uncle solomon somehow. the spy speculates that elizabeth may have owned slaves before the war, & is hiding it because she knows that hardcore abolitionist mr. radisson would never marry a slaveowner, not even one that had seen the error of her ways. but addy knows uncle solomon would never make a protection stone for even the kindest slave owner on earth. which leaves only one alternative...
addy suggests that elizabeth had been a slave herself. elizabeth starts crying & confirms that it's true. her aunt had been uncle solomon's sister & she was enslaved at the next plantation over from where the walkers were in north carolina. she escaped when she was 16 years old & made her way north with the help of quakers. she was very light-skinned & one day a shopkeeper, thinking that she was white, offered her a job. elizabeth began to live as a white woman. eventually she met & fell in love with mr. radisson, & presented herself as a white woman to him as well, thinking, of course, that even the biggest abolitionist on the block isn't going to want to marry a black woman.
she apologizes to the walkers, &...i guess they can stay? it's kind of unclear. also unclear is how elizabeth & mr. radisson are going to work out their interracial romance. but i guess mr. radisson is willing to help the slave, so there's that.
this book was kind of crazy. & far-fetched. i mean, seriously, what are the chances that an escaped slave passing herself off as a white woman would become engaged to a man who is employing & housing a former slave family from the next plantation over? & that they'd piece it all together via one quilt & a necklace? kind of crazy. i don't know what to think of this book.
but it doesn't take long for addy to realize that racism is alive & well on society hill, even though the walkers have been invited to live there. they're stopped by police as they walk to their new home for the first time. the police don't think black people have any business in society hill & say they will be checking up on the walkers' story of living in mr. radisson's carriage house.
addy notices strange lights in & around mr. radisson's house in the dead of night, even though mr. radisson is out of town. he's in virginia collecting his mother so she can attend his upcoming wedding.
mrs. radisson (the mother) ends up being a rather vicious old racist. she wants mr. radisson to put the walkers out & hire european servants, even after mr. radisson explains that mr. walker works for his carpentry crew & is not a servant. there's trouble at work when the white members of the crew refuse to work as equals with mr. walker. they'll only work with him if he serves as a gofer, even though he is a skilled woodworker. while mr. radisson is in connecticut collecting his fiancee, elizabeth, mrs. radisson notices a basket of food on the back porch & accuses the walkers of trying to steal it. they deny it, & addy finds the basket in the trash the next day, the food gone.
she's worried that mr. radisson's house is haunted & that's why there are strange lights & missing food. she stays up late to keep watch & sees someone sneaking into the house. she follows the person--a black woman--& peers at her in the shed. she's writing something & has a lemon. later addy finds what the woman wrote--& it's a note with addy's name on it.
addy rather quickly figures out that the note is written with lemon juice & that she'll be able to read it if she warms the paper. she was totally unfamiliar with this trick & i think it's a damn lucky (read: unlikely) break that she figured it out in like 30 seconds. anyway, the note is a riddle that shows addy how to locate a trap door that will allow her to enter mr. radisson's house & come to the woman who wrote the note. addy does so & the woman explains that she was a spy for the union army during the war. she pretended to be an illiterate slave & sent word of the confederate army's plans north. even though the war is over now, there is a bounty of her head. mr. radisson's uncle was putting her up & helping her escape to a safer place, but when he suddenly died, she had to hide in the hidden room & sneak food. now that mr. radisson is filling the house with his mother & his fiancee, she's worried that she won't be able to sneak around as easily & she asks addy to help her. because somehow it will be easier for addy to sneak around mr. radisson's house, where she doesn't live? kind of weird, but okay.
when mr. radisson returns with his fiancee, elizabeth, things are great--at first. addy has a pretty easy time sneaking food for the spy, & elizabeth really takes to her & the rest of the walker family. she gives addy & her mother tickets to see a famous black opera singer perform, & even gives addy a beautiful dress she has outgrown, with the thought that mrs. walker can fix it up & make it something special for addy to wear to the opera. but things get weird when elizabeth invites addy over to try on the dress. she offers to let addy try on a ruby & pearl choker as well, which necessitates removing the necklace that addy's brother gave her--a protection stone fashioned by uncle solomon, the old man who helped look after esther after addy & mrs. walker escaped the plantation. elizabeth gets an eyeful of the protection stone & practically shoves addy out the door. addy thinks she did something to offend or upset elizabeth.
soon after, elizabeth accuses addy of stealing her choker. addy specifically remembers putting the choker on elizabeth's dresser before she left the room, but elizabeth claims that it's missing. addy denies it, but when the choker is discovered in the shed, where addy often goes to play, pretty much everyone thinks she's guilty. elizabeth begs mr. radisson to put the walkers out & hire europeans instead. addy is confused because elizabeth had talked such a big game about how not-racist she was. addy wonders if elizabeth is being influence by mrs. radisson.
addy asks the spy for insight but it's not much help. she even wonders if maybe the spy stole the choker & left it in the shed to make addy look bad. the spy tells addy that things aren't always as they seem & that she needs to dig deeper.
addy decides to dig deeper by following elizabeth. addy follows elizabeth all the way to a very poor part of town, where elizabeth enters a boarding house & embraces an elderly black woman. she gives the woman some money & after a brief conversation, she leaves. addy asks a man nearby about the boarding house & he explains that everyone in the neighborhood is destitute & recently freed from slavery. most of the folks in the boarding house are from plantations in north carolina, near where addy was enslaved.
addy then sneaks into mr. radisson's house while everyone is out & rifles through elizabeth's bedroom. she finds the choker safe & sound, & opens elizabeth's trunk. inside she finds a quilt that looks a lot like her own family album quilt (a design created by slaves). she also finds a protection stone necklace with uncle solomon's mark on it, & a leather medicine pouch, also made by uncole solomon. before addy can wonder too much about why elizabeth has these things, elizabeth comes home & finds her. addy's family is told in no uncertain terms to get out before the night is through.
but esther falls sick. in fact, she is dying. addy races over to mr. radisson's to ask for help & elizabeth rushes over with solomon's medicine pouch. she makes an herbal poultice that revives esther & addy begins to put two & two together. she retrieves the spy & then has it out with elizabeth, confronting her about the fact that she had to have known uncle solomon somehow. the spy speculates that elizabeth may have owned slaves before the war, & is hiding it because she knows that hardcore abolitionist mr. radisson would never marry a slaveowner, not even one that had seen the error of her ways. but addy knows uncle solomon would never make a protection stone for even the kindest slave owner on earth. which leaves only one alternative...
addy suggests that elizabeth had been a slave herself. elizabeth starts crying & confirms that it's true. her aunt had been uncle solomon's sister & she was enslaved at the next plantation over from where the walkers were in north carolina. she escaped when she was 16 years old & made her way north with the help of quakers. she was very light-skinned & one day a shopkeeper, thinking that she was white, offered her a job. elizabeth began to live as a white woman. eventually she met & fell in love with mr. radisson, & presented herself as a white woman to him as well, thinking, of course, that even the biggest abolitionist on the block isn't going to want to marry a black woman.
she apologizes to the walkers, &...i guess they can stay? it's kind of unclear. also unclear is how elizabeth & mr. radisson are going to work out their interracial romance. but i guess mr. radisson is willing to help the slave, so there's that.
this book was kind of crazy. & far-fetched. i mean, seriously, what are the chances that an escaped slave passing herself off as a white woman would become engaged to a man who is employing & housing a former slave family from the next plantation over? & that they'd piece it all together via one quilt & a necklace? kind of crazy. i don't know what to think of this book.
April 17, 2021
Interesting portrait of what life could have been like for a family that has recently escaped slavery and is trying to reestablish in Philadelphia after the Civil War and Emancipation.
Due to Addy's courage and quick thinking, Mr. Radisson, the white man whose life she saves, sets her family up in a small house in his back garden and gives her father a job. They still face prejudice: local cops are suspicious, Radisson's mother is appalled, and the father's coworkers refuse to work with him at first. Radisson has inherited the house from his likewise abolitionist uncle, and he brings his fiance to prepare for their wedding.
Then Addy notices lights and movement in the supposedly empty house. Is it haunted? Addy sleuths out the answer, and learns to think like a spy.
Several mysterious revelations later, we have our answer, but not a final resolution, which actually was more satisfying than an easy fix to an extremely complex situation. Good intro to Reconstruction era.
Surprised that opinions on race were so varied at that time? Has that changed?
Like ending? Do you think they married? Why? (Lying?)
Due to Addy's courage and quick thinking, Mr. Radisson, the white man whose life she saves, sets her family up in a small house in his back garden and gives her father a job. They still face prejudice: local cops are suspicious, Radisson's mother is appalled, and the father's coworkers refuse to work with him at first. Radisson has inherited the house from his likewise abolitionist uncle, and he brings his fiance to prepare for their wedding.
Then Addy notices lights and movement in the supposedly empty house. Is it haunted? Addy sleuths out the answer, and learns to think like a spy.
Several mysterious revelations later, we have our answer, but not a final resolution, which actually was more satisfying than an easy fix to an extremely complex situation. Good intro to Reconstruction era.
Surprised that opinions on race were so varied at that time? Has that changed?
Like ending? Do you think they married? Why? (Lying?)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2019
This book is about when Addy and her family move to Society Hill. She soon finds that there are dangerous secrets on Society Hill. My favorite part is when Addy is accused of stealing things she really didn't steal. It was a spy who stole those things. Her family was told they had to leave Society Hill because people thought Addy was a thief. When the people found out it was a spy who was the thief, Addy's family didn't have to leave. The spy didn't have to leave either. Addy did some detecting at night and saw the spy writing with lemon juice on paper. When Addy looked at the paper, it said, "Addy." A few nights later it said a message to Addy. The message said, "Dear Addy, I'm a spy. I need help escaping." Addy gave the spy food so that she didn't have to keep stealing. I liked the book because it was a mystery and I like mysteries.
September 20, 2019
This book from the American Girl series rated high for me as historical fiction AND mystery! I loved how part of the mystery was uncovering things about slavery and the Civil War that Addy knew nothing about. Truthfully they were things that MANY Americans no nothing about such as black Union spies, and the idea of blacks that could pass as whites. I also appreciate how though these books are written for a younger audience they never shy away from the awfulness of racism. Sometimes we (lets just say white people) get sensitive like "kids can't/should't have to comprehend these terrible acts", but the fact that Addy is between 8-11 during her series and these things are happening TO HER shows how important it is for ALL of us to know, recognize, and understand.
September 7, 2025
Really good! Continues the AG tradition of using fictional characters to teach readers about some real world people and things that happened, in this case, not very long ago.
Something to be aware of: this book also continues a pattern I've seen in some, but not all, AG books that I wouldn't want kids to follow the example of. Addy keeps some big secrets from everyone in her family, even her brother, and they weigh on her and she feels needlessly alone and desperate. Of course, a kid may pick up on this and realize that the story is not saying it's good to keep secrets, in fact it shows the opposite. Once the truth comes out, the adults around Addy prove themselves kind and helpful.
Something to be aware of: this book also continues a pattern I've seen in some, but not all, AG books that I wouldn't want kids to follow the example of. Addy keeps some big secrets from everyone in her family, even her brother, and they weigh on her and she feels needlessly alone and desperate. Of course, a kid may pick up on this and realize that the story is not saying it's good to keep secrets, in fact it shows the opposite. Once the truth comes out, the adults around Addy prove themselves kind and helpful.
May 29, 2021
Addy's stories continue to be just phenomenal. There is so much depth to her life that I never appreciated as a kid, and I am so glad that I was able to track down these short stories and mysteries.
I definitely noticed a difference in the writing between this one the others, as every other book was penned by Connie Porter. The different writing style wasn't a bad thing necessarily, but it was still very noticeable.
I definitely noticed a difference in the writing between this one the others, as every other book was penned by Connie Porter. The different writing style wasn't a bad thing necessarily, but it was still very noticeable.
April 13, 2023
While reading this book it was so entertaining it was almost painful when I had to put it down. The ending was a bit of a let down for me considering how great the rest of the book was. It seemed very rushed and I didn't like the ultimate outcome. I thought about rating it a 4 but decided against it because that is really just my personal opinion. The whole middle of the book though, was very well written and highly entertaining.
November 29, 2025
This book kept me hooked from start to finish.
As I had said on a previous review, Addy's relationship with Miss Cope is heavily romantic coded on her side. Being charmed by her beauty, her eyelashes being the first thing she notices, describing Cope's voice as church bells and thus attractive, going on a tea date with her... yeah. I don't actually ship them because Addy is a kid, but I definitely could see that Addy probably dreamed of her when she was sleeping.
As I had said on a previous review, Addy's relationship with Miss Cope is heavily romantic coded on her side. Being charmed by her beauty, her eyelashes being the first thing she notices, describing Cope's voice as church bells and thus attractive, going on a tea date with her... yeah. I don't actually ship them because Addy is a kid, but I definitely could see that Addy probably dreamed of her when she was sleeping.
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