A Dream for Addie

Addie Mills #3

by Gail Rock

In the spring of 1948, twelve-year-old Addie Mills, against her father's initial objections, visits and befriends actress Constance Payne and learns from her the importance of dreams

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Childrens

89 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1975

Reviews

[Rosie]

The Addie Mills books are so charming simply for their nostalgia and simple yet thoughtful plot lines.

This story is set during Easter in 1948 when Addie is twelve years old. Actress Constance Payne, an actress formerly from Clear River, has returned to her family home from New York City. Addie befriends Constance and even gets her to hand out the awards at the Easter style show Addie and her friends are entering. It soon becomes evident that Constance is an alcoholic, causing many townspeople to take a dislike to her. Addie, of course, is not one to let a friend down, and learns an importance lesson in forgiveness and being there for others.

[Sarah]

I am sorry there were only 4 books. Love Addie and will miss her. This was a lot better than the Valentine book.

[Laura Martinsen]

Firm believer that just because I missed a children's/YA book when I was that age, there is no reason why I shouldn't enjoy it now. LONGtime fan of THWACT, I was delighted to discover there is a small series of Addie books. Not sure if it's the Midwestern roots, simpler (though not always better) times or plain speak of the authoress' voice, but I find the stories charming and nostalgic with a twist of aspiring artist panasche and a foundation of classic coming-of-age tale (and from a girl's perspective, no less). The relationships in the story mirror the complexity of my personal relationships (I think many people could relate), though Addie benefits from the more mature perspective of Ms. Rock, I suspect. Looking forward to reading and enjoying the other two.

[HeavyReader]

I was really into The House Without a Christmas Tree when I was in middle school. I read that book repeatedly. This book has the same characters: spunky Addie, sweet and loving Grandma, Addie's grumpy dad. I had never read this one before or even seen it until I got it for free after the Spring '09 Friends of the Library book sale.

This is the Easter book, complete with themes of forgiveness, rebirth, loving thy neighbor and all of that. It's not overly religious, but the folks do go to church.

I read it in an hour or so while sitting in a hot bath.

[Sharon]

Addie Mills is excited to meet Constance Payne, a former resident of Clear River, Nebraska, who has returned to town to sell her family home. Constance has been working as an actress in New York City and appears to have an exciting, glamorous life....however, the truth is another reality. "A Dream for Addie" is the third book of the Addie series. This novel was made into a television series called "The Easter Promise".

[Gregory Freeman]

Revisiting a fond childhood memory

I grew up in the 70's so I got to see all four of these Addie Mills specials--if not when they originally aired I caught reruns. They are still charming and timeless, although it wasn't until recently that I discovered that they were based on a series of books and this, A Dream For Addie, is the first one I have read. I have to admit that this my least favorite of the four, but at a brief 78 pages in length it is a very quick read. The writing style is light and those who have seen this particular episode can hear the voices of those actors, especially Lisa Lucas as Addie, Jason Robards as her father, and Mildred Natwick as her grandmother. It's too bad that the book is so brief and had not expanded on the story and characters. It ends rather abruptly and wraps everything up in a quick epilogue. Addie Mills left a deep impression on me as a kid. She was fearless and had dreams similar to my own. It's a shame that Gail Rock did not write more books, following Addie throughout her life, moving out of her small town to chase her dream.

[Sarah Rigg]

I know I read this in autumn 1981 because I mentioned it in my diary from that time.

[Kim]

I enjoyed the story very much.

[Wendy]

=TV special called "The Easter Promise".

[Partridge Public]

Rock, Gail PB