Happy Birthday, Addy!: A Springtime Story

American Girl: Addy #4

by Connie Rose Porter, Dahl Taylor (Illustrator)

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

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Civil War, Juvenile

60 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Connie Rose Porter is an American author best known for her books for children and young adults. She was the third youngest of nine children of a family living in a housing project.
She has since taught English and creative writing at Milton Academy, Emerson College, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She was a fellow at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and was a regional winner in Granta's Best Young American Novelist contest.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I never did expect things to be easy in freedom, but I didn't think they would be so hard either."

Freedom has allowed Addy and her family so many things - they live on their own, they keep the money they make, and they are no longer beholding to the former master...and yet, life isn't what Addy expected at all.

They live in a one-room boarding house, her siblings are still missing, and Philadelphia - the city of brotherly love - is actually rife with segregation and racism. It's enough for Addy to feel helpless and hopeless.

"Why don't you feel things won't ever change?" M'dear asked.
"Because we can't change the color of our skin," Addy answered.

But through friendships, family, and inner strength, Addy finds a way to keep on hoping, even when things look bleakest.

"As they headed down the street atop the wagon, the sun was setting. Poppa began to whistle a song Addy had never heard before. It was a song full of hope."

I got to stop judging these books by how much they make me cry... but yeah, 5 stars to this one as well.

In the previous books, we see Addy coming to terms with freedom and finding her place among her new community and in this one, we get a broader perspective on what it was like to live in one of the Northern states on the cusp of the Civil War ending.

I feel like the author did a great job of showing the effects of racism without it being overwhelming.

There's the seriousness and emotional consequences of the druggist refusing to touch Addy's hand or the segregation on the streetcar - but that is balanced with the light and hope that Addy and her family feel as the war comes to a close.

We have moments of great, soaring joy scattered throughout the book and Addy definitely had one of the best birthdays of her life.

I thought this one was incredibly well-written and truly is one of the best in this series.

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) - ★★★★☆

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading as an adult, here's what stands out:

The thing I most remembered about this one was the streetcar escapade, and I had in my head that it was a "you were just told NOT to do that" situation - which it isn't, exactly. It must have really worried me as a kid that (a) Addy or Sarah would get hurt (b) they'd get back and M'Dear would be dead or (c) the girls would get in BIG TROUBLE. And... exactly none of those things are true. Anxious inner rule-follower, calm down.

M'Dear only shows up in this one story, which is a shame, because she's delightful. And unlike the Samantha series, Porter has the Addy books pretty tightly plotted, so safe to assume that's a carefully made choice. As Addy settles in, it's really nice to see her connecting with someone outside her family or school group - and she gets a wealth of wisdom and perspective on everything from Double Dutch to dealing with racism.

Overall, this book is a push/pull between "Oh, look how good Addy has it now!" and "Poor Addy has it really rough." Even Addy sees it that way. She looks at all the things that would have seemed impossible only a year ago - school, salaries, friends. She and her parents have a better place to live - no more snow coming in the stuck window! They have a picnic in the park one weekend. She's starting to have a community of people who care about her at the boarding house. And all of these things are worth celebrating! But just before you can be lulled into thinking her life is great, Porter reminds you that this better home is still one room, her family is still separated, and Philadelphia is still rife with racial prejudice.


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

[Alex (novelswithalex)]

So cute!

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to quickly finish the last three Addy books from the library before they were due today. I read them all within thirty minutes. They are all only sixty pages each and written so sweetly that it wasn't much of a chore to complete. Happy Birthday Addy focuses on her birthday, obvi, and how she doesn't know the exact date because she was a slave on a tobacco plantation. She befriends her landlord's mother, M'Dear, who is a blind woman with a canary. She offered sage wisdom to Addy and it was reminiscent of Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. There were a lot of correlations between the emotions of her bird and the persecution Addy faces as a young Black girl. It was beautifully written and this was my favorite volume in the series. I really hope Connie Porter has shared her talent with more American Girl doll franchises.

[Olde American Spirit (Shannon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The star of book #4 to me is M'Dear, a blind older woman that becomes a part of Addy's every day life.
What a blessing she was.

Another sweet part of Addy's story.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm just not sure what to think about this series. I wonder about the characterization and this historical accuracy (ok, I KNOW it's not always historically accurate) but this time it's really bugging me.

Using the platform of Addy, who was born a slave and is now freed and in Philadelphia, we see what segregation looked like in the 1860s.

The thing is, this reads more like a book on segregation in the 1950s.

I really question how much a girl who is a newly freed slave is going to think it's unfair that she can't ride a streetcar. I agree that someone who has been free might not see the fairness, I tend to think that mere months after leaving a plantation where she was beaten and treated unfairly that she's going to worry that there are stores that won't serve her. Wouldn't she still be reveling in the newness of being allowed to walk down a street alone or even to be allowed to learn how to read and write - something she grew up being forbidden.

I agree that the contrast was definitely there. And things were unfair. But would a brand new former slave feel it so strongly or question so much? It feels almost too much like preaching an agenda - and perhaps would have been better seen from the point of view of one of the characters who had been born free, who perhaps had relatives who were serving as soldiers in the military.

That's just my thoughts. I still like these books, but this one was just...forced.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

My older editions for this book and the last two in the series have a different illustrator than the ones that I'm used to, and even though the illustrations are still perfectly adequate, they are not as detailed as the previous books' and visualize some of the characters slightly differently. It was hard for me to get over that at first, but this is a good story.

Addy becomes friends with an elderly woman who gives her life advice, figures out how to do Double Dutch with her friend Sarah, encounters streetcar segregation and injustice firsthand, and picks what day she wants for her birthday celebration. This was never one of my favorites in the series, but it's good, and I love the ending.

[Rachel Moyes]

I want to learn to double dutch.

[Shayla Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a true and honest look at the reality many former slaves faced in the city of brotherly love.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing historical note at the back. I learned things.

Another good step of Addy, honest, pained, hopeful.

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth installment of the Addy series. In this book, the Walker family has been able to move out of their attic room and into a boarding house. Addy befriends a blind elderly woman ("M'dear") in the house who encourages her to see beyond her current circumstances, as she tells her how she and Sarah experience racial injustice even in the "city of brotherly love." Since she was born into slavery, Addy does not know which day she was born on -- only that she was born in the spring. M'dear encourages her to "claim" a birth date of her own. Before long, Addy finds a day that feels just right.

For some reason, this and the next two books have a different illustrator than the first three books. So many of the characters look a bit different, which I found disappointing as a kid. As an adult, I still enjoy this book, though I'm more aware of how difficult it is to portray racism (especially historically) in a children's book without painting with too broad of a brush, so I thought it did well. The character of M'Dear reminds me of Maya Angelou ("I know why the caged bird sings) -- I wonder whether that was intentional.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed the Addy books! I've never read this as a kid so these are brand for me. I can't wait to read the others! I love how Addy picked her own day for her birthday, and she picked such a good day too!

[*ੈ✩‧₊˚ meg ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was really sweet, even with some upsetting and sad moments in the book, this was such a cute story. it’s a very quick read, and coming from someone who hasn’t read any of the addy books, i really enjoyed it and want to read the others <3 would definitely recommend !!

[Laura Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent entry in the Addy series. Connie Rose Porter hasn't put a foot wrong yet.

[Morgan's Endless Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! It was great to see Addy hanging out with Poppa so much, and I really loved seeing Addy pick her birthday and the end of the war.

[Julia Kerrigan]

Woof as always Addy gets the rawest deal in her series. Birthday fun in stark contrast with the many stipulations places on her freedom in the North

[Kari Heggen (checkedoutbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn't have too much happening plot-wise. I find it interesting that they tried to fit both slavery and dealing with segregation into one girls story especially in the 1800s.

[Octavia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You have to keep right on living, right on singing your song."

[Ciara · Rating 3 out of 5]

i'm glad i finally got my mitts on this book, because i was wondering about the logistics of the walkers living in mrs. ford's garret apartment now that mr. walker had been reunited with the family. this book opens with the information that the walkers have re-located to a boardinghouse owned by a family named golden. i imagine they have a bit more space & privacy from one another there. the goldens serve meals to their boarders, & addy is the only child living there. every time someone new moves in, addy hopes it will be a family with a child she can befriend, but the newcomer in this book is an old blind woman named m'dear (i REALLY wish she had a real name)--mr. golden's mother.

addy makes the acquaintance of m'dear when she is lured to her doorway by the singing m'dear's canary, sunny. m'dear observes that addy has the accent of someone who was born into slavery. addy confirms this & explains that she & her mama ran away to freedom & are still hoping to be reunited with sam & esther. m'dear tells addy that she was born free, but her parents had been slaves before escaping to philadelphia. she tells addy all about growing up in philadelphia during colonial times. yeah, m'dear is wicked old. addy comments that she doesn't know her birthday--all she knows is that she was born in the springtime. m'dear tells addy she should choose a day & have a party.

while all of this is going on, there is unrest on the city streetcars. people of color have to ride on the outside platform even when there are plenty of empty seats inside & some people are starting to get angry. addy observes that a lot of aspects of freedom are not quite what she anticipated. her father is having trouble finding a decent carpentry job because so few people will hire black men. the only ice cream parlor in town doesn't serve black people. addy is confused by the fact that she is free, but there is still so much she's not allowed to do, just because of the color of her skin.

m'dear gets sick & addy offers to pick up some medicine for her. she sets off with sarah to the local pharmacist, but he has stepped out. addy feels that it's crucial to get the medicine & get back to m'dear as soon as possible, so she convinces sarah that it's a great idea for them to use some of m'dear's money to take a streetcar across town to another pharmacist...even though it seems like they could have just waited for the local pharmacist to get back in the time it would take them to get across town & back. but what do i expect from children? sarah agrees & the journey across town goes smoothly. but the pharmacist in the other shop waits on all the white people before he waits on addy--even the white people who come in after addy. & he won't take the money out of her hand or put her change in her hand, like he doesn't want to touch her. & the streetcar returning to the boarding house is packed to the gills. some people on the platform start to complain & eventually the driver kicks all the black people off the streetcar. addy & sarah don't have enough money for another streetcar, so they have to walk back, which takes forever.

i...don't really know what this whole streetcar story had to do with anything, other than to illustrate racial discrimination.

anyway, a few nights later, the civil war ends. there are parades & all kinds of excitement in the streets. addy picks that day to be her birthday. her father has fixed up an old ice cream freezer & makes ice cream for everyone. m'dear gives addy some canary feathers to wear in her hair as a reminder that your spirit can soar beyond your physical limitations or something.

[Morgan Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to find a dozen of American Girl Doll books at my own home because I loved them as a kid. This particular book of Addy's story is about Addy and her family living in a boarding house in Philadelphia. This family is faced with a lot of prejudice remarks because of their skin color. Addy's father works hard every day driving an ice wagon around town. Addy is limited to many privileges that other white girls in Philadelphia might get. She tells her father how much she would like to have a bite of ice cream one day! Just like many people in her circumstance, Addy does not know when her birthday is. While living in the boarding house she befriends an old widowed woman, M'Dear, who shares her stories and knowledge with Addy. M'Dear tells Addy that she should choose her own day to celebrate her birthday on. Addy eventually learns the importance of this special day when M'Dear becomes very sick. I loved this story because it was very easy to read but yet very informational. I think the kids would get a great historical background on slavery through Addy and her family. It would bring about a lot of questions. Like, what is a boarding house? Why don't they know there own birthdays? This story would be great for 3rd and 4th graders. Although I think you could read aloud to any age. I rated this book a 4 out of 5 stars because it was such a great story and a perfect tool for a quick, fun history lesson. The illustrations in this American Girl collection is great. There is just enough to explain what is going on in each chapter, but not too much to give anything away or not allow students to imagine their own characters. I really like how at the beginning the characters are drawn, named and described. This is very helpful for students who might get lost throughout the story or would like to put a face to the character.

[Gale · Rating 3 out of 5]

SINGING HER OWN SONG

Addy Walker, a former slave girl, now lives in Philadlphia with her parents, though still missing two family members. The Civil War is winding down, prejudice against Blacks--slave Or free--is rampant in the streets and stores of the City which was founded on the concept of Brotherly Love. Her father can't find work as a carpenter because of his skin color, so all he can do is deliver ice--a waste of his training and natural talent.

When Addy and her friend, Sarah, try to ride the streetcar to a drug store in another section of the city they enounter shocking
prejudice and nearly get trampled. Addy faces two challenges in this 4th book in the series: to acquire the motor skills to jump rope double-dutch style, and to choose a nearly perfect day to beoome her very own birthday. (Imagine the joyful dilemma of selecting one day of the 365 to serve as your very own birthday!) Addy gains some valuable life philosophy from blind M'Dear who also lives in the boarding house--who can See in very special ways after all.

(November 25, 2006. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)

[Mackenzie W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy Birthday Addy is the 4th book in the Addy American Girl series. Set in 1864, the book is Addy's first adventure after her Poppa reaches freedom and after the family moves from the garret above Mrs. Ford's dress shop. Addy befriends an elderly woman in the boarding house named M'dear. M'dear helps Addy learn about prejudice and the realities of living in freedom. She also helps Addy select a birthday. When the Civil War finally ends on April 9th, Addy decides that she has finally found the perfect date for a birthday.

This series really does a good job of capturing what life in slavery was like as well as the fact that life in "freedom" wasn't always what runaway slaves expected it to be. I think these books are a good way to encourage dialogue about respecting people from all backgrounds and a way to show children that although we may look or sound different we all have the same feelings and struggles. I would recommend this book for ages 7 and up.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is centered around the types of discrimination that black people like Addy ran into in Philadelphia (and other places), including not being allowed to shop or eat in certain stores and having to ride on the outside of the horse-drawn trolly carts.

Her father, because he is black, is turned away from numerous carpentry jobs and ends up driving an ice wagon. (It was a time when people didn't have electrical refrigerators so chunks of ice were used to keep things cold.)

Addy says that this is all unfair, that this isn't what freedom is supposed to be about and the adults agree with her but basically say there's not much anyone can do about it.

The second theme of the book concerns a blind woman that Addy meets and who teaches Addy a lot of stuff about "seeing" without the use of eyes which, in Addy's case, even helps her learn to jump rope doing double dutch.

A very good story on both counts.

[Katie Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are more fascinating things here from Addy needing to choose a birthday because the date of hers wasn't recorded or remembered to her father's struggle to find someone willing to hire a black carpenter. I think setting the civil rights discussion in this time period is really great because Addy's status as a former slave enables her to say, "This was how her master had talked to her on the plantation" when a pharmacist was racist and "I thought [black] people in the North supposed to be free. But we're in the North and we ain't free" when she and every other black person are kicked off a streetcar because racism. There is a danger in assuming that behavior like that is over, but there is also power in realizing just how long black people have been denied access to basic freedoms and justice.

[Kimberly OutspokenMom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book continues Addy Walker's adventures after successfully escaping her plantation for freedom up North. Addy continues to be amazed by the opportunities that are so much more broader than those on the old plantation, but also realizes that even "free" states have racial segregation and discrimination. She is no longer the property of slaveowners, but still cannot travel certain places or exercise privileges that whites in Philadelphia are able to use.

With her friend Sarah's encouragement, Addy picks out a birthday. While such an action might seem mundane by today's standards, Addy (like others during slavery) never had a day that was uniquely hers. Taking her time with the big decision, Addy ultimately picks a day that has meaning for her and indeed, the entire nation.

[Yakeisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read happy birthday addy this book is about a smart girl and her family members now I will tell you what happend in this story.The first thing that happend in this book was addy was playing with her best sara.Then she saw her dad in his ice cream truck then she said hey addy isen't that your your dad she said yes tht is.Addy and her sara said it's burning up like the sun out here then addy's dad had some ice in his truck and he gave them some addy and her friend roubed it all over her face and her friend did to.Then she asked her dad for some ice cream he said not befour dinner

[setting:] they were playing outside on the play ground.

[charters:] mom,dad, brother,addy,sara

[Chris Comden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Happy Birthday Addy by Connie Rose Porter
Series: Yes: Addy An American Girl #4
Format: Hardcover
Stars: 3
Recommend: Yes
Would Reread: Maybe

I give honest reviews and all my opinions are my own.

For more of my reviews go to Heavenly High Seas Books
https://heavenlyhighseasbooks.blogspo...

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with my 8 year old daughter. This book teaches about friendship, prejudice and letting your heart find joy. The simple story helps teach us the different lessons on a level that is easy to understand and easy to apply.

[Story · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't nearly as "high stakes" as the previous books in the series but it was still enjoyable. There was one chapter in this book where Addy experienced some first hand racism and it introduced the concept of prejudice. I thought it was very well done.

[Soren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for M’Dear and her wisdom.