Addy's Surprise: A Christmas story is about a young African American girl living in the post-Civil War era. Addy and her mother escape to freedom and explore all of the changes that come along with it. The book paints a colorful and to what I believe is an accurate picture of slavery and post-slavery years.

Being a young African- American girl I naturally gravitated toward this book in the fourth grade. This book is a great book for any child, though. It explains the pain of seperation of family and the cruelties of slavery. It explores new beginnings and changes in life. This book will warm the heart of anyone that reads it's pages.

A good idea for getting in depth with this book is to talk about the importance of family and friends. Teachers and parents can also explain the harshness that comes with the changes in life. It is also good to compare the past with the present with this book.

Great for grades 3-5. Illustrations made with water colors. Great for teaching history. Addy tells why freedom is not really freedom.

Christmas comes to Philadelphia, and an escaped slave girl and her mother are celebrating their first Christmas away from family but also their first Christmas in freedom. Bittersweet.
--C ( )

Addy wants to surprise Mamma with a present of a new scarf for Christmas, but she realizes her tip money could help others like her family make it to freedom, so she gives it away. Mrs. Ford lets her have the extra material from the dress she gets for Christmas to make her mother a scarf, which she sews while hemming the dress. On Christmas Addy gets the best presents of all- a new doll, Ida Bean, and very best of all- her father has made his way home to them. ( )