Well, let me just say this. We had read most of the AG books except the Addy ones. The reason for this is that we always pick them up at thrift stores or used bookstores and so far haven't run across any of Addy's. So.....we were really interested in her and so we checked out her books at the library. It took a while because they were checked out every time we went but, finally we got them.

Well, we read the first book aloud together and both of us cried. That's right, we both cried. It was to me the most touching of all the AG stories!
Then about a week later, DD came to me with a new declaration. She no longer wanted AGT 23 or Nellie next...Now she wanted Addy. When questioned why she said that Addy's story was the most interesting and she was lying in bed the night before thinking about it and thought that of all the American Girls she thought that Addy had to be the most brave of all.
Well of course, we live in the south. In fact, we live in North Carolina, the very place that Addy was running from because of slavery. If there is one place on earth that you would come in contact with racist people, it is the south, and you know what??? My 9 year old daughter finally realizes how devastating a thing slavery was and how awful a life it was to be 'owned' by someone. We have gotten into many discussions about slavery and racism all because of the Addy books. She has even shared her views of the inhumanity of slavery with other people recently.

Is Addy a positive roll model?????
I'd say most definitely so!!!!

Isn't this what we want our daughters to learn from the AG's? How to be strong roll models and to learn from past mistakes in history and how the things we face can make us stronger?
If not for the Addy books I don't think my DD would get it. She wouldn't understand how slavery truly affected the lives of slaves until she was much older, if then. It is unfortunate that Addy was a slave, it is unfortunate that Kirsten's best friend died and that her house burned to the ground because of something she did. The point is...these girls are supposed to actually represent girls from American History and it wasn't all roses and sunshine. Bad things happened but, a lot of good also. Personally, I think it would be ashame if there wasn't a girl that was a slave because to me, that was one of the darkest points in US history and in order for us not to repeat past mistakes, we need to learn from them. Not have an Addy doll?
How sad THAT would be! Addy is now one of our favorite girls all because she was a slave that
made a better life for herself and was able to push on no matter what bad things she faced!

Just my two cents worth!