Addie Brown Series by Rachel Allord

In the 2020s, 12-year-old Addie Brown moves to bustling London from small-town Wisconsin. Addie enjoyed summer in the city with her dad but now has to begin school. She misses her best friend back home in America and struggles to fit in with the other students in her new school. Addie’s father accompanies her to school on the train since the transit system is complicated. Addie balks at her father’s overprotectiveness because it further separates her from her classmates. Eventually, Addie befriends a girl at school, Parisa, who is from Iran. Parisa is a good friend to Addie since she is a transplant to London as well and remembers how it feels to be displaced. After Addie proves she can navigate the Tube schedule, her father allows her to ride the train to school with Parisa and her sister. She repeatedly encounters a mysterious lady in a green hat on the train, who is a calming presence.

Addie’s father cares about her but is distracted with the overwhelm of raising her alone and acclimating to his new job. After an argument with her dad, Addie storms out of her apartment and repeatedly throws a tennis ball in the hallway, disrupting the quiet in the apartment building. An elderly neighbor, Lilian, is appalled at Addie’s behavior, but invites her to tea the following week anyway, on the condition of meeting Addie’s father and securing his blessing. In short order, Lilian takes Addie under her wing, which includes weekly tea dates, a trip to the West End and a mothering touch. Lilian quickly becomes an integral part of Addie and her dad’s new life in London. After a rough month, Addie’s aunt visits from America, and they host an American Thanksgiving for all their new friends.

In the sequel, school’s out and Addie travels to Wisconsin for summer. She spends time with her aunt and cousin and meets her dad’s girlfriend. At summer camp she reunites with her best friend, Lauren. To her surprise, Victoria, her classmate from England, attends camp too. Addie navigates the dynamics of blending old friends with new friends. She develops a stronger friendship with Victoria, whom she had previously kept at arm’s length. When camp ends, Addie spends some time with her dad’s girlfriend again. Upon returning to London, Addie copes with school while her dad pursues a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend. The mysterious lady on the Tube shows up sporadically and nudges Addie to do the right thing.

Reading Level: Ages 12-16
Read-aloud Age: 8+

This book and its sequel are quick reads. Addie’s frustration with moving, being far from old friends and difficulty making new friends is relatable. I was encouraged by and enjoyed Addie’s multi-generational friendship with her neighbor, Lilian. Typically, grownups are painted in a poor light in middle grade/teen books, so this was a welcome change. Addie’s dad cares deeply for Addie, and they have a good relationship. Addie acts out like a stereotypical preteen, which felt a bit cliché to me, even though it would be relatable to the target audience. She is held accountable for the big things, but her dad is inconsistent and sometimes lets the small things slide. Addie’s friends are good friends, even when she’s occasionally unkind to them.

The first book has minimal mentions of God. Someone prays before eating and mentions fleeing for religious freedom. At Thanksgiving, someone thanks God for his goodness. In the sequel, God is mentioned more often. Someone sits through a church service and hears a sermon on prayer. A person muses that although they don’t go to church, maybe they already pray. On multiple instances someone prays and a gust of wind seems to accompany an answer to prayer. Many comments about God seem to rightly reflect Scripture. Someone mentions that God must be real because the complexity of nature suggests a Creator (Romans 1:20, Psalm 19:1). Someone states that everyone is a thief and a liar sometimes (Romans 3:23), and the next right step is to confess (1 John 1:9). Someone minimizes the value of an item that was stolen but then considers that the small things are the big things (James 3:5). Rather than condemning the theft, someone says the circumstances don’t matter, but what was lost is found (Luke 15:8-10). Someone suggests that three are better than two (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

These books would appeal to a preteen/young teen girl. Due to the camp setting and a bit more adventure, I enjoyed the sequel more than the first book. I was disappointed that the mystery of the green hat lady wasn’t explained, but perhaps there will be a third book that fleshes out that part of the story. I appreciated that guilt was present with stealing, but the resolution took the majority of the book, and I wished for a quicker reconciliation. I don’t think most children would imitate Addie’s poor behavior, but it’s worth considering for highly suggestible children.

Language:
Idiot, stupid, know-it-all, nitwit, bossy, beasts, dumb, boring, old stick in the mud, smug little weasels, uptight, bossy killjoy, wretched, gone mental

Questionable Behaviors:
Someone wants to throw a rock at people (it doesn’t happen), someone shouts and stomps off, multiple instances of lying (not condoned), storms out when told to pick up yogurt, someone whines “it’s so unfair”, someone states “my thoughts are dark”, someone wants to trip classmate (it doesn’t happen), eye rolling, tears book and throws it out the window, throws spoonful of food, someone steals something (not condoned, guilt is felt)

In one particular event, someone leaves house alone and the “big bad thing feels wild and satisfying”. While lost in the city at night, the person encounters clubs and tattoo parlors, swear words (not written out), a drunk man, wild party dancing and drinking. None of this is described, it is only mentioned.

Sexual Content:
Someone has bathrobe and towel on head, someone “studies me like I’m a math problem” (refers to the debut of a new hairstyle), someone is described as having big everything-big hair, teeth and a big chest, women are in tiny skirts (a euphemism during the lost in the city portion), there’s a giggly conversation about the word “pants” which is the British word for underwear, someone has a girlfriend, full pink lips (when looking in mirror), talk of potential kissing, hand on small of back, someone acts as if he’s never seen a girl before and blushes.

Other Things to Know:
Food is described as gross, green slop or “sick” (throw-up), someone disrespects a teacher and gets detention, someone died (mentioned, not described), hair product is referred to as a “magic potion”, a person appears to flicker and disappear into a secret world, someone is described as “otherworldly”, parents fight and divorce, someone is called a fairy godmother or angel, someone wishes the opposite parent was raising them.

This review was written by Good Book Mom contributor, Sarah Hanner. To find out more about Sarah, click HERE.

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