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American Girl: Addy
A New Beginning: My Journey With Addy
What if you suddenly found yourself in Addy Walker's world in the middle of the Civil War? How would you feel facing new freedoms and unexpected limits? Join Addy help newly freed people, raise money for soldiers, and search for Addy's family. Your journey back in time can take whatever twists and turns you choose, as you select from a variety of exciting options in this multiple-ending story.
189 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2014
6 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 1, 2017
The girl's pretend backstory wasn't clear. She wasn't claiming to be an escaped slave or born free. I could also tell that one part was derived from the short story High Hopes for Addy.
January 31, 2026
Reading for the first time as an adult. This is my first foray into AG's "My journey with" books, which are choose-your-own-adventure-style books in which a present day kid time travels back to meet the AG character and experience their world.
So obviously, that does a few things right off the bat:
- By necessity, we have a protagonist who is generic enough to be a stand-in for the reader. This one is unnamed, but apparently not all of them are. Hard to craft a compelling character while also making a reader stand-in.
- We have a built-in reason to do lots of explaining around what life was like back then.
- We are definitely going to point out all the ways in which life in the present is better/easier/more comfortable. And with a character like Addy, that's gonna be a long list. I think the average reader is going to see that pretty clearly in Addy's core series already, and this really hits it over the head at every opportunity.
Our nameless protagonist may not have a ton of personality, but she does have a backstory, mostly related to struggling at school and not seeing much of her parents due to work schedules and travel. She starts out pretty whiny, and her experience with Addy (no matter what version of the story you wind up with) helps her reassess, finding ways in which she's really very fortunate after all. It's not subtle.
If you can get past the initial whining, this is a reasonably good introduction to Addy's world, from privies to puppet shows. I have two complaints:
- In a couple of spots, nameless protagonist helps Addy do something that we already see Addy do in her core series - or plants an idea, or encourages her in something. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, as though Addy can't navigate her own time without help from the future.
- While there are places where you get to make real choices, there are a lot MORE places where you flip to a new page just for the sake of jumping around. That, uh, feels like cheating. The reason to do that would be to transition to a page or section that gets used in multiple storylines. This book doesn't do that. In Dungeons & Dragons, we call this railroading - the illusion of control over the story when in fact you're on train tracks that only go one place. (And again, this isn't true railroading as there are choices, but there's also a lot of random page flipping for the sake of page flipping. Would I care about this if I were eight? Maybe not?)
Clearly these are Not For Me and I won't be collecting all of them, though I'll likely read the couple of others I already have. Among other things, I'm curious to see how they read for a more privileged character - say, Samantha or Julie - where the journey isn't 90% "Wow, I have it so easy compared to her." (Links added after I did read those books.)
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
So obviously, that does a few things right off the bat:
- By necessity, we have a protagonist who is generic enough to be a stand-in for the reader. This one is unnamed, but apparently not all of them are. Hard to craft a compelling character while also making a reader stand-in.
- We have a built-in reason to do lots of explaining around what life was like back then.
- We are definitely going to point out all the ways in which life in the present is better/easier/more comfortable. And with a character like Addy, that's gonna be a long list. I think the average reader is going to see that pretty clearly in Addy's core series already, and this really hits it over the head at every opportunity.
Our nameless protagonist may not have a ton of personality, but she does have a backstory, mostly related to struggling at school and not seeing much of her parents due to work schedules and travel. She starts out pretty whiny, and her experience with Addy (no matter what version of the story you wind up with) helps her reassess, finding ways in which she's really very fortunate after all. It's not subtle.
If you can get past the initial whining, this is a reasonably good introduction to Addy's world, from privies to puppet shows. I have two complaints:
- In a couple of spots, nameless protagonist helps Addy do something that we already see Addy do in her core series - or plants an idea, or encourages her in something. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, as though Addy can't navigate her own time without help from the future.
- While there are places where you get to make real choices, there are a lot MORE places where you flip to a new page just for the sake of jumping around. That, uh, feels like cheating. The reason to do that would be to transition to a page or section that gets used in multiple storylines. This book doesn't do that. In Dungeons & Dragons, we call this railroading - the illusion of control over the story when in fact you're on train tracks that only go one place. (And again, this isn't true railroading as there are choices, but there's also a lot of random page flipping for the sake of page flipping. Would I care about this if I were eight? Maybe not?)
Clearly these are Not For Me and I won't be collecting all of them, though I'll likely read the couple of others I already have. Among other things, I'm curious to see how they read for a more privileged character - say, Samantha or Julie - where the journey isn't 90% "Wow, I have it so easy compared to her." (Links added after I did read those books.)
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
February 23, 2018
I was sort of disappointed in this book. It probably would have been better if I did not go into it blindly. The library got several new American Girl books, and I picked this one up without knowing anything about it.
This is like the choose your own adventure books. Every now and then you get to choose how the story goes. I say every now and then because there really were not that many times you got to choose.
The story begins with a girl (you) in modern day America. After complaining about social studies, she (you) is (are) magically transported to Addy's time.
Maybe I would have appreciated it more when I was younger, but the girl (you) seemed pretty naive. I almost think this books are meant for people who have not read the Addy stories yet.
This is like the choose your own adventure books. Every now and then you get to choose how the story goes. I say every now and then because there really were not that many times you got to choose.
The story begins with a girl (you) in modern day America. After complaining about social studies, she (you) is (are) magically transported to Addy's time.
Maybe I would have appreciated it more when I was younger, but the girl (you) seemed pretty naive. I almost think this books are meant for people who have not read the Addy stories yet.
April 4, 2018
I felt like I was really there with Addy!
March 27, 2025
where was this when i was a kid?? as i workm though addy’s books i was pleasantly surprised to find this was a chose your own adventure books and i would always as a kid get the goosebumps ones but this was way better and way more me.
December 8, 2014
*Book received through the Amazon Vine Program*
American Girl recently revamped their historical line into Beforever and with the release, they brought out new books. "A New Beginning" is a Choose Your Own Adventure type of book. It's great to go on an adventure with Addy and the reader can read and learn how it was to be a newly freed slave during the Civil Wars.
The book opens with a girl in current times. The girl is troubled because she failed a social studies test. She is also having issues accepting that her father is away most of the time for work and her mother is going back to college. So her grandparents are living with her and little brother. Her grandfather has a coin collection and through a 1864 coin, the girl is magically transported to that time. She meets Addy, who thinks the girl has escaped slavery and has been separated from her family. From there you can go through several different scenarios including going to school, almost getting caught by a slavecatcher, or helping organize a benefit, and a few other story lines.
I had a lot of fun reading this story. Addy has always been one of my favorite American Girl characters. A lot of the characters from her core series appear in this book. The story takes place before Addy's father, brother, and sister are reunited with Addy and mother. I would say the story takes place between "Addy Learns a Lesson" and "Addy's Surprise".
Fans of Addy's other stories will certainly love this new book. And I would recommend it for any girl who has an interest in history.
American Girl recently revamped their historical line into Beforever and with the release, they brought out new books. "A New Beginning" is a Choose Your Own Adventure type of book. It's great to go on an adventure with Addy and the reader can read and learn how it was to be a newly freed slave during the Civil Wars.
The book opens with a girl in current times. The girl is troubled because she failed a social studies test. She is also having issues accepting that her father is away most of the time for work and her mother is going back to college. So her grandparents are living with her and little brother. Her grandfather has a coin collection and through a 1864 coin, the girl is magically transported to that time. She meets Addy, who thinks the girl has escaped slavery and has been separated from her family. From there you can go through several different scenarios including going to school, almost getting caught by a slavecatcher, or helping organize a benefit, and a few other story lines.
I had a lot of fun reading this story. Addy has always been one of my favorite American Girl characters. A lot of the characters from her core series appear in this book. The story takes place before Addy's father, brother, and sister are reunited with Addy and mother. I would say the story takes place between "Addy Learns a Lesson" and "Addy's Surprise".
Fans of Addy's other stories will certainly love this new book. And I would recommend it for any girl who has an interest in history.
Read
May 12, 2024While probably realistic, I was fairly concerned about the slave catcher putting these girls into a literal jail cell. I know the original book was not peachy, but I was fairly stunned to read that part of the book regardless.
Read
July 10, 2020I only read one route but just to move it out of my unreads because technically it is read.
I'll come back when I've read every route.
I'll come back when I've read every route.
July 10, 2020
I do not like the multiple endings. Too much going back and forth.
I do like the story line.
I do like the story line.
June 8, 2021
I loved this one! Addy's story resonates so much more with me as an adult than it did when I was a kid.
January 10, 2015
An unnamed modern girl is grouchy because she failed her social studies test. She thinks it's because her dad isn't home to study with her. He's busy working far away and can only come home one weekend a month. Her mother is also largely absent from her life, working and attending night school. Modern girl's grandparents have moved in to look after modern girl and her little brother Danny. When she's grounded for failing her social studies test, modern girl is outraged. She feels she deserves some freedom; freedom to go where she wants, with whom and when. While she's busy sulking and dreading telling her dad by Skype she failed her exam, Grandfather takes out an old coin that belonged to his great-uncle who fought in the Civil War. When five-year-old Danny "borrows" Grandfather's coin collection, the main character helps him clean up after he drops the coins. She takes an interest in the 1864 coin and starts to rub away some dirt when she suddenly finds herself by some docks, wearing an old faded dress, an old shawl and bonnet. She's quickly befriended by Addy who is on hand to greet the newly freed slaves. Slaves?! Modern girl quickly discovers she has landed in 1864! The reader has several options throughout the story to take different paths but they all lead to the same morals: the importance of family and the importance of earning freedom.
I liked this book the best of the 3 I've read so far. I don't see how any of the others can top this one. I really loved seeing more of Addy and her daily life and how she and Momma made a new life for themselves. It's so inspiring that they never lose hope, they understand that while freedom is hard work and money, it's freedom. I also loved how they just accept anyone as family as they would have done on the plantation. I especially loved the history in this book. The author came up with things I hadn't even thought of. There are so many period details in this book that are important to Addy's world and her stories. The author did an excellent job filling in for Connie Porter. She really took the time to study Addy's books and work her story into the timeline AND add more historical background to the story.
The only thing I didn't like was the heavy handed moral. Oh and the girl acctually touhing and rubbing off dirt from the old coin. That's a no-no from what I've heard. Minor quibbles only.
I never thought I'd give a Journey book 5 stars!
I liked this book the best of the 3 I've read so far. I don't see how any of the others can top this one. I really loved seeing more of Addy and her daily life and how she and Momma made a new life for themselves. It's so inspiring that they never lose hope, they understand that while freedom is hard work and money, it's freedom. I also loved how they just accept anyone as family as they would have done on the plantation. I especially loved the history in this book. The author came up with things I hadn't even thought of. There are so many period details in this book that are important to Addy's world and her stories. The author did an excellent job filling in for Connie Porter. She really took the time to study Addy's books and work her story into the timeline AND add more historical background to the story.
The only thing I didn't like was the heavy handed moral. Oh and the girl acctually touhing and rubbing off dirt from the old coin. That's a no-no from what I've heard. Minor quibbles only.
I never thought I'd give a Journey book 5 stars!
October 12, 2015
This book is very obviously not penned by the author of the original six books in the series. The syntax and dialect of the characters is completely different, though to her credit, the new author does keep to the personality and character traits of all of the original books. The book takes place between the second and third books in the original series, or about 2/3 through the new Addy Classic book 1, so you don't have to finish the series to read this one. I was excited that it was a choose your own story book, I hadn't done any form of research on it before checking out from the library shortly after finishing the final book in the classic series. It seems to basically be trying to explain why history is important to us. I have honestly not read every version of this book, but I went through a couple of different endings based on choices, and just wasn't impressed enough to want to go back and find the other endings, but maybe a target aged child would.
August 10, 2016
I loved reading this book, traveling back in time with Addy. Anybody who likes the 1860s, or Addy, read this book!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews