Addy. 1864.
Meet Addy Walker!
Addy Walker is a courageous girl determined to be free in the midst of the Civil War. After making a daring escape from a plantation in North Carolina, Addy thrives in Philadelphia, where she goes to school and works to bring her family back together.
Ruth Walker
Addy’s courageous and loving mother. She saves Addy from being sold off the plantation by escaping with her. Momma is a talented seamstress who gets a job at a dress shop in Philadelphia.
Ben Walker
Addy’s father, whose dream of freedom gives the family strength. He reminds Addy that there’s always freedom inside her head and her heart. He reunites with Addy and Momma in Philadelphia where he gets a job as a carpenter.
Sam Walker
Addy’s 15-year-old brother wants to run north and fight in the war for freedom. Sam is sold at the same time as Poppa, and he eventually becomes a soldier before joining the family in Philadelphia. Sam is proud of how smart Addy is and always has a riddle for her./p>
Esther Walker
Addy’s 1-year-old sister is too young to make the escape to freedom. Momma makes the heartbreaking decision to leave her on the plantation. When Auntie Lula finally brings Esther to Philadelphia, Esther does not remember her family very well.
Auntie Lula
Lula is not a biological relative, but she’s part of Addy’s family anyway. She’s enslaved on Master Stevens’s plantation and looks out for the Walkers. She takes care of Esther after Addy and Momma escape.
Uncle Solomon
Solomon is married to Lula. He gives Addy and her mother advice on how to escape and directs them to Miss Caroline’s safe house. Uncle Solomon gives Addy a half dime and tells her that “freedom’s got a cost.”
Sarah Moore
Sarah is the first person Addy meets in Philadelphia, and the two become best friends. Sarah was born on a plantation in Virginia and understands how Addy feels when she first arrives in freedom. Sarah helps Addy navigate life in the city and at school.
Mabel Moore
Sarah’s mother belongs to the Freedom Society of Trinity A.M.E. Church. She and Sarah meet Addy and her mother at the pier and help them get settled in Philadelphia.
Miss Dunn
Addy’s teacher is kind and patient. She’s from North Carolina and escaped from slavery, just like Addy. Miss Dunn encourages and inspires Addy to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher.
Mrs. Ford
The owner of a dress shop who gives Momma a job and lets Addy and Momma stay in a room above the shop.
M'Dear
An older woman who lives in the boarding house where Addy’s family moves after Poppa arrives in Philadelphia. M’Dear is blind, but she helps Addy see that there is hope despite the prejudices she encounters.
Addy Walker™ Doll, Book & Accessories
Just like in her book, Addy’s accessories include a faux cowrie-shell necklace that her great-grandmother brought all the way from Africa.
Shop Addy Walker™ Doll, Book & Accessories
Addy Walker™ Birthday Outfit & Book
The day Addy chose as her birthday, April 9, was an important one—marking the end of the Civil War—and she wore a special outfit to celebrate.
Shop Addy Walker™ Birthday Outfit & Book
Author Connie Porter
Connie Porter grew up near Buffalo, New York, where the winters are long and hard. She and her sisters trudged through deep snow to borrow books from the bookmobile that came to the neighborhood twice a week. After the girls finished their homework at night, they crawled into their beds and read the books aloud to each other. Ms. Porter still loves to read. Today, she lives in North Carolina.
Illustrator Melodye Rosales
Melodye Rosales is an artist, illustrator, and author. She studied art at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Columbia College.
Illustrator Bradford Brown
Bradford Brown has been drawing and painting since he was five. In addition to his art, he is a devoted trumpet player. He lives in New Jersey.
Illustrator Dahl Taylor
Dahl Taylor has always wanted to be an illustrator and remembers spending hours gazing at the pictures in books when he was little. He lives in New York.
Addy’s name comes from the Yoruba name Aduke (ah-doo-KEH) which means “much loved.” Aduke was Addy’s great-grandmother’s name.
One of Addy’s favorite treats is ice cream. She tastes it for the first time at a church social.
Addy works hard in school and hopes to one day become a teacher. She loves spelling—and even wins the spelling bee!
Addy’s cowrie-shell necklace originally belonged to her great-grandmother and is her most precious treasure.
Addy loves solving riddles her brother gives her and she likes coming up with riddles of her own.
On the streets of Philadelphia, Addy learns to play double Dutch by listening to the rhythm of the ropes.
President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which decreed that all enslaved people were free even in southern states.
In 1864, thousands of Black people, both wealthy and poor, lived in Philadelphia. They had their own schools, churches, and businesses, and helped newcomers like Addy and her mother find homes and jobs.
Handmade cloth dolls and animals carved from wood were some of the simple toys that children enjoyed in the 1860s.
In her story, Addy’s family finds a home in one of Philadelphia’s many boarding houses. During her time, a family of six could share one bedroom.
People who were against slavery were called abolitionists. They helped enslaved people escape on the Underground Railroad, a series of routes and hiding stations leading north to freedom.
While Addy’s mom was a seamstress in Philadelphia, another seamstress and former slave, Elizabeth Keckley, became one of the most successful dressmakers in Washington D.C.
