Toys
 

Shadows on Society Hill

From American Girl Dolls Wiki

Shadows on Society Hill is a Historical Character Mystery that is part of Addy's books.

Contents

[edit] Facts

[edit] Characters

[edit] From the Central Series

[edit] Only In Shadows on Society Hill

  • Albert Radisson
  • Mr. Gunter
  • Mrs. Radisson
  • Miss Elizabeth
  • Miss Mary Tucker
  • Frank Radisson (Only Mentioned)
  • Miles Roberts (Only Mentioned)

[edit] Chapter By Chapter Summary

[edit] Chapter 1: A Daring Rescue

The book starts out with Addy seeing an man crossing the street. A horse breaks away from his carriage and runs towards the man. Addy yells at the man to get out of the way, but he doesn't appear to hear her. She runs towards him, calling her Poppa, who is repairing the overhang of a building close by. Addy leaps at the man, and knocks him out of the way, with the horse passing very close to them. Poppa now catches up to Addy after barreling down the ladder and asks if she is alright and what happened. The man states that Addy saved his life. A crowd has gathered, and one woman accuses Addy of knocking down the man. Addy quickly defends her actions, saying the bridle broke, and she hadn't meant to hurt the man. The man quickly agrees, frowns at the woman, and disperses the crowd.

The man explains he keeps cotton in his ears because the cole hurts his eardrums. He hadn't heard the horse, or Addy, and thanks her profusely. Poppa continually asks Addy is she is alright, to which she replies yes. Poppa says he's glad the gentleman wasn't hurt, and they turn to walk away. But the man offers Addy a generous reward for $10. Addy is very tempted to take the money, because $10 could pay for an entire year of schooling at the Institute for Colored Youth, and Poppa hasn't had continuous work for about four months. But, she turns down the offer respectfully. The man protests, yet Poppa is firm, and he grabs his tools from the overhang and says to Addy that they have to get home. the man looks at the overhang and asks Poppa if he did the work, which he did.

The man asks how he learned, and if he works for a certain company. In a few minutes, Poppa has a job working for a the man, Albert Radisson. Mr. Radisson wants Poppa to do the overhanging on his houses. Poppa is to report on Monday morning - bright and early. As the man walks away, Poppa expresses how happy he was that Addy had decided to come with him, and thanks her. Addy smiles and laments on how well the year 1866 is turning out, with her family finally together and the war over.

[edit] Chapter 2: Snowfall

The chapter starts out with a snowfall, in which Addy comments on "how quickly 'good' disappears." She ponders how when Poppa got the job, Mrs. Ford closes the dress shop, and the Walkers need to find a new home. Addy wishes that Auntie Lula and Uncle Solomon were home, and gives a little history of them. As Addy walks into the boarding house, she finds Momma crying with Poppa. When Addy asks what's wrong, Poppa says they're moving. At first, Addy starts worrying, but she sees her parents smiling. Poppa announces that they are moving to Society Hill, to live in the servants' house behind Mr. Radisson's. Addy, Momma, and Poppa are all very excited, as this is the nicest they've lived in, on Society Hill, where the richer people live.

Poppa says that Mr. Radisson's uncle left the house to Mr. Radisson when he passed away. Mr. Radisson let the servants go, and closed up the house. The servants apparently had two girls like the Walkers, and everything was set up already. Addy and Esther are going to have a room all to themselves. Addy picks up Esther and starts swinging her around in pure excitement. When Sam comes home, Addy riddles him about their room. When Sam gives in and Addy tells him about the new house, he can barely believe it. Addy and Esther start dancing around, and Sam quickly joins in. When Esther calls for Momma and Poppa, they, to Addy's shock, start dancing as well.

Sunday evening the Walker's say a tearful good-bye to the Golden's, who run the boarding house where they live. Addy specifically says good-by to M'dear, Mrs. Golden's mother. As they approached Society Hill, everything started looking cleaner and nicer. Addy lingers to examine dresses in a shop, when a policeman stops the family. The policeman accuses them of stealing these things, despite the polite explanations of Sam and Poppa. When Poppa reaches into his pocket to take out Mr. Radisson's card with his address on it, the policeman hits his hand really hard, though Poppa ignores it. The policeman finally lets them continue, but promises that he'll be watching them. The family continues walking, slightly shaken and discouraged.

[edit] Chapter 3: Uncle Solomon's Protection

[edit] Chapter 4: Troubling Answers

[edit] Chapter 5: A Cold Welcome

[edit] Chapter 6: The Mystery Woman

[edit] Chapter 7: The Black Swan

[edit] Chapter 8: A Strange Riddle

[edit] Chapter 9: Confusion

[edit] Chapter 10: Beautiful

[edit] Chapter 11: A Terrible Accusation

[edit] Chapter 12: From Bad to Worse

[edit] Chapter 13: The Riddle Deepens

[edit] Chapter 14: Caught

[edit] Chapter 15: The Tale Is Told

[edit] Looking Back

The Looking Back section addresses:

  • The Rights of African-American People Back in the 1860's
  • Abolition
  • African-American Spies
  • Harriet Tubman
  • Mary Elizabeth Bowser
  • Reconstruction
  • Black Codes
  • The Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
  • Prejudice Against African-American People
  • Civil Rights Movement
Retrieved from "http://americangirl.wikia.com/wiki/Shadows_on_Society_Hill"
Rate this article: