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GPLKids
Dec 20, 2011
Addie on the Inside is a powerful novel in verse written in the voice of a seventh grade girl who is bright but not popular with the main- stream ' tweens in her class. Addie does have friends, including a popular boy, DuShawn who seems able to see past the absence of trendy clothes and the lack of curves to appreciate Addie for the brave and outspoken girl she is. James Howe does a remarkable job in showing how Addie grows through her seventh grade year and especially how she relates to different adults who are in her life but who do not dominate her days. Addie’s grandmother is a neutral presence, a good listener and one who supports without preaching. Teachers are portrayed as both positive and negative presences. There is a subplot of Addie’s involvement in supporting LGBT students and demonstrating the courage of her beliefs in the face of teasing. The problem of “former best friends” is demonstrated in Addie’s relationship with Becca, a puzzle to Addie. Mr. Howe has a marvelous ear for the social cruelties involved in seventh grade. Some of the poems are stand-alone messages which are true and vital even without the novel as a frame. This book is not light but it is hopeful and true to the reality of middle school angst.