Books: Addie Series

In an article appearing in the Grand Fork (North Dakota) Herald in 1992, author, Jane Kurtz wrote about the genesis of the Addie series.

"The Addie series came out of Lawlor's family folklore. Her great grandparents started out in Iowa, bought land in South Dakota, and traveled with five children, in covered wagons to Dakota Territory. Lawlor who enjoys research so much that she tends to 'over-do it,' poked around in family materials and in an oral history collection in Vermillion, SD. A letter from a great-aunt ended up giving the book focus -- her memories of the trip over the prairie, 'how lonely and cold it felt,' the chokecherries and wildflowers. The climax in Addie Across the Prairie came from one of the oral histories.

"'The woman was all alone when a prairie fire came,' Lawlor says. 'When her husband rushed home all that was left of their things was charred black pieces. Suddenly out of the well, his wife and baby emerged.' She pauses. 'The image of a person coming out of the charred black stayed with me.'" -- Jane Kurtz

Addie and her family are in Dakota Territory and Addie must summon up the courage to save herself and her younger brother George when she finds herself in the path of a prairie fire. Curriculum Connections

Ten-year-old Addie Mills is looking forward to the beginning of a new school year after spending a summer with her rough-house brothers and pesky baby sister. A believable story of pioneer life. Curriculum Connections

Addie Mills is a much different person than her friend Eleanor. Addie is not nearly as daring as Eleanor. Now Eleanor has a plan -- will Addie go along? Curriculum Connections

When her twin cousins arrive from Iowa they don't seem to appreciate Addie's home on the Great Plains. There are lessons to learn. Curriculum Connections

When Addie goes away, George becomes the oldest child in the family -- but he has a secret and when Pa learns it, George runs away. But its not his secret that brings the real trouble.