Addie as empath

When I read THE MISFITS by James Howe, I fell in love with Addie Carle. I loved that she was vocal about her beliefs, that she would speak her mind. In ADDIE ON THE INSIDE, a companion to THE MISFITS (Atheneum 2011) readers will see Addie once more. Outspoken? You bet. Vocal? Sure. But Addie has grown and changed. She is still advocating for no name calling. She is still best friends with Bobby and Skeezie, and Joe. But there is more. In this book we see Addie as an empathetic young woman, someone who learns to put herself in another person's shoes and see more than the surface of any individual. This lesson comes at some expense for Addie, as empathy does cost something. James Howe has taken a girl and allowed her to blossom into a woman, someone wholly her own. It was wonderful to witness this in ADDIE ON THE INSIDE. <482>