The Curse of Addy McMahon

by Katie Davis

Book Overview

All her life, Addy's heard stories about the McMahon family curse. Her mom says the stories are just jokes, but Addy isn't so sure. In fact, she's got evidence. Like the fact that her archenemy saw... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061287113
• ISBN13: 9780061287114
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.7" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

I love Addy!

I was once a bookseller at an independent children's bookstore, and The Curse of Addy McMahon is just the sort of book I would have loved to put in a customer's hands. It's a fun read, interspersed with Addy's "autobiographa-strips", short comic strips that Addy writes and illustrates. It reminded me a little of Harriet the Spy, when Addy's private autobiographa-strip is seen by all the wrong people and gets her into a big mess. My stomach was in knots, wondering how it would all get resolved. I carried the book around in my car all day and read it at red lights, that's how good it was! Addy is such a real character. From dealing with her irritating brother, mourning the death of her father, gabbing with her best friend, and despising her mother's boyfriend, it's easy for any reader to find something to relate to. You'll find something to laugh about, something to cry about, something to cheer about in this book.

A fun & fantastic read!

The Curse of Addy McMahon by Katie Davis mixes text and illustrations in a way that's sure to grab even the most reluctant readers. Sixth graders, in particular, are going to love this one because it's the perfect mix of humor and the honest-to-goodness angst that's part of starting middle school. Addy McMahon has a lot to deal with as she makes that transition -- a father who died of cancer, a mother whose icky boyfriend is moving in, and an email disaster that nearly costs her her best friend. Add it all up, and Addy's convinced that she's cursed. What middle school kid hasn't felt that way? Addy is both a talented writer and illustrator -- just like author Katie Davis -- so the book's narrative is told in part through Addy's "autobiograstrip," an autobiography in comic book form. This is a terrific title for kids making that leap from elementary school to middle school. They'll appreciate the warmth and honesty as well as its creative format.

A hilarious story with an authentic, lovable main character.

Poor Addy. It's hard enough having to deal with her mom's (g-ross) new boyfriend, but she also has to deal with being cursed. Luckily, Addy can rely on her autobiogra-strip and her best friend Jackie to get her through the hard times. Too bad both are taken away from her within the course of a day. When a portion of Addy's secret autobiogra-strip is accidentally sent to the school's newspaper staff, her world comes tumbling down. Now that her best friend is linking arm-in-arm with her archenemy, she's seen that writing can lead to disastrous results. She's not even going to take the chance anymore, especially with her curse looming over her shoulder. Of course, that means missing out on her last chance to enter the Chanticleer contest. What's a 12-year-old girl to do? When I picked up this book, I was wary. I thought it was geared more towards the MG audience, and while I do love MG, some of it can be too juvenile for my tastes. Boy, was I kicking myself later. This was an honest, pure story coming straight from Addy's heart. I wouldn't be surprised if the author, Katie Davis, just stole a (very literate) 12-year-old's journal and published it as fiction. It was that genuine. She mixed a brilliant combination of childhood angst with lighthearted humor to form a lovable story that will quickly capture the hearts of readers.

The GREATEST book ever!!!!!!!

I am a sixth grader and when I heard about this book from my friend I just had to read it! When I started to read I could not put it down. It was beyond amazing! I really felt like i could relate to addy and I felt like she was acctualy real. This book is a mix of a regular book and a comic/graphic diary. It was soooo funny and and I always wanted to keep reading. I read it whenever I had a single second of spare time in between classes, after classes and at lunch, it was that good!! Katie Davis, PLEASE write some more books!!!!!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

This book was hilarious and yet had a great message to say to young adults. Addy is in the sixth grade. She loves to do interviews for the school newspaper, which she had a hand in starting. She does very interesting interviews because she uses comic strip form. Her interviews have been printed all over the city. Addy lost her father to cancer two years ago and a new man is coming to live with them. His name is Jonathan and he also is a writer. Addy can't stand him. She believes that he is breaking up their family. She has a horrible argument with her best friend, Jackie, and to top it off her enemy, Marsha, sees her buying a new bra!!! Addy believes that all of this bad luck is because of a curse the fairies put on her family. How she breaks the curse and learns that most bad luck is due to the choices we make creates a very good story. I liked the way Katie Davies writes. She uses comics along with narrative to tell her story. Graphic novels are becoming very popular today. A while back I don't think they were as accepted as they are now. This book blended the two genres together for a great read. This was a wonderful book! Reviewed by: Marta Morrison