Revolutionary War Era - Books for Reports

April Morning by Howard Fast

On April 19, 1775, Adam Cooper, aged 15, signed the muster roll of the Lexington militia. This book by Howard Fast is the story of the next twenty-four hours in his life — the story of the birth of a man and a nation and a way of life. 184 pp.

Away Goes Sally by Elizabeth Coatsworth

In the early 1800's, an orphaned girl, Sally, is living with her aunt, uncle, and five cousins. When her Aunt refuses to make the difficult move from Massachusetts to Maine, her uncle builds a house on a sled and transports everyone comfortably over the snow.

Ben and Me by Robert Lawson

Benjamin Franklin's companion, Amos the mouse, recounts how he was responsible for Franklin's inventions and discoveries.

Boston Tea Party: A Rebellion in the Colonies by James E. Knight

A Boston merchant describes the American colonists' act of protest against British taxation and the tea monopoly of the East India Company.

Captain Grey by Avi

Following the Revolution, an eleven-year-old boy becomes the captive of a ruthless man who has set up his own "nation," supported by piracy, on a remote part of the New Jersey coast.

Charlotte by Janet Louise Swoboda Lunn

After the end of the Revolutionary War in New York, ten-year-old Charlotte witnesses the deportation of Loyalists, including her cousin's family.

Crossing the Delaware by Louise Peacock

Examines the events leading up to the Battle of Trenton, the battle itself, and its aftermath, as told through historical excerpts, a tour of Washington's crossing, and a series of fictionalized letters.

Diary of Anna Green Winslow by Anna Green Winslow

161 pp. Boston school girl of 1771

Early Thunder by Jean Fritz

In pre-revolutionary Salem, fourteen-year-old Daniel begins to re-examine his loyalty to the King as the conflict between Tories and patriots increasingly divides the townspeople.

Emma's Journal: The Story of a Colonial Girl by Marissa Moss

From 1774 to 1776, Emma describes in her journal her stay in Boston, where she witnesses the British blockade and spies for the American militia. Features hand-printed text, drawings, and marginal notes.

I'm Deborah Sampson: a Soldier in the War of the Revolution by Patricia Clapp

Deborah Sampson was a woman who disguised herself as a man in order to enlist and fight in the American Revolution.

Jack Jouett's Ride by Gail Haley

Recaptures the incident during the American Revolution when Jack Jouett rode to warn Thomas Jefferson and others of the coming of Tarleton's raiders.

John Treegate's Musket by Leonard Wibberley

Eleven-year-old Peter Treegate of Boston unwittingly becomes involved in a murder on the docks.

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

A skillful silversmith's apprentice in eighteenth century Boston loses the use of his hand after some other apprentices try to play a practical joke. Despite this change in his life, Johnny joins in the fight against the British and gradually becomes less bitter, finding new strength and courage as he grows into a man.

Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln & Christop Collier

In 1787 a fourteen-year-old slave, anxious to buy freedom for himself and his mother, escapes from his dishonest master and tries to find help in cashing the soldier's notes received by his father for fighting in the Revolution. He soon finds himself forced aboard a ship headed for the West Indies, where he faces certain slavery.

Katie's Trunk by Ann Warren Turner

Katie, whose family is not sympathetic to the rebel soldiers during the American Revolution, hides under the clothes in her mother's wedding trunk when they invade her home.

My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln & Christop Collier

Although Sam Meeker of Connecticut is fighting for the Patriots, his father remains loyal to the British. Twelve-year-old Tim, who idolizes his brother, feels torn between them. Tim's conflict gets deeper yet when a Patriot general, in order to set an example, orders Sam executed when he is accused (falsely) of stealing his own cattle.

Path of the Pale Horse by Paul Fleischman

A 14-year-old boy accompanies a doctor, his teacher, into Philadelphia in 1793 where yellow fever is raging. As they care for those who are sick, the boy learns how treatments of the time combined science, religion, and superstition.

Phoebe the Spy by Judith Griffin

During the Revolution, Phoebe Fraunces has a chance to save the life of General George Washington while he has dinner at Mortier House in New York City. Originally Phoebe and the General

Redcoats and Petticoats by Katherine Kirkpatrick

Members of a family in the village of Setauket on Long Island are displaced by the Redcoats and serve as spies for the Revolutionary Army of George Washington.

Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley

An easy-to-read account of Sam and his father fighting as minutemen against the British in the Battle of Lexington.

Sarah Bishop by Scott O'Dell

Left alone after the deaths of her father and brother who take opposite sides in the War for Independence, and fleeing from the British who seek to arrest her, Sarah Bishop struggles to shape a new life for herself in the wilderness of Westchester County.

The 18 Penny Goose by Sally M. Walker

Eight-year-old Letty attempts to save her pet goose from marauding British soldiers in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War.

The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz

Ten-year-old Ann overcomes loneliness and learns to appreciate the importance of her role in settling the wilderness of western Pennsylvania.

The Fighting Ground by Avi

Thirteen-year-old Jonathan goes off to fight in the Revolutionary War and discovers the real war is being fought within himself.

The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz

Traces the life and contributions of the sickly child with the small voice who grew up to become the fourth president of the United States.

The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter

True Son, a white boy raised by an Indian chief, has been returned to his home in white society. Feeling loyal to his Indian family, he runs away back to them. In the end, however, the tribe banishes him because he cannot bring himself to help ambush a group of whites, including a small boy who reminds him of his brother.

The Riddle of Penncroft Farm by Dorothea Jensen

Twelve-year-old Lars Olafson's move to his great-aunt's farm near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, brings him friendship with the ghost of an eighteenth-century ancestor who recounts his adventures during the American Revolution, helping Lars adjust to his new home and playing a part in the search for a missing will.

The Secret Soldier: The Story of Deborah Sampson by Ann McGovern

A brief biography of the eighteen-year-old woman who disguised herself as a man and joined the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

The Swamp Fox of the Revolution by Stewart Holbrook

A biography of the American general who organized a guerrilla band to fight the British in South Carolina during the Revolution.

The Winter of Red Snow: The Revolutionary Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart by Christina Gregory

Eleven-year-old Abigail presents a diary account of life in Valley Forge from December 1777 to July 1778 as General Washington prepares his troops to fight the British.

Toliver's Secret by Esther Wood Brady

During the Revolutionary War, a 10-year-old girl crosses from New York City to New Jersey in a boat full of English Soldiers to deliver a loaf of bread containing a message for the patriots.

Tree of Freedom by Rebecca Caudill

In 1780, the Venables move from North Carolina to Kentucky where they have a claim to rich farming land. After an Englishman comes with his own claim, they see the need for a new nation even more clearly. Stephanie's father and older brothers go to fight in the Revolutionary war, leaving the Stephanie and her mother to take care of the the farm.

War Comes to Willy Freeman by James Lincoln & Christop Collier

Willy, a 13-year-old free black girl, sees British redcoats shoot her father in Connecticut, then discovers that her mother has been taken prisoner. She runs off to stay with relatives who are still slaves, but, fearing their master will sell her back to slavery, goes to New York disguised as a boy, later returning to help her uncle win his freedom.

Who is Carrie? by James Lincoln & Christop Collier

A young black girl living in New York City in the late eighteenth century observes the historic events taking place around her and at the same time solves the mystery of her own identity.

Winter Danger by William O. Steele

A young pioneer boy must adjust to settled frontier life when his father leaves him with relatives and returns to the woods.

Young John Quincy by Cheryl Harness

Presents the events leading up to the Declaration of Independence as seen through the eyes of the boy who would grow up to be the sixth president of the United States.