📖 Liberty or Death: The American Revolution by Betsy & Giulio Maestro. This entry in the American Story Series covers the Revolutionary Era, from the causes of Colonial discontent through to the end of the War. It’s got it all—detailed text, amazing illustrations, and clearly drawn maps. – Elementary

📖 King George: What Was His Problem? by Steve Sheinkin. This is a fantastic book about the American Revolution. The subtitle perfectly sums up the tone: “The Whole Hilarious Story of the American Revolution.” Both entertaining and informative.​ Older students might also enjoy Sheinkin's biography of the Revolution's most famous villain: The Notorious Benedict Arnold. – Elementary • Middle

📖 George v. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer. As the title promises, George v. George describes the causes and progression of the Revolutionary War in some detail, with a clear focus on King George III and George Washington. – Elementary • Middle

🔗 Content Connection: Founders. Read biographies of Washington, Jefferson, and others.

🔗 Content Connection: World History – Early Modern England. Learn about 18th century Georgian England.

📖 The Boston Tea Party by Russell Freedman. Learn all about the events surrounding the Boston Tea Party in this magnificently illustrated picture book by acclaimed author Russell Freedman. An Afterword explains the consequences of this act of colonial rebellion, and a timeline provides further historical context. – Elementary

📖 Let it Begin Here! Lexington & Concord, First Battles of the American Revolution by Dennis Brindell Fradin. This nicely illustrated book gives a fine account of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The title is from a quote attributed to Captain John Parker, who led the Lexington militia, “Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here!” – Elementary

📖 Sam the Minuteman and George the Drummer Boy by Nathaniel Benchley. Sam the Minuteman tells the story of the Battle of Lexington & Concord from the perspective of Sam, a young Colonial Minuteman, while George the Drummer Boy depicts the event through the eyes of George, a British drummer boy. These classics make good independent reads. – Elementary

📖 Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow & Ted Rand. "Listen my children, and you shall hear . . ." No study of the Battle of Lexington & Concord is complete without a reading of Longfellow's immortal tribute to Paul Revere's famous midnight ride. This version has terrific illustrations. – All

📖 Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution by Don Brown. Here is the story of Henry Knox, bookseller, Boston patriot, and unlikely hero, who helped liberate his city from British occupation. In this picture book, Brown tells how, through sheer perseverence, Knox and his men transported 59 cannons nearly 300 miles from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston in the middle of winter. It’s a great story, well told. – Elementary

📖 Washington at Valley Forge by Russell Freedman. Early in the war, Washington and his troops suffered through a frigid winter at Valley Forge with insufficient food and clothing. Learn about the hardships that the soldiers endured in this in-depth, well-sourced account. ­– Middle

📖 Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys by Patricia Lee Gauch. This classic story of a young Vermont patriot who dreams of fighting with the Green Mountain Boys is a good option if you’re looking for an independent book your emerging reader. – Elementary

📖 Buttons for General Washington by Peter and Connie Roop. This easy reader describes an imagined incident in the life of young John Darrough, whose family spied for the Americans during the Revolutionary War. Another decent independent read to accompany your history studies. – Elementary

📖 Katie's Trunk by Ann Turner. It is the rare Revolutionary Era story that is told from the point of view of a Tory family; this short picture book does a nice job of capturing the fear and conflict that English loyalists must have felt during this time. – Elementary

📖 Toliver’s Secret by Esther Wood Brady. After her father dies in the Revolutionary War, 10-year-old Ellen Toliver and her mother move to New York to live with Grandfather. Grandfather is a wigmaker and, as Ellen learns by mistake, a patriot spy. When he is injured, the job of smuggling a message to General Washington falls to Ellen. Dressed as a boy and carrying the message in a snuff box baked into a loaf of bread, Ellen manages to complete her mission. Highly recommended. – Elementary

📖 Phoebe the Spy by Judith Griffin. This is a true story told in an unforgettable way: “[A young girl named] Phoebe gets a job as George Washington's housekeeper, but her real job is to work as a spy. She listens and watches very carefully, and she meets her father every day to tell him what she has learned. One day Phoebe's father tells her that Washington is planning to leave town in a few days, and the person plotting against him will act before then. Phoebe is very frightened, but she is determined to figure out who is after Washington before it's too late.” – Elementary • Middle

📖 Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. When 14-year-old Johnny Tremain, a talented apprentice silversmith, suffers a debilitating burn to his hand, he can’t imagine what life could possibly hold for him that could replace his lost trade. Little does he suspect that his search for a new identity will take him behind the scenes of the emerging American Revolution. As a rider for the Sons of Liberty, Tremain has a front row seat for the pivotal moments that shaped history—and he discovers a bigger life purpose than he could have imagined. A Newbery Medal Book. Highly recommended. – Elementary • Middle

📖 The Fighting Ground by Avi. "[W]hen Jonathan hears the tavern bell toll, calling men to fight, he runs to join them. He doesn't realize that in just twenty-four hours, his life will be forever altered—by the war, by his fellow soldiers, and by the terrible choices he must make." Winner of the Newbery Medal and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. – Middle

📖 The Seeds of America Trilogy by Laurie Halse Anderson. The three books in this award-winning trilogy—Chains, Forge, and Ashes—follow the lives of Isabel, Curzon, and Ruth—three slaves whose quest to achieve freedom is set against the backdrop of the Revolutionary War period. A terrific accompaniment to a study of the Revolutionary War or Slavery. – Middle