Book List: The Revolutionary War

The Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group has some great novels, picture books, and non-fiction titles about the Revolutionary War. Check them out!

From battling toothaches while fighting the British, to having rotten teeth removed by his dentists, the Father of His Country suffered all his life with tooth problems. Yet, contrary to popular belief, he never had a set of wooden teeth. Starting at the age of twenty-four, George Washington lost on average a tooth a year, and by the time he was elected president, he had only two left! In this reverentially funny tale written in verse and based on Washington’s letters, diaries, and other historical records, readers will find out what really happened as they follow the trail of lost teeth to completetooflessness. Illustrated in watercolors with subtle humor by Brock Cole, the main story is followed by a four-page time line featuring reproduced period portraits of Washington.

What would you do if you lived in a community without a library, hospital, post office, or fire department? If you were Benjamin Franklin, you’d set up these organizations yourself. Franklin also designed the lightning rod, suggested the idea of daylight saving time, invented bifocals and the odometer—all inspired by his common sense and intelligence.

In the spring of 1776, George Washington stopped at Betsy Ross's little upholstery shop and asked her to sew a flag-- a flag that would unite the thirteen colonies in their fight for independence from Great Britain. In Judith St. George's detailed account, Betsy Ross emerges as a strong and spirited woman. Her independent streak led her to marry outside her Quaker faith and served her well throughout her life: widowed three times and the mother of seven daughters, she maintained her own business for more than fifty years. Here is the inspiring story of one of the courageous and self-reliant women who shaped American history: the "patriot of Philadelphia" who created the banner that helped unite the nation.

“Entire books have been written about the causes of the American Revolution. This isn’t one of them.”  What it is, instead, is utterly interesting, anecdotes (John Hancock fixates on salmon), from the inside out (at the Battle of Eutaw Springs, hundreds of soldiers plunged into battle “naked as they were born”) close-up narrative filled with little-known details, lots of quotes that capture the spirit and voices of the principals (“If need be, I will raise one thousand men, subsist them at my own expense, and march myself at their head for the relief of Boston” -- George Washington), and action, It’s the story of the birth of our nation, complete with soldiers, spies, salmon sandwiches, and real facts you can’t help but want to tell to everyone you know.

In the 1700s, women’s responsibilities were primarily child rearing and household duties. But Deborah Sampson wanted more from life. She wanted to read, to travel—and to fight for her country’s independence. When the colonies went to war with the British in 1775, Deborah was intent on being part of the action. Seeing no other option, she disguised herself in a man’s uniform and served in the Continental army for more than a year, her identity hidden from her fellow soldiers. Accomplished writer Sheila Solomon Klass creates a gripping firstperson account of an extraordinary woman who lived a life full of danger, adventure, and intrigue.