Books by Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier

My Brother Sam Is Dead
Recounts the tragedy that strikes the Meeker family during the Revolution, when one son joins the rebel forces while the rest of the family tries to stay neutral in a Tory town.

The Bloody Country
The Revolutionary War is the background for this compelling historical novel about two very close friends, one a landowner’s son and the other a slave, whose sympathies differ on the issues of war and slavery.

The Winter Hero
Anxious to be a hero, a young boy relates how he becomes involved in Shays’ Rebellion, begun by farmers in western Massachusetts against unfair taxation levied on them by the Boston government.

Books by Ann Rinaldi

Time Enough for Drums
Sixteen-year-old Jem struggles to maintain the status quo at home in Trenton, N.J., when the family men join the war for independence.

Finishing Becca
Becca’s family fell on hard times before the Revolutionary War and now, in 1778, Becca has been sent to work for the wealthy Shippen family with the promise that she will receive a finishing education. What she gets instead is a lesson in treachery and deceit, as the spoiled and beautiful Peggy Shippen sets her sights first on British Captain John Andre and then on American General Benedict Arnold.

The Secret of Sarah Revere
Paul Revere’s daughter describes her father’s famous ride and the intelligence network of the Patriot community prior to the American Revolution.

The Fifth of March
Rachel Marsh, a 14-year-old servant of John Adams, is a friend of British Private Matthew Kilroy. She is confused about what her loyalties are. On March 5, 1770, she sees Matthew Kilroy lead the British soldiers in firing upon the angry Boston citizens.

A Ride Into Morning
Mary Cooper is Tempe Wick’s cousin. She has come to live with Tempe’s family because her own has kicked her out for her strong outspokenness in favor of the American Revolution. She has a crush on General Wayne, a handsome officer assigned by Washington to oversee the regiment camped on Tempe’s property.

Cast Two Shadows
In South Carolina in 1780, 14-year-old Caroline sees the Revolutionary War take a terrible toll on her family and friends, and comes to understand the true nature of war.

From the Dear America Series

The Winter of Red Snow: The Revolutionary Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart by Kristiana Gregory
In the winter of 1777, Abigail is a witness as George Washington bravely rallies his soldiers at Valley Forge, preparing them to fight the British in the American Revolution.

The Journal of William Thomas Emerson, A Revolutionary War Patriot by Barry Denenberg
Just before the Revolutionary War, 12-year-old William befriends Mr. Wilson, a politically active man who inspires William to become a spy for the rebel colonists.

By Esther Forbes

Johnny Tremain

See lesson plan, Literature Connection — Sample Lesson.