History Easy Readers: The American Revolution

My second-grader is reading well now, and loves to read out loud. So I like to have her read a book along with our Five in a Row units. While we were at the Revolutionary War reenactment, I discovered that the Old Sturbridge Village bookstore had a whole section of Easy Reader historical fiction, and we picked up several set during the Revolutionary War. Here are some you might want to check out with your new readers.

Paul Revere and the Bell Ringers by Jonah Winter
(Ready to Read Level 2)
This book is part of the Childhood of Famous Americans series . It tells the story of a young Paul Revere and his friends as they try to start a club to help their town. They decide to start a bell ringing club and need to make their own rules, write a contract, and learn to ring the church bells.

Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley
(I Can Read Book Level 3)
This book is worth checking out for an American perspective on the first battles of the Revolution, but also for the illustrations by Arnold Lobel of Frog and Toad fame.






 

George the Drummer Boy by Nathaniel Benchley
(I Can Read Book Level 3)
For a perspective from the British side from the same author as Sam the Minuteman, George the Drummer Boy tells the story of a young drummer in the British Regulars at the battles of Lexington and Concord. Great for comparing two sides of an historic event.

Abigail Adams: First Lady of the American Revolution
(Ready to Read Level 3)
 This is a short chapter book biography of Abigail Adams in the Stories of Famous Americans Series. We learned a lot about Adams very fascinating life from this book: her intelligence, love of learning, and resourcefulness through the war and ultimately her time as first lady of the United States.

Sybil Ludington's Midnight Ride
(On My Own History)
I had never heard of Sybil Ludington before reading this book, and it's a wonderful story of bravery. Sybil was a sixteen-year-old girl living in New York who rode 40 miles to all the neighboring towns on a dark and rainy night to alert her father's troops that the British were burning Danbury, Connecticut. This can also be a great parent read-aloud for younger students.

George, Thomas, and Abe!
(The Step into Reading Presidents Story Collection)
This is a collection of three early readers about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. They include funny true stories about the presidents. Ella couldn't quite believe that George Washington really had a dog named "Sweet Lips."