Great Books to Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution for kids of all ages!

In celebration of the the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, check out these books available at the Sussex County Library System for kids ages birth to 17.

In celebration, we have compiled a list of books that celebrate the people, ideas, patriotism and moments that shaped our nation. These great "reads" can help children connect to America’s past while imagining its future.

Updated April 30, 2026
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Sussex County Library System (NJ)
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An American story
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
A Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Book A 2023 New York Times Best Children's Book A 2023 Publisher's Weekly Best Picture Book An NPR Best Book of the Year #1 New York Times Bestselling and...
Fever, 1793
Anderson, Laurie Halse
Paper Book
An epidemic of fever sweeps through the streets of 1793 Philadelphia in this novel from Laurie Halse Anderson where "the plot rages like the epidemic itself" (The New York Times Book Review). During the summer of 1793, Mattie Cook lives above the family coffee shop with...
America Celebrates: The Most Incredible and Influential People, Places & Events of the Last 250 Years
Andrus, Aubre
Paper Book
Celebrate 250 years of important people, places, and events in American history. In honor of America's 250th birthday, America Celebrates takes young readers on an exciting journey through a timeline of influential figures, notable landmarks, and special events dating...
I survived the American Revolution, 1776
Ball, Georgia
Paper Book
A gripping graphic novel adaptation of Lauren Tarshis's bestselling I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 with text adapted by Georgia Ball and art by Leo Trinidad. Nathaniel Fox never imagined he'd find himself in the middle of a blood-soaked battlefield, fighting for his life....
Nine, ten : a September 11 story
Baskin, Nora Raleigh
Paper Book
From the critically acclaimed author of Anything But Typical comes a "tense...and thought-provoking" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) look at the days leading up to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and how that day impacted the lives of four middle schoolers.
Chester Nez and the unbreakable code : a Navajo code talker's story
Bruchac, Joseph
Paper Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection April 2018 2018 Cybils Award Finalist, Elementary Non-Fiction BRLA 2018 Southwest Book Award 2019 Southwest Books of the Year: Kid Pick 2020 Grand Canyon Award, Nonfiction Nominee 2020-2021...
Fireworks
Burgess, Matthew
Paper Book
Fireworks is a sparkling picture book from the award-winning team of Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien, highlighting the simple delights of a steamy July day in the city as two siblings eagerly anticipate a spectacular fireworks display. POP! As a hot day sizzles into...
Bud, not Buddy
Curtis, Christopher Paul
Paper Book
Hit the road with Bud in this Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning classic about a boy on a journey to find his father--from Christopher Paul Curtis, recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.   It's 1936, in Flint...
Stella by starlight
Draper, Sharon M.
Paper Book
Sharon M. Draper presents "storytelling at its finest" (School Library Journal, starred review) in this New York Times bestselling Depression-era novel about a young girl who must learn to be brave in the face of violent prejudice when the Ku Klux Klan reappears in her segregated...
Her right foot
Eggers, Dave
Paper Book
"A friendly reminder of how America can be at its best." - Entertainment Weekly If you had to name a statue, any statue, odds are good you'd mention the Statue of Liberty. Have you seen her? She's in New...
Who was Sacagawea?
Fradin, Dennis B.
Paper Book
A sixteen-year-old who made one of the most remarkable journeys in American history A woman who has mountains named after her The face on the new U.S. golden dollar coin All of the above! Find out more about the real Sacagawea in this fun and...
Lafayette and the American Revolution
Freedman, Russell
Paper Book
When the Marquis de Lafayette ran off to join the American Revolution against the explicit orders of the king of France, he was a strong-willed nineteen-year-old who had never set foot on a battlefield. Although the U.S. Congress granted him an honorary commission only out of respect for his title...
If I ever get out of here : a novel with paintings
Gansworth, Eric L.
Paper Book
"A heart-healing, mocs-on-the-ground story of music, family and friendship." -- Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of Tantalize and Rain is Not My Indian Name.Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975: the joking, the...
Lily's crossing
Giff, Patricia Reilly.
Paper Book
This year, as in other years, Lily has planned a spectacular summer in Rockaway, in her family's cozy house on stilts over the Atlantic Ocean. But by the summer of 1944, World War II has changed almost everyone's life. Lily's best friend, Margaret, and her family have moved to a wartime factory town...
Lincoln and Douglas : the debates that defined America
Guelzo, Allen C.
Paper Book
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Out of the dust
Hesse, Karen
Paper Book
Acclaimed author Karen Hesse's Newbery Medal-winning novel-in-verse explores the life of fourteen-year-old Billie Jo growing up in the dust bowls of Oklahoma. Out of the Dust joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus...
Kira-kira
Kadohata, Cynthia.
Paper Book
A Japanese-American family struggles to build a new life in the Deep South of Georgia in this luminous novel, winner of the Newbery Medal. kira-kira (kee' ra kee' ra): glittering; shining Glittering. That's how Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything...
Hattie Big Sky
Larson, Kirby.
Paper Book
Alone in the world, teen-aged Hattie is driven to prove up on her uncle's homesteading claim. For years, sixteen-year-old Hattie's been shuttled between relatives. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she courageously leaves Iowa to prove up on her late uncle's homestead claim near Vida, Montana....
Henry's freedom box
Levine, Ellen.
Paper Book
A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mails himself to freedom by a Jane Addams Peace Award-winning author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist.Henry Brown doesn't know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves' birthdays. All the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems...
Sarah, plain and tall
MacLachlan, Patricia
Paper Book
This beloved Newbery Medal-winning book is the first of five books in Patricia MacLachlan's chapter book series about the Witting family. Set in the late nineteenth century and told from young Anna's point of view, Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of how Sarah Elisabeth...
A very large expanse of sea
Mafi, Tahereh
Paper Book
Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature! From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series comes a powerful, heartrending contemporary novel about fear, first love, and the devastating...
All the stars denied
McCall, Guadalupe Garcia
Paper Book
In a companion novel to her critically acclaimed Shame the Stars, Pura Belpré Award Winner Guadalupe García McCall tackles the first mass deportation event in the US, which swept up hundreds of thousands of Mexican American citizens during the Great Depression. It's the heart...
Blue sky white stars
Naberhaus, Sarvinder
Paper Book
An inspiring and patriotic tribute to the beauty of the American flag, a symbol of America's history, landscape, and people, illustrated by New York Times bestselling and Caldecott-honor winning artist Kadir Nelson Wonderfully spare, deceptively simple verses pair with...
American revolution : a nonfiction companion to Revolutionary War on Wednesday
Osborne, Mary Pope
Paper Book
The #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time celebrates 25 years with new covers and a new, easy-to-use numbering system! Getting the facts behind the fiction has never looked better. Track the facts with Jack and Annie! When Jack and Annie got back from their...
To the future, Ben Franklin!
Osborne, Mary Pope
Paper Book
Get whisked away through time in the magic tree house with Jack and Annie in the #1 bestselling series--and meet famous Founding Father and inventor Ben Franklin! Jack and Annie know all about Ben Franklin. He was a Founding Father, a journalist, and a famous inventor! When the...
To the future, Ben Franklin!
Osborne, Mary Pope
Paper Book
Get whisked away through time in the magic tree house with Jack and Annie in the #1 bestselling series--and meet famous Founding Father and inventor Ben Franklin! Jack and Annie know all about Ben Franklin. He was a Founding Father, a journalist, and a famous inventor! When the...
Planet earth is blue
Panteleakos, Nicole
Paper Book
"Tender and illuminating. A beautiful debut." --Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Reach Me A heartrending and hopeful debut novel about a nonverbal girl and her passion for space exploration, for fans of See You in the Cosmos, Mockingbird, and...
Fly girls : the daring American women pilots who helped win WWII
Pearson, P. O'Connell
Paper Book
In the tradition of Hidden Figures, debut author Patricia Pearson offers a beautifully written account of the remarkable but often forgotten group of female fighter pilots who answered their country's call in its time of need during World War II. At the height of World War...
Martin's big words : the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rappaport, Doreen.
Paper Book
Illustrated by Bryan Collier Winner of the 2001 NY Times Best Illustrated Children's Book Award, Rappaport weaves her simple and graceful text and the words of Martin Luther King Jr. into a captivating narrative, telling the story of Dr. King's life in a way that is entirely accessible for young...
Esperanza rising
Ryan, Pam Munoz.
Paper Book
**CELEBRATING 25 YEARS IN PRINT!** A modern classic for our time and for all time―this beloved, award-winning bestseller resonates with fresh meaning for each new generation. Perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo, Christopher Paul Curtis, and Rita Williams-Garcia. ...
George vs. George :
Schanzer, Rosalyn
Paper Book
There are two sides to every story. Rosalyn Schanzer's engaging and wonderfully illustrated book brings to life two sides of the American Revolution--reissued with a gorgeous new cover and a new foreword in celebration of America's 250th birthday. Our narrative introduces anew...
What's the big deal about first ladies?
Shamir, Ruby
Paper Book
First Ladies are more than just wives of U.S. presidents! This fun, kid-friendly book of trivia and history shows that First Ladies help influence America in ways both large and small. Did you know that Mary Todd Lincoln hated slavery and helped to end it in America? Or that...
Hidden figures : the true story of four black women and the space race
Shetterly, Margot Lee
Paper Book
Based on the New York Times bestselling book and the Academy Award-nominated movie, author Margot Lee Shetterly and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award winner Laura Freeman bring the incredibly inspiring true story of four black women who helped NASA launch men into space to...
Hidden figures : the untold true story of four African-American women who helped launch our nation into space
Shetterly, Margot Lee
Paper Book
Based on the New York Times bestselling book and the Academy Award--nominated movie, author Margot Lee Shetterly and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award winner Laura Freeman bring the incredibly inspiring true story of four black women in STEM who helped NASA launch men into space...
John, Paul, George & Ben
Smith, Lane.
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling creator and Caldecott Honor recipient Lane Smith comes a fun story of five little lads before they became five really big Founding Fathers--perfect for celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence! ...
Who were the Tuskegee Airmen?
Smith, Sherri L.
Paper Book
It's up, up, and away with the Tuskegee Airmen, a heroic group of African American military pilots who helped the United States win World War II. During World War II, black Americans were fighting for their country and for freedom in Europe, yet they had to endure a totally...
I survived the American Revolution, 1776
Tarshis, Lauren
Paper Book
Bestselling author Lauren Tarshis tackles the American Revolution in this latest installment of the groundbreaking, New York Times bestselling I Survived series. British soldiers were everywhere. There was no escape. Nathaniel Fox never imagined he'd find himself in the...
I survived the American Revolution, 1776 /
Tarshis, Lauren
Paper Book
Bestselling author Lauren Tarshis tackles the American Revolution in this latest installment of the groundbreaking, New York Times bestselling I Survived series. British soldiers were everywhere. There was no escape. Nathaniel Fox never imagined he'd find himself in the...
I survived the American Revolution, 1776
Tarshis, Lauren.
Paper Book
A gripping graphic novel adaptation of Lauren Tarshis's bestselling I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 with text adapted by Georgia Ball and art by Leo Trinidad. Nathaniel Fox never imagined he'd find himself in the middle of a blood-soaked battlefield, fighting for his life....
I survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
Tarshis, Lauren.
Paper Book
The bloodiest battle in American history is under way . . .It's 1863, and Thomas and his little sister, Birdie, have fled the farm where they were born and raised as slaves. Following the North Star, looking for freedom, they soon cross paths with a Union soldier. Everything changes: Corporal Henry...
Roll of thunder, hear my cry
Taylor, Mildred D.
Paper Book
The story of one African-American family fighting to stay together and strong in the face of brutal racist attacks, illness, poverty, and betrayal in the Deep South of the 1930s.
The American Revolution
Thompson, Ben
Paper Book
Now available in paperback, this fourth book in the action-packed Guts & Glory series takes readers through the exciting and fascinating history of the American Revolution. Perfect for history buffs, reluctant readers, and fans of Hamilton! From George Washington crossing...
When Paul Revere Rode: Voices from the First Night of the American Revolution
Thomson, Sarah L
Paper Book
Poems, prose, and dramatic art show how ordinary people, as well as famous ones, played vital roles during the night of Paul Revere's ride and the beginning of the American Revolution, in this picture book for ages 7-10. Here is the thrilling account of Paul Revere's midnight...
My red, white, and blue
Tyson, Alana
Paper Book
A powerful story about the mixture of pride and pain that one Black family finds in the American flag, and an invitation for each of us to choose how we relate to America, its history, and the flag that means so many things to so many people. "With engaging, lyrical text, and...
Red, white, and boom!
Wardlaw, Lee
Paper Book
Fireflies flit Sparklers spit Pinwheels spin Goosebump skin It's the Fourth of July! Travel across the country for a city parade, a beach picnic, and fireworks in the park in this poetic celebration of the many cultures and traditions that...
I could do that : Esther Morris gets women the vote
White, Linda
Paper Book
Full of humor and spunk - just like Esther! "I could do that," says six-year-old Esther as she watches her mother making tea. Start her own business at the age of nineteen? Why, she could do that, too. But one thing Esther and other women could NOT do was vote. Only men...
One Crazy Summer: The Graphic Novel
Williams-Garcia, Rita
Paper Book
"I wish I didn't know that I was marching my sisters into a boiling pot of trouble cooking in Oakland..." Eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She's had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago for a...
One crazy summer
Williams-Garcia, Rita.
Paper Book
In this Newbery Honor novel, New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of three sisters who travel to Oakland, California, in 1968 to meet the mother who abandoned them. A strong option for summer reading--take this book along on a family road trip or enjoy...
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Woodson, Jacqueline.
Paper Book
Winner of a Newbery Honor! Soonie's great-grandma was just seven years old when she was sold to a big plantation without her ma and pa, and with only some fabric and needles to call her own. She pieced together bright patches with names like North Star and Crossroads, patches with...

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