Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson (2025)

Any book written by Laurie Halse Anderson is a must-read. From her many middle grade historical fiction books to her adult free verse poetry in Shout, her stories always capture my heart and mind. The same is true with her most recent historical fiction middle grade book, Rebellion 1776. 

This book starts with the protagonist, a teenage girl named Elsbeth, setting out on a dark, calamitous Boston night to fetch a doctor for her boss, a judge with a bad case of gout. With cannons going off around her, she ignores the Siege of Boston’s terror and attempts to fulfill her duties as a kitchen maid. When the siege ends, her boss flees with the British to Nova Scotia and a new family moves into the home. This family has unruly kids, a cranky old maid and a wealthy young woman under their care. The burden of Elsbeth’s daily chores caring for this new family coupled with the perpetual unrest in Boston causes Elsbeth to sink into a deep despair. She fears she may never be reunited with her father – her last living blood after smallpox stole the lives of her mother and siblings. Reunification with her father will also bring her closer to pursuing her dream of becoming a seamstress. Then, smallpox surges in Boston. A war. A pandemic. With all of these struggles, will Elsbeth ever find her father?

Heart: Most of the characters in this book are strong, smart women who yearn for more power over the trajectory of their lives. Time, place, gender and class limit their ability to achieve their dreams. When I heard Laurie Halse Anderson speak at The Book Stall in Winnetka this past April, she shared that reading Abigail Adams letters from the 1770s compelled her to write this story. And we can never forget Abigail’s well-known quote to her husband on the eve of Revolution, “I long to hear that you have declared an independency -- and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If perticuliar care and attention is not paid to the Laidies we are determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.”

Head: This book is 400 pages. Each chapter’s end had me yearning to read more. Don’t let the heft of the book turn your reader away from it. It’s masterful! Anderson has a unique way of bringing history to life. Perfect read for 7th grade and beyond.