Summer Reading List: 2025 Young Reader's Edition

No matter what your plans are for the summer, we believe it’s the perfect time to travel —time-travel, that is! Whether they’re exploring Revolutionary Boston, learning about printers and painters, or discovering the untold stories of real-life heroes, these books will spark curiosity in young readers and inspire a love for the past. We’ve curated a list of page-turning titles that make history come alive, perfect for reading on those sunny summer days.  

Rebellion 1776
Written by Laurie Halse Anderson
Grades 5-9

New York Times bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson is back with another immersive, moving, middle-grade read. Set in Boston in March 1776, 13-year-old Elsbeth Culpepper wakes to the sound of cannons. It’s the Siege of Boston, the Continental Army's massive drive to push the British out that turns the city into a chaotic war zone. Elsbeth’s father — her only living relative — has gone missing, leaving her alone and adrift in a broken town while desperately seeking employment to avoid the orphanage. Just when things couldn’t feel worse, the smallpox epidemic sweeps across Boston. Elsbeth, who had smallpox as a small child and is now immune, finds work taking care of a large, wealthy family with discord of their own as they await a turn at inoculation. As the epidemic and the Revolution rage on, will she find her father?

Spy School Revolution
Written by Stuart Gibbs
Grades 3-7

In the eighth book of the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley faces the Croatoan — a new evil organization that’s so mysterious, the only proof it exists is from the time of the American Revolution. With lessons from Mount Vernon and George Washington’s own spy network, Ben must prove the Croatoan exists and prove his friend’s innocence.   

The King's Broad Arrow
Written by Kathryn Goodwin Tone
Grades 7-12

Sam Nevens is a boy reluctant to be swept away by the revolutionary fervor taking over the colonies in 1775. Sam is outwardly skeptical of his responsibility to fight and inwardly doubtful of his own courage. He is tested and transformed by a remarkable journey which includes: being trapped on a British prison ship; hiding out in occupied Boston; joining Paul Revere in a search for gunpowder for the Continental Army; helping Thomas Paine print The American Crisis; engaging in philosophical discussions with George Washington; meeting a beautiful Loyalist spy; and fighting alongside Alexander Hamilton. With fascinating historical details and enthralling adventure, The King's Broad Arrow shows how the power of ideas, for both individuals and a nation, changed the way people saw themselves. 

Patriots, Redcoats, and Spies
Written by Robert J. Skead with Robert A Skead
Grades 4-6

When their Revolutionary father is shot by British soldiers while on a mission for the Continental Army, it falls to 14-year-old twins John and Ambrose to deliver the secret message their dad was carrying to General George Washington. As the boys set off from Connecticut to New Jersey to find General Washington, they discover the road to the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army is full of obstacles — including the redcoat who shot their father and who is determined to stop the message no matter what.

Revolutionary Mary
Written by Karen Blumenthal and Jen McCartney
Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley
Grades K-3

Who was Mary Katharine Goddard? Born in 1738, she was homeschooled by her mother in reading and math. She took over her brother’s printing shop a few years later and became an expert in printing newspapers, essays, and posters. When the Revolutionary War started, she published important news that helped the fight against the British – even if it meant that if caught, she’d be punished for treason. In 1776, Mary was asked to print the Declaration of Independence, eventually making her the only woman whose name appeared on some of its printings.

Hiawatha and the Peacemaker
Written by Robbie Robertson
Illustrated by David Shannon
Grades K-3

The five Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois) Nations are constantly warring with one another, fueled by the evil Chief Tadodaho. The Mohawk warrior Hiawatha, too, is consumed by grief and anger, but a Peacemaker appears and enlists him to assist in joining the tribes together under the Great Law. The author Robbie Robertson, born of Mohawk and Cayuga descent, learned the story of Hiawatha and his spiritual guide, the Peacemaker, as part of the Iroquois oral tradition. Now he shares the same gift with parents and children in a beautifully illustrated picture book retelling the story.

The Painter and the President: Gilbert Stuart’s Brush with George Washington
Written by Sarah Albee
Illustrated by Stacy Innerst
Grades 2-5

George Washington hated having his portrait painted, but as president of the United States, he knew his image needed to live on. This nonfiction picture book explores how artist Gilbert Stuart created Washington’s most lasting and recognized portrait — the one that’s used on the one-dollar bill.