Laurie Halse Anderson’s Rebellion 1776 is an engaging and historically rich novel that brings the American Revolution to life for young readers. As an educator, I appreciate how Anderson seamlessly blends historical accuracy with a compelling narrative, making complex events accessible and relatable. Through the eyes of thirteen-year-old Elsbeth Culpepper, students gain insight into the struggles of colonial life, the impact of war, and the smallpox epidemic, all while following an inspiring story of resilience. The novel’s well-developed characters and vivid descriptions create an immersive reading experience, encouraging critical thinking about history and its relevance today. While the pacing starts slowly, it builds into a gripping tale that keeps readers invested. Rebellion 1776 is both an enjoyable and educational read, making it an excellent addition to any classroom or personal library.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I’ve read several of Laurie Anderson books and have enjoyed them. This is a fictional account of the Revolutionary War and also how life was back then. I liked the excerpts from actual letters at the starting each chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson. Finding engaging historical middle grade novels that keep a student's attention can be a challenging task! Rebellion 1776 is able to provide strong characters, historical information and facts, and a storyline where students will want to know what happens next. Even if history is not your favorite subject, there are great characters and strong storyline to keep students interested. This is a novel choice that I will definitely want to add to my classroom library for my students. Thank you!

Another great read by Laurie Halse Anderson. My class reads Chains every year, and I am quite certain this will be another book that I will share with my students regularly.

Laurie Halse Anderson writes such amazing books and I've been a fan since SPEAK. This one was a different one I've read by her and I loved reading this one and hope middle grade readers will pick this historical fiction book up and give it a try.

I’ve loved Laurie Halse Anderson’s books throughout the years, so I was so excited to receive an early copy of this one.

Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. Even though it wasn’t even 300 pages it felt like it dragged a bit, and the overall voice was a bit muddled - sometimes it would say “dear reader” and address you directly, other times it was simply in first person without that addition.

The historical setting itself was excellent - I enjoyed reading about the tumult taking place during the spring/summer of 1776 during the siege of Boston. And Elsbeth’s story was interesting as well, albeit frustrating with the constant trouble she seemed to find herself in at every turn. Her friendship (as much as one could have a friendship with the person you’re a servant to) with Hannah was a highlight, and Hannah’s story was very sad.

Overall, it was well written and researched, but not quite what I had hoped for!

I really enjoyed the is book. Not sure if it is because I was recently in Boston, or all the history involved. I felt that the author put a lot of thought into her writing. Each chapter started out with a quote from some one. The quote went along with the chapter. A lot of the quotes were by people that lived in Boston. The days and life of people living back in 1776 were tough. They were even tougher when there was a disease that affected so many. How people learned to live and survive in different conditions was a challenge. There were times when the wife would be managing the household while the husband was away fighting for the family.
Just so many things to learn. I as an adult enjoyed this book and will definitely tell others about it, but I am not sure a child or teenager would like this. I am on the fence about the age level of this-middle grade to high school perhaps.

An absolutely stunning tale, steeped in history and perseverance. Anderson has done it again, weaving history and fiction and nuances into a fast paced story that will entrance children and adults of all ages.

Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson follows thirteen year old Elsbeth Culpepper through a difficult year as she works as a housemaid during the time of the smallpox inoculation and the Revolutionary War. The story focuses on Elsbeth and the other household members and acquaintances rather than on the details of the war and political situation of the time.

As a historical fiction reader, I enjoyed this book but think it would be a tough read for most of my upper elementary students. It would, however, make a great read aloud or book study group.

This was a great read. Anderson is a great author and really captured this historical fiction story. Historical fiction is a great, and important, genre that helps our students to better understand history and Anderson doesn’t disappoint. A must read!

Public fear of inoculation for a deadly disease, some things never change. What sounds like a modern day fear is actually one of two historical settings for Rebellion 1776. The other being the Revolutionary War. Elsbeth Culpepper is at the center of this story. Having lost her mother and siblings to smallpox and her dad missing since the Siege of Boston Elsbeth goes to work for a wealthy family who are waiting their turn for inoculation. Elsbeth's story of her survival is what helps quell the fear for this family about inoculation. This was a great historical fiction novel. I've always enjoyed Anderson's novels. They really get in your psyche and make you think. Fever 1793 still haunts me and I read that book almost 20 years ago. Rebellion 1776 is no different. Well done! Thank you to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for an advanced copy!

Laurie Halse Anderson is known for her YA historical fiction, told from the perspective of a ‘common’ female character, which gives life and breadth to the real world surrounding major historical events. Rebellion 1776 fits the bill, and is told by Elsbeth, a maid in Boston during 1776. Now, I’m sure you may know all that went on historically, yet this is a more human side to the conflict, the Patriots v the Loyalists, the everyday goings on of a family entrenched in both warfare, friendships, relationships and the smallpox epidemic of 1775-82. When you think of the Revolutionary War, smallpox is probably the furthest from your mind, but Anderson brings the epidemic to light, along with its controversial inoculations and the suffering of its victims. Told through fictional characters, the experiences and emotions of one in the midst of it is felt keenly and without sugar coating. This is a full bodied story of a young woman’s life during this time, and like Anderson’s other YA books, it is excellently done.

Imagine you're Elsbeth, a 13-year-old living in Boston during the very start of the American Revolution. The Patriots are moving in, tensions are high, and then, to make matters worse, Elsbeth's father (her only family) disappears. After lying about her age, she ends up working as a maid for a wealthy, demanding family, which is a whole adventure in itself! But what makes this book so special is that it's not just about the big rebellion against the British, it's about all the little rebellions too. Elsbeth is rebelling against being alone and helpless. The people around her are rebelling against expectations, against prejudice, and against the limits they've been given. We see unlikely friendships blossom, we see first love, we even get a glimpse into the science of the time with the arrival of smallpox. Rebellion 1776 is a wonderful mix of historical fiction that really brings the past to life. You'll learn about the struggles of living in a city under siege, but you'll also connect with the characters on a personal level. They feel real, their problems feel real, and their determination to find their own independence is truly inspiring. I highly recommend this YA book to both adults and middle school teachers/students. It’s a page-turner that will leave you thinking long after you've finished reading.

I received an ACR of this story in exchange for my honest opinion. I am excited to get a physical copy for my classroom when it comes out this week!

Wow! This outstanding work of historical fiction is packed with details about life in Boston in 1776.
Elsbeth Cunningham is a rather tough 13-year-old child. She’s had to harden herself, because she has suffered much trouble and sorrow in her young life. As the tensions between the British and the American Patriots began to heat up in the spring and summer of 1776, Elsbeth finds employment as a housemaid to the large Pike family. As the months pass of waiting to hear from her father, who disappeared suddenly during the Siege of Boston, she grows quite fond of the family. When a smallpox epidemic breaks out in the town, Elsbeth’s testimony about the horror of losing her own family to the illness convinces Missus Pike to have her loved ones inoculated, preventing further needless tragedy in their lives…
This novel was researched and written about events that occurred decades ago. Eerily, however, in today’s society, the medical practice of vaccination against contagious diseases has come under fire. The author did a truly masterful job of detailing the origins of this practice to protect against smallpox, a dreadful virus that killed thousands, agonizingly, before doctors began convince people to inoculate their loved ones.
This book should be in every middle-grade and young adult classroom, everywhere.

Thank you, Netgalley, for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.

I found this book to be reminiscent of Johnny Tremaine, a book about the revolution that I read as a child. To this day I remember Tremaine recounting the first time he had code and chocolate. It’s the little everyday revelations like this, caught up in a great time of revolution for our country that Rebellion 1776 has also imbedded within its storytelling. Through Elsbeth Culpepper’s eyes we see the great events of the revolution through the lens of an everyday maid and house servant. With timely reflections from excerpts from notable figures at the time peppered throughout the novel, we get a sense of what life was truly like during this time. Yes it was a time of battle and honor, but there is also the drudgery and delight of day to day life during these times. A good read for youth and adults.

I had hoped to finish this review earlier as I was so excited to receive this ARC, but I spent 6 weeks deeply immersed in LHA's CHAINS with my English classes, and needed to read something in between

Short version: I just spent 2 1/2 months prepping, rereading and teaching CHAINS, but I am seriously thinking about adding REBELLION 1776 into my Revolutionary War era historical novel rotation.

Our heroine, Elsbeth, is plucky, independent and hardworking. She has lost her mother and three younger siblings to the smallpox epidemic, her father and herself the family's lone survivors.. Her father's whereabouts unknown, Elsbeth must find a place to live and work. Smallpox sweeps the city though Elsbeth is now immune.

This book is so well researched, and I love the author's use of primary sources to open each chapter. Aimed at middle grade readers, this book has a little bit of everything. There's history, science, friendship, medicine, family drama, adventure, age appropriate romance, war, and more. Elsbeth is 13, so this book is well suited to the older middle grade readers who want to read about someone close to their own age.

I thought this book was wonderful and I cannot wait to buy it for my classroom shelf!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

It was interesting to see Anderson take a different avenue for this book. Having read multiple books by her, it was neat to see the change!

I love reading about the Revolutionary War, so this title as immediately appealing. In this story, working class girl Elsbeth is working as a housemaid for a wealthy family while her father sews sails for the warships. As the Siege of Boston occurs, the community is swept up with a smallpox epidemic. The new family staying in the home keeps Elsbeth on as a maid, much to the chagrin of the elderly, cranky housekeeper who is determined to reveal Elsbeth's secrets.

Anderson is an exceptional author. This story didn't so much focus on the War part, but the everyday life of people living under war conditions, tense political times, and illnesses that no one understands how to treat, much less cure. I hope to see the title on many state reading award lists - it deserves to have a spot on them.

Even if this wasn't my top favorite Laurie Halse Anderson book, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be recommending this book to fans of historical fiction!

It's 1776 and the revolutionary war is violent and bloody. When the main character Elsbeth's father goes missing, her heart tears in half. After losing her mother and siblings to smallpox, her father is all she has left. However, she is now a kitchen maid serving a family recovering from small pox which makes it even more difficult to search for her missing father.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this book.

It’s the Revolutionary-era epidemic fiction we’ve all been waiting for! No? Okay, but you have to admit that it’s refreshing to have some high-profile non-WWII historical fiction hitting the shelves. Plus, it’s about an epidemic that’s not COVID, so you can relate while remaining safely in your post-COVID denial bubble.

Middle school-age readers should find it easy to connect with down-to-earth Elsbeth, who is feisty and self-determined while still fitting believably into her pre-feminist era. The book masterfully immerses the reader into the day-to-day life of a maid in Boston at the dawn of the United States. Prepare for heartstrings tugged and tears shed.

Age recommendation: Grades 5-8 are the sweet spot, but it has a mature enough feel to work for high schoolers, and could go as young as 3rd or 4th grade if readers can handle death and some old-timey language.

Genre: historical fiction

Publication year: 2025

Publication category: Upper middle grade

Content warnings: Death, illness, slavery, war, loss of family members. Some scenes involving very sick smallpox patients may be viscerally disturbing.

Main character identities: Female, 13 years old, white (Scottish descent), American, lower class, heterosexual, cisgender, non-disabled

Diversity check: Elsbeth has one interaction with a Black person. Enslaved people are mentioned but opinions on slavery are not given. Other races are not included. No references are made to non-cisgender heterosexual identities. Disability is not mentioned other than as related to old age or smallpox. Given the setting and Elsbeth’s position, these elements do not feel needed, though readers in the excluded populations may be wondering what life was like for people like them.

Reluctant reader score: 2 out of 5 – The focus is more on ordinary life than on the sort of action you associate with wartime. Give this to readers who don’t mind a more leisurely pace.

Readlikes: This feels like a book that could have come out 25 years ago. If you’ve already read Anderson’s Fever 1793 and the Seeds of America books, try the Dear America books or historical fiction by Ann Rinaldi.