This was a beautifully written historical fiction with a lot of heart. Told from the perspective of a servant, Elsbeth, we really get to see what living during the Revolution was like day-to-day.

Rebellion 1776 is another great historical read from Laurie Halse Anderson! Set in Boston during the smallpox epidemic, I think this book will be really eye opening to young readers to get a feel for what it was like to live through that time period at their age. While there were moments that seemed a little slower paced and I did think about my students' stamina, I do think that overall they will enjoy this story much more than the history textbooks! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! A middle-grade novel about the smallpox epidemic and life in Boston. Not really knowing much about this time period, I liked reading about it through young readers eyes - it reminded me of those old-timey books that were super popular when I was a kid that was like all about one historical event.

I digress! Elsbeth is a perfect main character for our young readers and I think Anderson does a really remarkable job creating interest, resolution and a ton of accurate information in this book for our kids! Love it, love the book, can’t wait for this one to hit the shelves.

Summary: From bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson comes a engaging middle-grade historical fiction novel, "Rebellion 1776." Set during the chaotic spring of 1776, the story follows thirteen-year-old Elsbeth Culpepper, who finds herself alone and struggling after her father goes missing amidst the Siege of Boston. As the city grapples with the tumult of the Revolutionary War and the devastating smallpox epidemic, Elsbeth must navigate her new reality while seeking employment to avoid an orphanage. Having survived smallpox as a child, Elsbeth takes a job caring for a wealthy family awaiting inoculation. The narrative beautifully intertwines her personal challenges with the historical context of the time, showcasing the public’s fear of inoculation and the fight for survival against an invisible enemy. Elsbeth’s resourcefulness and humor shine through as she develops relationships with those around her, including the conflicted Hannah Sparhawk. Anderson’s attention to detail in depicting the era and the struggles faced by her characters offers readers a poignant look at resilience and courage during a time of upheaval. "Rebellion 1776" is a powerful story that connects historical events with the personal journeys of young individuals.

Straignt Talk for Librarians: This is a great new release for book discussions or reading circles to encourage students to explore the Revolutionary War and the smallpox epidemic. Lots of interactive programming options can be implemented, such as history-themed escape rooms or project-based learning activities where students research and present on topics related to the book. Incorporating primary source documents, such as letters from the era, can deepen students' understanding of the time period. Additionally, hosting author study sessions focused on Laurie Halse Anderson's works can inspire students to engage with historical fiction.

I loved this book! I put off reading it for a little bit because I knew it was going to be an emotional rollercoaster. When I started, I could not put it down! I really loved the perspective from just an average person. Elsbeth was just focused on surviving the day and not really invested in politics. Boston was not filled with freedom zealots like a lot of stories portray. There were people who would be affected by war in many different ways. War is hard and dangerous. Lots of men died fighting for one side or the other. Disease took men, women and children. I imagine it was a pretty wild time to be alive. I appreciate how the author wrote the story to focus on hope and resilance, despite the dire circumstances. This is a perfect book for any middle school library. I would even say that it will find a lot of readers at the high school level, especially if there are a lot of historical fiction and Laurie Halse Anderson fans. Thanks to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy. This book is out April 1, 2025!!!

I absolutely love all books written by Laurie Halse Anderson and find them to be very student appropriate historical fiction. This book did not disappoint and will be recommended to my 7th grade social studies team teachers. The storyline was appropriate and drew me in at the same time that the timeline was interesting and tied to what students are learning in their curriculum. I especially liked the attention that was drawn to what the characters had to go through with small pox. The process was so well described and though it was sad to lose a main character, it made the purpose of the immunization so clear. Timely for what we all have experienced in our current experiences. This is a great read and I believe that it should be available in middle schools.

If this was how we learned history when I was in school, I would have LOVED history. You can’t help but get wrapped up into Elsbeth’s life, sharing her joys and sorrows. She lost her mom and siblings to Smallpox and has to work hard so that she has a place to live when her father disappears. I cannot imagine being 13 and on your own during a time when Smallpox outbreaks and war are occurring all around you. I really enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed the characters and the story being told from Elsbeth’s perspective.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

Rebellion 1776 follows Elsbeth Culpepper during the siege of Boston, the expulsion of the British, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the smallpox outbreak. Anderson covers several heavy items without losing the humanity of the main character and her own struggles. Elsbeth is a maid, first for a loyalist judge, then a recently released spy and his large family. She must deal with both the grand historical changes going on around her and the challenges of being a single girl of the lower class.

This story was impeccable. I was intrigued by this young lady and her strength and fortitude. I was invested in the characters, their lives, their pains, their worries. I loved that it wasn’t an overwhelming amount of material and it was really informative.

I learned, it sparked interest in me enough to do my own research, and I loved seeing the revolution from this perspective. I’ll definitely be recommending this to my students, and I look forward to possibly adding it to my own curriculum.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to review "Rebel l ion 1776" by Laurie Halse Anderson. I found this story did not flow as well as some of Anderson's other works. The plot overall fell a bit flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children's for the advance electronic copy of this title.

I believe this was the second or third of Anderson's books featuring early American history that I have read. I think I even noticed a passing reference to a character from a previous book. It was wonderful to read a middle grade level book with such a strong young female main character. Set in revolutionary times, it shows what life was like for women of different stations (and some men) as well as addressing important topics of the day, such as the early smallpox inoculations, the Declaration of Independence, and the war. Each chapter began with a quote from correspondence from individuals of the era, many from Abigail Adams, as well as from publications. Characters were believable, and Elsbeth, the main character, was a reliable narrator.

This would be an excellent book for a reader of the American Girl books to grow into!

Set during through most of the year of 1776 in Boston and seen through the eyes of Elsbeth Culpepper a maid for a British Loyalist judge who ends of vacating the city with other loyalist after the siege of Boston is finished. With no job and place to stay she tries to find her father, a sailmaker, who supposedly might have left with the British. She ends up with the Pike family, Mr. Pike a patriot spy, and must look after a brood of six children and she ultimately becomes the lady maid to Hannah Sparhawk, who is under temporary supervision of Pikes while her underhanded caretaker is asea. The primary crisis is that Boston is under a smallpox epidemic during the summer and the family must go under innoculations, which Mrs. Pike is against initially, and Hannah must deal with their sickness while being accussed of being a possible traitor. Anderson portrays the day to day living in one of the major focal points during the Revolutionary War, but still makes the story relatable to a 21st century readers with a strong female protagonist, who understands her place in society but fights for what she believes in. Recommended for readers 10-14 years of age who like historical fiction, especially American historical fiction.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved Laurie Halse Anderson since I read Speak when I was a teenager. This was a great MG novel about the American Revolution. While slow in parts, I really liked the characters and Elsbeth was a wonderful narrator.

Elsbeth Culpepper is a thirteen-year-old patriot living in Boston during the siege of 1776. She’s a funny, relatable heroine, and her story makes history come alive. All is not romantic as Anderson vividly describes the challenges of life in these times; not all residents were patriots, and the British retreat left real repercussions for the remaining citizens. As one of the working class, when Elsbeth’s father goes missing and her royalist employer leaves the city, Elsbeth faces the possibility of homelessness and starvation. While she is able to find employment, the amount of work expected and accepted is grueling. Additional realities of life in this time period are addressed, primarily the fragility of life as smallpox is ravaging the city, a new vaccine is available but it too carries risks, and the war itself. However, there is still enjoyment and friendship to be had as our resourceful heroine frequently sees the humor in situations. I will happily be recommending this book to middle school readers looking for an historical fiction novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this!

I’m planning for American history in our homeschool, so I was very excited to see this one coming out! I could see it being interesting and helping to empathize with the people who lived in that time period, but I wasn’t particularly excited by the narrative. I especially wasn’t a fan of the romance, it didn’t feel particularly fleshed out (which was maybe just a nod to the time period) but I would’ve rather had it not feel rushed into the end. I enjoyed the author’s Fever 1793 more, so I think we will likely skip this one for school.

I received an eARC from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.
Absolutely AMAZING! 5/5 stars
Why learn about history (and science!) from a boring dry textbook when you can instead read this historical fiction novel and learn about things that way? This is the most immersive and amazing historical fiction book I've read regarding the American Revolution and the smallpox epidemic. Although I've studied this time period in history many times before, never before has history truly come alive to me like in this book. You can tell that the author put a lot of research into this. This would be a great read aloud for a classroom or homeschool. I cannot sing enough praises for this book.

What a fantastic MG novel! It expertly educates without sacrificing exciting plot and interesting characters. It handles weighty topics like sexism, classism, and the ethics of inoculation in a way that’s appropriate and approachable for young readers and still nuanced and thought provoking. Really, really excellent! And the theme of independence reaches beyond the revolution into the characters’ lives in a way that’s really compelling. It’s so hard to strike this balance with YAL. This one nails it!

Thanks to NetGalley & Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a brilliant book! Anderson has done it again. She's weaved a masterful story within American History and made it oh so relevant for today!

Elsbeth was a really great protagonist with lots of layers to her--the rest of the kids were kind of forgettable except for Hannah, at least, but they did all serve a purpose in the story. I liked how vindictive Widow Nash was, ha. Anderson did a great job in building the world and making Boston come alive. Definitely recommend this book for fans of her previous work "Fever".

I loved Laurie Halse Anderson's previous historical fiction books, and I was anxious to read this one. While short, it took me a few weeks to finish. The characters are interesting, but the story went in too many directions and wasn't coherent.
I'm not sure who I'd recommend it to.

I can tell you that my middle school kiddos will absolutely love this book! My fans of historical fiction and American Revolution stories will be thrilled to read it! Elsbeth is a proper heroine in every way...dealing with the war, the smallpox epidemic, and finding her missing father. She was also thrust upon a family of strangers for which she had to work to secure her survival. I found myself rooting for Elsbeth on every page! Laurie Halse Anderson does not disappoint with this book which is soon to be a hit with middle-grade readers! I would like to thank NetGalley for the ARC and I will be recommending this book to my students and book club participants!!!

This was such an immersive, engrossing historical fiction novel that I devoured in a single sitting because I could not put it down. Thirteen-year-old Elsbeth is struggling to survive amid a smallpox epidemic, the public’s fear of inoculation, and the seething Revolutionary War. As the canons fire, we learn about Elsbeth's past and the loss of her mother and siblings, her uncertain present with her father missing and her own employment up in the air and her hopes for the future. We also learn about her caring and tenacious personality, the difference a friend can make and the risks she'll take to protect those she loves. This book is full of action and emotion and fills the reader with a sense of involvement on every page.