10 Best Novels set in the American Revolution

1. Rabble in Arms by Kenneth RobertsThe epic tale of Captain Peter Merrill, that tells of his service to the heroic Benedict Arnold, his romance with the lovely Ellen Phipps, and the threat posed by the suspicious Marie de Sabrevois. (more) — 1. ***Rabble in Arms*** by **Kenneth Roberts**
**The epic tale of Captain Peter Merrill, that tells of his service to the heroic Benedict Arnold, his romance with the lovely Ellen Phipps, and the threat posed by the suspicious Marie de Sabrevois.** (more)

2. Drums Along the Mohawk by Walter D. EdmondsThe war shattered tale of Gil Martin and his newlywed Lana after they venture out to their pioneer home by the Mohawk River in Upstate New York. (more) — 2. ***Drums Along the Mohawk*** by **Walter D. Edmonds**
**The war shattered tale of Gil Martin and his newlywed Lana after they venture out to their pioneer home by the Mohawk River in Upstate New York.** (more)

3. Rise to Rebellion by Jeff ShaaraThe roles played by four revolutionary leaders, from the initial protests that mothered the Cause of Liberty, through to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and onto a united effort to overthrow one of … — 3. ***Rise to Rebellion*** by **Jeff Shaara**
The roles played by four revolutionary leaders, from the initial protests that mothered the Cause of Liberty, through to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and onto a united effort to overthrow one of the world’s greatest military powers. (more)

4. Tim’s Excessive Good Fortune by Roddy ThorleifsonIt is the third year of the American Revolution and Tim Euston, a seventeen-year-old carpenter’s apprentice, has arrived in Morristown, New Jersey. (more) — 4. ***Tim’s Excessive Good Fortune*** by **Roddy Thorleifson**
**It is the third year of the American Revolution and Tim Euston, a seventeen-year-old carpenter’s apprentice, has arrived in Morristown, New Jersey.** (more)

5. April Morning by Howard FastFifteen-year-old Adam Cooper comes of age on the grueling first day of war when he is shot at and sees friends die as he marches with minutemen at Lexington, at Concord, and in the deadly British retreat back to Boston… — 5. ***April Morning*** by **Howard Fast**
Fifteen-year-old Adam Cooper comes of age on the grueling first day of war when he is shot at and sees friends die as he marches with minutemen at Lexington, at Concord, and in the deadly British retreat back to Boston. (more)

6. Johnny Tremain by Esther ForbesIt is Boston on the brink of revolution, and though 14-year-old Johnny has little interest in or knowledge of the political turmoil that rages around him, he learns fast and achieves both wisdom and maturity. (more) — 6. ***Johnny Tremain*** by **Esther Forbes**
It is Boston on the brink of revolution, and though 14-year-old Johnny has little interest in or knowledge of the political turmoil that rages around him, he learns fast and achieves both wisdom and maturity. (more)

7. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher CollierSpoiler alert! Sam dies! Are you peace-centered? Have you opted out of war? Have you taken a stand against systemic hatred? Then you will find kindred spirits in the authors o… — 7. ***My Brother Sam is Dead*** by **James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier**
Spoiler alert! Sam dies! Are you peace-centered? Have you opted out of war? Have you taken a stand against systemic hatred? Then you will find kindred spirits in the authors of what is possibly the most dismal and depressing novel ever to rise up in defiance of organized violence. (more)

8. The Bastard by John JakesA young Englishman claims the upper-class wealth and title he feels are owed to him, but instead finds himself working as a printer in revolutionary Boston, where he learns of love, danger, and freedom. (more) — 8. ***The Bastard*** by **John Jakes**
A young Englishman claims the upper-class wealth and title he feels are owed to him, but instead finds himself working as a printer in revolutionary Boston, where he learns of love, danger, and freedom. (more)

9. Johnny One-Eye: A Tale of the American Revolution by Jerome CharynA sad, sordid, and humorous story of an educated young man who was raised in a brothel, and grew to a life of patriotic heroism and perpetual suffering. (more) — 9. ***Johnny One-Eye: A Tale of the American Revolution*** by **Jerome Charyn**
**A sad, sordid, and humorous story of an educated young man who was raised in a brothel, and grew to a life of patriotic heroism and perpetual suffering.** (more)

10. Cast two Shadows: The American Revolution in the South by Ann Rinaldi14-year-old Caroline sees the revolutionary war come to South Carolina, to her town and into her home and, in the face of violence, she is forced to act with courage to protect… — 10. ***Cast two Shadows: The American Revolution in the South*** by **Ann Rinaldi**
**14-year-old Caroline sees the revolutionary war come to South Carolina, to her town and into her home and, in the face of violence, she is forced to act with courage to protect her loved ones.** (more)

Runners up:

First: Dawn’s Early Light by Elswyth Thane

Hostilities are about to erupt when student Jullian Day climbs off the ship that took him from England to Virginia and, as war grips the colonies, he learns about liberty the hard way. (more)

Second: The Turncoat by Donna Thorland

It is 1777, the British have commandeered the home of Quaker, Kate Grey, and the dashing British Major Peter Tremayne is highly impressed, both with Kate’s beauty and with her knowledge of military tactics, but it is what he doesn’t know that matters. (more)

Third: The Ninth Daughter by Barbara Hamilton

In revolutionary Boston, founding father, John Adams, is falsely accused of murder, and his brilliant and beautiful wife Abigail needs the help of the British in her effort to clear his name and identify the killer. (more)

Fourth: Brave Enemies by Robert Morgan

In the revolutionary Carolina backcountry, 16-year-old Josie is forced to run away, disguised as a boy, and she meets the man she was meant for while in a condition of deception and desperation. (more)

Fifth: Shadow Patriots by Lucia St. Clair Robson.

With as much courage as any squad of crack troops led into battle, a family of Philadelphia Quakers find themselves defying death for the Cause of Liberty as they act as spies for George Washington. (more)

Sixth: The Fort: A Novel of the Revolutionary War by Bernard Cornwell

The British send 1,000 Scottish infantry to establish a base in Maine, and when the State of Massachusetts send a naval and infantry force to drive them out, their effort ends in ignominious failure.(more)

Seventh: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party, by M. T. Anderson

Anderson’s writing moves from satire to realism, and from gothic fantasy to factual history, in ways that can jar and disturb the reader. (more)

Commentary:

I can’t understand why you substituted Tim’s Excellent Good Fortune for Tim Curious. I truly feel that Tim Curious is the best selection for the Tim Euston series. (more)