A bit slow paced for my taste, but an interesting look into the history of the American Revolution and how it affected the common folk, through the life of a teenage girl. She kept herself alive and thriving despite the odds against her.

Reads a bit like Anderson’s Chains. Like Chains, this book is from the point of view of a girl working for a wealthy family during the American Revolution. Rebellion is set in Boston, rather than New York, and the main character is a working class white girl, rather than a freed slave girl returned to slavery, but otherwise they are very similar.

Elsbeth, is a kitchen maid, for the upper middle class Pike family in 1776. Though scorned by the jealous housekeeper, she is well liked by the family, and forms a strong bond with the family’s ward, Hannah. Hannah is a few years older than Elsbeth and full of an exuberance Elsbeth admires. Elsbeth aids Hannah in her pursuit of a young doctor, while Elsbeth has her eye on a beau herself. Throughout the year described, there is a smallpox outbreak in Boston. The Pike family is inoculated with a vaccine and survive under Elsbeth’s care, being a smallpox survivor herself. Meanwhile, a man who claims to have information about Elsbeth’s missing father, cajoles her into some dark activities in exchange for what he knows.

Unfortunately, the story is not without its challenges. At times it drags. It’s a year in the life of a teenager, and while interesting, it doesn’t carry the same level of grit that I found in Chains. I don’t anticipate this one having as wide an audience as her previous American Revolution books.

Rebellion 1776 was an adeptly written, highly researched novel about life in Boston at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The story starts with a bang (literally), when our protagonist Elsbeth has to dodge cannonballs while she runs through the nighttime streets of Boston searching for a doctor for her employer. Elsbeth is a housemaid of a judge, and later the Pikes, a large displaced, wealthy family. We get a front row seat to what life was actually like in Boston at this time--a smallpox epidemic, political turmoil against the backdrop of family drama. From the beginning, I trusted the author and I had every faith that this book was meticulously researched.

For me, the biggest weakness was the plot and Elsbeth's agency. There was very little that Elsbeth got to choose for herself--which felt very authentic (her time, choices, and life were very much not her own). Elsbeth's lack of agency and ability to be an active participant in her own life was not her fault and felt accurate for the time--it just made for a slightly frustrating read at points. We read A LOT about all of Elsbeth's maid duties. I felt so frustrated for her. I understood better the maddening mundanity of a life of service. For a book, however, one I thought would be full of action and intrigue, I felt disappointed that Elsbeth wasn't a bigger player in her own story. The story had less momentum and narrative heft than I was hoping for.

Rebellion 1776, Laurie Halse Anderson’s latest middle grade novel, follows thirteen year old Elspeth Culpepper as she navigates the turning point in the American revolution. After losing her mother and siblings to smallpox, Elspeth is left practically on her own to work as a housemaid while her father attempts to establish himself as a sailmaker. When he goes missing, she struggles to stay employed while solving the mystery of his disappearance. Elspeth’s personal struggle runs parallel to the smallpox epidemic, and readers are confronted with the early days of vaccination and the eerie similarities to what people faced over 200 years later as COVID-19 ravaged the world.

Rebellion 1776 introduces young readers to how smallpox complicated the events surrounding the American revolution and pushes them to grapple with questions the world still struggles with today.

Elsbeth woke one morning to cannon fire and was separated from her dad her only living relative. All Elsbeth could do was to work and look though the city for her father. When the family she worked for left a new family came and they kept her on only because the man’s business partner was paying from them to keep his daughter and her daughter insisted Elsbeth stayed. Soon another problem arose, small pox. Elsbeth had had small pox as a child so she was immune and stayed to help people that were flocking to get the immunization while other people ran away from it.
This was a great historical fiction book, I really like these kinds of books a lot. This one actually covers three parts of that time period the revolutionary war, the small pox epidemic, and the end of the war. This was written in a way that is appropriate for middle graders and it is just a good read for anyone.

Elspeth has come from Philadelphia to Boston with her dad, a sailmaker in 1776. Elspeth has been given a position with an abusive Tory judge when the Patriots lay siege to the city. After the siege, the Tories are told to leave town and Elspeth fears her father will send her to Scotland to live with her mother's family. Elspeth wants to stay and when her father disappears, Elspeth takes a job as a maid with the family that moves into the judge's house, a Patriot who has been jailed but has now been released, along with his wife, five children, and a ward who has been living with them for awhile. Their maid takes an instant dislike to Elspeth but the rest of the family seems to like her. There are lots of vivid details about life during the Revolutionary War and the characters are interesting and well developed. I think the kids are going to like this one a lot.

Thirteen-year-old Elspeth Culpepper is working as a maid in Boston in 1776, when her father disappears and a smallpox epidemic breaks out. After the man she works for evacuates because of the war, she finds new employment with another family, who not only take her in as a maid, but also as a part of the family. In this lightly told historical fiction, Elspeth navigates heartbreak at losing friends and family, the injustices of different social classes, and hope from those who truly see her. Anderson does an amazing job (again) of making historical facts come alive in this story, and by creating Elspeth’s character through which we can empathize with. Recommended for middle school and up. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

Loved this new one by Laurie Halse Anderson!

Being from Boston, this history is part of our culture and I'm so excited to be able to share this book with my students!

At 13 years old, Elsbeth Culpepper is living through history in Boston during the 1776 Patriot siege on the British-held city. When her father goes missing and a wave of smallpox hits the city, she has to use her wits, her skills as a maid, and her tenacity to keep her work with a prominent Boston family, find her father, and survive amidst the disease that killed her mother and siblings years earlier.

Rebellion 1776 is a great example of how historical fiction for children can bring people of any age closer to the events of history while teaching us lessons we still need today. Much like today, Elsbeth lives through times of great political and military turmoil, but the effects of disease and the controversy over inoculations against smallpox play a much more central role in her life. This book does not shy away from the devastating impacts of disease and war but filters through the perspective of a strong young woman whose convictions and perseverance carry her through difficulty and strife.

I know that I would have loved this book as a child. I highly recommend for any young lovers of historical fiction!

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

As always, Laurie Halse Anderson brings us another fantastic historical fiction novel set during the founding of the USA. During a time of war and uncertainty, Elspeth must somehow find a way to survive when her father goes missing and she's left to fend for herself once her employer disappears to avoid imprisonment. She really cares for the Adams' family and their children, although it's obvious there's some big differences because of their class status, which Anderson really highlights well. The death of one of the children is DEVASTATING and not one I saw coming, but the smallpox epidemic is definitely reflective of today's anti-vaccine epidemic.

3.75

I think that one of the things that happens when I look back on history is that it all feels so far removed from my thoughts, feelings, and struggles today. But this book is timely for a lot of reasons, and really helps to reflect that people in the past were facing real struggles that are not so different from what we are experiencing today. I loved our spunky main character Elsbeth and enjoyed the ways in which she navigated within and outside of social conventions at the time. I think the portion of the novel that covered smallpox was especially impactful to me, with the rise of anti intellectualism and the possibility of people dying from a preventable diseases, just like smallpox. The historically accurate medical information at the time in the book was also very interesting.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children’s and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another amazing historical fiction from Laurie Halse Anderson! Anderson tells the story of Elsbeth, a young house maid living in Boston during the siege of Boston and the small pox quarantine that follows. Fantastically written, this is a must have for all YA collections!

This was probably a 3.5 rating for me. I think I was maybe expecting something a little different based on the title and description. This has very little rebellion in it, but it's still an interesting read set in Boston during the Revolutionary War. I loved the main character, and there were a few twists and turns I wasn't expecting. However, there was one aspect of the plot that felt inaccurate to me; would a maid during this time period really know how to read and write? It felt distracting to have these types of wonderings about the historical accuracies. I do appreciate Anderson's attempts to tie this time back to today's events (such as the smallpox epidemic and arguments about inoculations), but it did feel a tiny bit disappointing overall.

I love all of Anderson's books and this one doesn't disappoint. I love historical fiction because you can learn about the times of the book but this one is more about relationships and how there are different etiquette for the different classes. Elspeth has lost her father to a kidnapping on a ship to fight the British in the Revolutionary War. She, as a teenager, is in love with Shrub who works for the army and then enlists. She feels she will lose him also. Good in people and the bad in people is a display in this story.

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!