This year the United States is celebrating its Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which secured freedom for our nation. Join HCPL (and all of Virginia!) over the coming months for performances, lectures, and more to commemorate this once in a lifetime event. Read on for upcoming programs and titles from our collection that explore life during the American Revolution.
UPCOMING FEBURARY PROGRAMS
Pick up a copy of our Program Guide or stay tuned to our online calendar for more VA250 programs at the library!
- Knowledge Challenge! United States Edition
- Tuesday, February 17, 2-3:30PM at Gayton
- Participants will be divided into groups and will complete activities related to United States history, geography, and culture in a game show-like format. No special knowledge or expertise related to the U.S. is needed - just a desire to learn! This program features different questions than the program with the same name held at this location in October. Books and other materials related to geography and travel will also be available for checkout.
- History Kids: Powhatan
- Wednesday, February 18, 10:30-11:15AM at Glen Allen
- Come learn about the life, culture, and history of the Powhatan peoples of 17th century Virginia. See recreated examples of objects and materials from daily Powhatan life. Learn how the indigenous people of early Virginia farmed, hunted, fished, and thrived off the landscape around them. This program will be appropriate for pre-K to early elementary age learners. Presented by Henricus Historical Park.
- Samuel Hayes, III: My Story
- Thursday, February 19, 7-8PM at Libbie Mill
- Samuel Hayes, III, shares his fascinating journey through nearly 50 years of family research, uncovering a rich multicultural ancestry that traces back to the founding of our nation. Learn how Samuel used online tools, physical records, and DNA to explore his family history and practical resources in Virginia for genealogical research.
COLLECTION
KIDS
- I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
- While searching for his father, eleven-year-old Nathaniel Knox is caught in a battle between British and American troops.
- Johnny Tremain: a Story of Boston in Revolt by Esther Forbes
- A silversmith’s apprentice begins working for the Sons of Liberty leading up to the American Revolution.
- Loyalty by Avi
- To avenge his father’s death, young Noah becomes a spy for the British Army on the eve of the American Revolution.
- Rebellion, 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson
- While a smallpox epidemic sweeps Boston, a young girl takes a job caring for a wealthy family while she tries to find her missing father.
- Revolutionary War on Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne
- Jack and Annie help George Washington during his fateful crossing of the Delaware River.
TEEN
- Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
- An enslaved girl, Isabel, becomes a spy for the rebels in New York City during the war for American independence.
- Love & War: an Alex & Eliza Story by Melissa De la Cruz
- Newlyweds Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler fight for their marriage and country in the final years of the American Revolution.
- The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson.
- A young boy grows up in seclusion among a secret society of philosophers and scientists as the American Revolution rages on in colonial Boston.
- Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen
- Thirteen-year-old frontiersman, Samuel, sets out from his Pennsylvania home to recuse his family from British soldiers.
ADULT
- A Refuge Assured by Jocelyn Green
- In a community for refugees fleeing the French Revolution, a lacemaker and a former militiaman join together to protect their Pennsylvania home from the impending 1791 Whiskey Rebellion.
- Dear George, Dear Mary by Mary Calvi
- Based on historical letters and journals, this novel explores the unrequited love affair between a New York heiress and George Washington.
- The French Prize by James L. Nelson
- On a merchant voyage from Philadelphia to Barbados, Captain Jack Biddlecomb finds himself a part of the fight for United States independence in this novel about the Age of Sail.
- I, Eliza Hamilton by Susan Holloway Scott
- From her marriage to Alexander Hamilton to her rise as a socialite, this novel explores the inner world of Eliza Hamilton, a key figure in helping build the newly formed United States.
- The Story of Land & Sea by Katy Simpson Smith
- As the American Revolution comes to a close, three generations of family navigate life, love, and war in a North Carolina town.