There is nothing like a good historical fiction book to get you hooked on history! Not only do I love reading historical fiction myself, but we use it a ton in our homeschool as well. One of the time periods we are covering this year is the American Revolution and I was so excited to be able to include the Rush Revere Adventure Series as a part of that!
Rush Limbaugh has written a series of historical fiction books for kids, beginning with Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims. What started out as one book grew into a series of five books beginning with the Brave Pilgrims book and following through to the early presidents and First Ladies. The books feature an American history teacher, Rush Revere, who time-travels with two young students to see American history first-hand. Always riding along with him is his trusty talking horse Liberty, who is hungry for knowledge –and food!
“The mission of the series is to engage young readers by taking them back through time travel to witness exceptional events and meet incredible people in American history. Along with substitute history teacher Rush Revere, his hilarious sidekick Liberty, and a group of middle school students, readers experience history firsthand and “speak with” famous patriots like George Washington.” {from the Rush Revere Website}
I’m sure it helps that my daughter loves horses, so Liberty is right up her alley! Besides that though these books are fun and engaging. It’s like taking a journey with your friends and getting to talk to people from our American History in person!
We are using these books as part of our Timeline Based Middle School American History plan where we are following American history chronologically with a timeline, adding in books, movies, and projects along the way. We specifically used these books during our Colonial America and American Revolution units.
Rush Revere Adventure Series
The Books
Book One – Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims is the beginning of the series and takes us back to visit the Pilgrims and celebrate the first Thanksgiving.
Book Two – The First Patriots takes us to visit Boston and Great Britain before the American Revolution begins.
Book Three – The American Revolution takes us inside the American Revolution covering the battles and people of this time period.
Book Four – The Star-Spangled Banner gives us a deeper understanding of the American system of government, founding documents, American symbols, the U.S. Constitution, the flag and national anthem.
Book Five – Rush Revere and the Presidency gives you the chance to say hello to the first three American presidents and first ladies to learn about elections and leadership during the beginning years of our country.
FREE Resources for the Rush Revere Books
Printables for Each Book
Want to know another reason why I am so impressed with these books? You can head over to the Rush Revere in the Classroom section of their website where you will find 3 different FREE Resources:
- Study Guide – these include short chapter by chapter book summaries, chapter quizzes and an answer key
- Fill in the Blank – short one page fill in the blank worksheets
- Activity – a fun and interactive activity for each book (word search, timeline, etc.)
Each of these resources is available for each of the 5 books in the Rush Revere Adventure series!
Online Fun
You also head over to the Rush Revere Activity Depot where you will find a multitude of extra fun and resources such as:
- Online/Interactive Quizzes for each book plus a few extras!
- Introduction to Characters where you can meet each character (like Liberty), get to know a little about them, download wallpapers for your computer screen and more!
- Interactive Activities that include both online activities like a word scrambler and more printables!
- Online Games include matching, memory, trivia and more!
I should also note (in case you didn’t know) that Rush Limbaugh, author of these books, is a conservative political commentator. As a parent you can decide for yourself if your family aligns or doesn’t align with his views on these topics. In our homeschool we will read and learn about topics and views that both align with and contradict our views as a manner of discussion with our children, and preparing them to see all sides, and debate from an educated standpoint. However, this is a personal choice. As parents you can screen and decide for yourselves if these would be a good fit for your family.
That being said, if you are looking for an inventive take on historical fiction to delight your middle grade reader then the Rush Revere books may be for you! They offer a ton of historical content from places to people, symbols and more to help your kids learn about these periods in our history.
More Historical Fiction and American History Resources
- Circle C Ranch Books – life in California in the 18oos on a ranch
- Historical Fiction Books for WWII
- Our Favorite Homeschool American History Resources – Top Picks from the Curriculum Choice Authors
- Interactive 3D Maps: American History – covers 26 US historical events from Vikings to the Space Race
- 5 Reasons to Use Dover Coloring Books for History – a review of Dover Coloring Books for use in homeschool history studies
Heidi Ciravola is mom to three kids who were all homeschooled. Two have graduated college and one is finishing homeschooling high school. She spends much of her time navigating the high school waters (from electives to college prep) and reviewing homeschool curriculum for all ages. You can find her writing about these things as well as her love of books and homeschool life in general over at Starts At Eight.
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