Like the rest of America, we’ve been gripped by Hamilton fever since it was released on Disney+ this summer. The girls have watched it approximately one million times and spend a lot of time putting together their own versions of songs and dances from the show. Having three girls, it works out perfectly and their rendition of The Schuyler Sisters is pretty amazing at this point. I decided to channel that enthusiasm into learning more about the American Revolution, and we started with some Hamilton inspired picture books and YA historical fiction, with a lot about Eliza since that was what appealed most to the girls. Here’s the list of the ones we’ve loved so far, and you can click on the images if you want to learn more!

Little Kids:

From A Small Seed: The Story of Eliza Hamilton by Camille Andros: We love the illustrations in this book-they’re so charming! This follows Eliza’s life, focusing on her connection to orphans throughout her life and how much she gave to others. It’s very sweet.

Eliza: The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton by Margaret McNamara:  This one is written in the first person from Eliza’s perspective and contains more historical information and context. I would say it’s for a slightly older reader that the Small Seed book. It also has wonderful illustrations, an afterword by Philippa Soo, and an appendix with more historical references.

Alexander Hamilton From Orphan to Founding Father by Monica Kulling: This is a Step Into Reading Book with a lot of information about Hamilton’s life from childhood to the duel that killed him. It gives more context to the events in the musical, but still has plenty of cartoon style pictures to entertain young readers. 

Big Kids:

Hamilton and Peggy: A Revolutionary Friendship by L.M. Elliott: This is the story of Peggy Schuyler, the youngest of the Schuyler Sisters. We get to see events from the side of the most overlooked sister, and how she struggled to find her place following in the foot steps of her famous older sisters. The book is historical fiction and focused on Peggy’s growth from when she’s a young teen trying to keep up with Angelica and Eliza, to an adult as she matures and becomes ready to find a husband for herself. In that time we see her real correspondence with Alexander Hamilton and other letters that were sent between the people in the book, which gives the story further historical context. 

Alex and Eliza: Book One by Melissa De La Cruz: This author also wrote the Descendants Series, and it definitely has a smoother narrative, with more emphasis placed on the romance between Alexander and Eliza than on providing historical context. There is some historical information in the book, but the focus is on the storyline and characters. This was the favorite of my middle schooler, but my ten year old was decidedly not interested in the romance.

Alexander Hamilton: Revolutionary by Martha Brockenbrough: This is nonfiction account of Hamilton’s life has a lot of information, but it breaks it up with maps, photographs, paintings and other primary sources to keep the information moving quickly and keep the kids interested in the topics. It follows Hamilton’s entire life, even some of the more controversial topics, so I would say this was more appropriate for middle schoolers or even high schoolers.

Adults:

My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie: My mother in law recommended this book to me, and I’m excited to read it. It’s about the love story between Eliza and Alexander but also covers a lot of historical ground. I’ve heard that if you come into it a mild Eliza fan, you finish even more impressed with everything she accomplished in her life.

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow: The definitive Hamilton biography, this comprehensive account of Hamilton’s life provides a balanced account of this controversial historical figure and was the inspiration for the musical. If you want historical detail and accuracy, this is what I would recommend.

The Hamilton Affair: A Novel by Elizabeth Cobbs: A thoroughly researched historical novel, this tells the story of Hamilton and Eliza in a juicy and fast-paced way. I got totally engrosses in the story and read through it over the course of a few days, when I should have been doing work and laundry!

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