About the Holiday

On July 4th America will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. This foundational document, adopted by delegates to the Continental Congress, summarized the colonists’ motivations for severing their ties with Great Britain to become an independent country. George Washington’s leadership—as a young man, through the war for independence, and as president—set a high standard for future politicians and presidents. Today’s book honors Washington’s legacy.

Thank you to Abrams Books for Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book for review!

George Washington: A Revolutionary Life

By Tim Grove

Absorbing and surprising, George Washington: A Revolutionary Life presents the biography of the man who became America’s first president as well as a look at 18th-century life and social constructs. George Washington looms large over the history of the United States, just as his stature in a crowd commanded attention—George stood 6 feet 2 inches, while the average man was around 5 feet 2 inches. As historian and author Tim Grove eloquently reveals, George Washington influenced much more than our nation’s war for independence and nascent government. He was a savvy experimental farmer, entrepreneur, spy, and leader—and all without formal education past the age of 14.

With a natural curiosity and penchant for continuous education, George leapt at a wide range of opportunities to learn from books and the people he met on his many professional and military excursions. He incorporated all of his experiences, including defeats as well as success, into a world view that informed his opinions on farming and British rule, his actions during wartime, finesse in negotiating, and his leadership in building a new government.

Having inherited farmland from his father at the age of 11 and an estate including Mount Vernon at age 20, following his brother’s death, as well as attaining another vast estate with his marriage to Martha Dandridge Custis at the age of 27, George Washington was an enslaver throughout his life. Grove points to private correspondence in which he expressed his sincere wishes to “see a plan adopted for the abolition of [slavery]” and his freeing of William Lee in his will to demonstrate Washington’s evolving opinion on the inhumanity of slavery. Ultimately, however, Washington bowed to the authority of the Virginia legislature to affect this change.

The stories of enslaved men, women, and children, including Ona Judge, Martha Washington’s personal maid; William Lee, Washington’s valet; and Doll, Mount Vernon’s chief cook, are woven throughout Grove’s narrative in detailed sections, giving readers a view of their lives at Mount Vernon.

Readers also meet and get to know the strong and influential women in Washington’s life, including his mother, Mary Ball Washington; his wife Martha Dandridge Custis Washington; Catharine Macaulay Graham, an “English political thinker”; and Elizabeth Willing Powel, who hosted and participated in political and philosophical discussions among the delegates to the Constitutional Convention at her home.

Tim Grove concludes with examples of George Washington’s continuing legacy that we as a country still celebrate today. Images of maps, paintings, photographs, documents, and other types of primary sources liberally accompany nearly every page, helping readers visualize and understand colonial life. Back matter includes a timeline of George Washington’s life, notes for every chapter with links to online sources, an Author’s Note, and an Index.

Tim Grove’s George Washington: A Revolutionary Life is a thoughtful and thoroughly fascinating biography of George Washington that reveals him as a remarkable and astute man, who with courage and humility united disparate colonies toward one goal while setting America and her system of government apart as an example of what democracy could achieve. Grove’s writing is not just accessible, it is riveting. His engaging text, which flows smoothly and quickly, clearly explains important concepts, connecting the culture of yesteryear and today in ways that readers of all ages can appreciate.

George Washington: A Revolutionary Life is a must for all public and school library collections as well as for classroom history and government classes. History buffs of all ages will find the book an immersive and enlightening reference for home bookshelves as well.

Ages 10 – 14+

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2026 | ISBN 979-8887076461

About the Author

Historian Tim Grove has written several books for young readers. His book Star-Spangled was named a Best Book of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews and the Chicago Public Library, and First Flight Around the World was a finalist for the American Library Association’s YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction award. He holds a graduate degree in history and an undergraduate degree in journalism. Grove’s career has included positions at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, National Air and Space Museum, and National Museum of American History. Grove lives in Falls Church, Virginia. Visit him at timgrove.net.

About Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon is owned and maintained for the people of the United States by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union, a private, nonprofit organization (501c3) founded in 1853. At the forefront of the field, the Association is the oldest national historic preservation organization in the country. It is directed by a board of regents, comprised solely of women, who represent nearly 30 states. The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association preserves, restores, and manages the estate of George Washington and educates visitors and people throughout the world about the life and legacies of American’s first president.