In the Days of Washington: A Story of the American Revolution

Philadelphia, 1778. The British occupy the city, and seventeen-year-old Nathan Stanbury finds himself thrust into a world of shadows and danger. Sent by his guardian, the mysterious Cornelius De Vries, Nathan carries secrets that could cost him his life: coded messages moving between loyalists and General Washington's forces, passed through the dark streets of a city under martial law. Every footstep could betray him. Every stranger could be a spy. This is historical adventure at its most exhilarating. Graydon, writing at the turn of the century when America was still close to its founding myths, crafts a story that treats the Revolution not as distant history but as immediate, pulse-pounding reality. Nathan is no plaster saint, but a quick-witted, sometimes reckless boy forced to grow up fast as he outrides British patrols, dodges informers, and plays his part in the delicate dance of revolutionary intelligence. The book captures something that modern retellings often miss: the sheer terror and excitement of being young in extraordinary times, when the fate of a nation rests on a boy's courage. Perfect for readers who cut their teeth on Johnny Tremain and yearn for more Revolutionary War adventure.