Sign-In
Cart
George Washington: The Guy Who Refused to Be King
Paperback
Series: Amazing Americans
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jun 9 2026
Pages: 56
Weight: 0.19
Height: 0.12 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
He never went to college. He accidentally started a world war. He survived four bullet holes through his coat.
And when his soldiers begged him to become king - he said no.
George Washington: The Guy Who Refused to Be King follows America's most surprising Founding Father from his muddy Virginia childhood all the way to the moment he shocked the entire world by giving up power.
Along the way: a teenage wilderness surveyor who falls into an icy river, a brutal winter with no food and no shoes, a midnight river crossing in a snowstorm, and a floating golden crown that nobody could get Washington to wear.
True stories that sound made up:
- He taught himself math, surveying, and military strategy - entirely on his own
- His hunting dogs were named Sweetlips, Drunkard, and Tipsy
- His own soldiers asked him to be king - and he was furious
- Even King George III said Washington was the greatest man in the world
Eight action-packed chapters for ages 6-12, with a timeline, myths-busted section (wooden teeth? Not true - and weirder), and glossary included.
Perfect for:
- America's 250th anniversary reading and gift lists
- Presidents' Day and American history classroom units
- Independent chapter book readers ready to step up
- Read-aloud families who love real history
Amazing Americans, Book 1 - the nonfiction chapter book series that makes history impossible to put down.
Also in
Biography
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women
Cavallo, Francesca
Rebel Girls
Favilli, Elena
Hardcover
Me Llamo Celia/My Name Is Celia: La Vida de Celia Cruz/The Life Of Celia Cruz
Brown, Monica
Hardcover
Revolutionary Friends: General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette
Castrovilla, Selene
Hardcover
How a Bear Became a Book: The Collaboration That Created Winnie-The-Pooh
Pimentel, Annette Bay
Hardcover
Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp
Tonai, Minoru
Gutiérrez, Jolene
Hardcover
Freedom to Read: The Story of Teacher Mary Peake and One Mighty Oak Tree
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Hardcover
Ruth Muskrat and the So-Called Indian Problem: The Fight for Native American Civil Rights
Loren, Jen
Hardcover
The Ultimate Unofficial World Cup Book: Legends, Stats, and Stories from Soccer's Biggest Game
Barbo, Maria S.
Paperback
Soccer (National Geographic Kids Readers, Level 2)
Santoyo, Melissa
National Geographic Kids
Paperback
I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)
Yousafzai, Malala
Paperback
The Boy Behind the Wardrobe: How C.S. Lewis Grew Up to Create Narnia
Harris, Suzanne Poulter
Hardcover
The Patriots and the Pox: George Washington's Battle to Save the Continental Army
Anderson, Beth
Hardcover
Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock
Tudor, Kelly
Eaglespeaker, Jason
Tudor, Aslan
Paperback
The Kingfisher Soccer Encyclopedia: Facts - STATS - Players - Teams - Skills and Tactics - Competitions
Gifford, Clive
Hardcover
Follow the Water: The Unbelievable True Story of a Teenager's Survival in the Amazon
Cochrane, Ellen
Hardcover
A Day in the Life of a Warrior: Travel Through Time with the Soldiers of History
Hinsdale, Emily
Hardcover
Seven Million Steps: The True Story of Dick Gregory's Run for the Hungry
Gregory, Christian
Barnes, Derrick
Hardcover
Soccer (National Geographic Kids Readers, Level 2)
Santoyo, Melissa
National Geographic Kids
Hardcover
Taylor & Travis Forever Ultimate Fan Edition Little Golden Book Biography: Bonus Wedding Planning Pages! Stickers!
de Las Heras, Nicole
Hardcover
Saints' Lives: The Miraculous, Inspiring, and Astonishing Stories of the Saints
Beattie, Tina
Hardcover
A Quilt of Stars: Astronaut Karen Nyberg Stitches a Dream
Nyberg, Karen
McCallum Staats, Ann
Hardcover
Chasing Eruptions: How Volcanologists Maurice and Katia Krafft Helped Save 60,000 Lives-But Lost Their Own
Manley, Curtis
Hardcover
When Paul Revere Rode: Voices from the First Night of the American Revolution
Thomson, Sarah L.
Hardcover
A Poem for Dudley Randall: Poet and Publisher of the Black Arts Movement (a Picture Book Biography)
Tate, Don
Hardcover
The Numbers Race: How Shakuntala Devi's Mathematical Mind Zoomed Around the World
Rajan, Rekha S.
Hardcover
Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka Con La Papa: Join the Quest with Peru's Famed Scientist and Potato Expert
Fajardo, Sara Andrea
Hardcover
Who Circled the Globe in Seventy-Two Days? Nellie Bly: A Who HQ Graphic Novel
Who Hq
Gillman, Melanie
Hardcover
A Place to Dance: How Richard Lamberty Brought Change to the Ballroom
Lamberty, Richard
Rosswood, Eric
Hardcover
Dolly Parton Ultimate Fan Edition Little Golden Book Biography: 22 Bonus Pages! Stickers!
Hopkinson, Deborah
Hardcover
Marie's Magic Eggs: How Marie Procai Kept the Ukrainian Art of Pysanky Alive
Wallace, Sandra Neil
Hardcover
Charley's Honky-Tonk Mission: The Story of America's First Black Country Music Superstar
Winifred Iker, Beatrice
Hardcover
Native American Stories for Kids: 12 Traditional Stories from Indigenous Tribes Across North America
Weso, Tom Pecore
Paperback
A Supreme Friendship: The Unlikely Bond Between Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia
Murphy, Debbie Rovin
Hardcover
The Girl Who Changed Little League: The True Story of Maria Pepe and Her Battle to Play Ball
Patrick, Jean L. S.
Pepe, Maria
Hardcover
Who Made Music on the Mississippi? Louis Armstrong: A Who HQ Graphic Novel
Who Hq
Johnson, Kevin
Hardcover
A Doctor at Heart: The Story of Groundbreaking Scientist and Teacher Vivien Thomas
Schoettler, Joan
Hardcover
The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien (a Graphic Novel)
Hendrix, John
Hardcover
Carlotta's Special Dress: How a Walk to School Changed Civil Rights History
Walls Lanier, Carlotta
Frazier Page, Lisa
Hardcover
The Woman Who Heard the Sun and Other True Stories Overlooked by History
Padnani, Amisha
New York Times
Hardcover
A Million Revolutions: The True Story of a Girl Who Cycled Across India
Thomas, Garen
Raj, Suhasini
Hardcover
Change Is in the Air: The Hidden Discoveries of Eunice Newton Foote, the First Climate Scientist
Donnelly, Rebecca
Hardcover
Jane Goodall (National Geographic Kids Readers, Level 1)
National Geographic Kids
Kramer, Barbara
Hardcover
Wrong Way Corrigan's Wild Ride: The Unbelievable Tale of an Accidental Transatlantic Flight
Rockliff, Mara
Hardcover
Taylor Swift Ultimate Fan Edition Little Golden Book Biography: 22 Bonus Pages! Stickers!
Loggia, Wendy
Hardcover
Female Indigenous Heroes: 51 North American Women from the 1800s to Today
Phillips, Katrina M.
Hardcover
Wifredo's Jungle: The Power of Wifredo Lam's Art (a Picture Book Biography)
Engle, Margarita
Hardcover
Antonia and Her Magic Wand: The Extraordinary Story of Antonia Brico, Symphony Conductor
Duncan, Elizabeth
Hardcover
My Word, Theodore!: How Books, Writing, and Reading Saved Theodore Roosevelt
Hannigan, Kate
Hardcover