The “Dear America” Series Is Getting Republished, and My Millennial Heart Is Bursting

I feel like millennials like myself often get a bad rap for being too nostalgic, but our childhood was fully situated in the golden age of the ’90s, so can you really blame us? We had it all: Tamagotchis, Furbies, Boy Meets World, and dial-up internet that stayed in its designated computer room. One of my personal favorite ’90s pastimes was experiencing history come to life in the form of a “diary” — aka reading the Dear America book series. 

If you also have distinct memories of tearing through these books after your 1999 book fair, you’ll be delighted to learn that the ’90s Dear America series is officially staging a comeback in 2026 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence signing. Two books from the beloved Scholastic series — The Winter of Red Snow and A Journey to the New World — will be available for purchase starting April 7, 2026. 

Here’s what to know about the books’ return and how they will look a little different from what you remember reading on the bus to school. 

The OG Dear America books, published in the ’90s and early 2000s, were historical fiction written from the perspective of girls who were living through a major historical event, like the Salem witch trials, the slave trade, the New York shirtwaist strike of 1909, the sinking of the Titanic (this book was my personal favorite), westward expansion, and the Vietnam War.  

I didn’t read all of the books, but I remember ripping through several of them, captivated by their stories. It really felt like I was reading someone’s diary that I had uncovered in an old dusty attic — the books were written in first person, with dated “diary entries,” and had the most clever design, featuring a ribbon bookmark and thick, antique-like paper. The covers were also distinct, featuring period-appropriate portraits of a solemn looking character whose innermost thoughts you were about to explore. The books felt like a true gateway to history for those of us who often yawned through an extremely boring textbook chapter at school (ahem, me).

Both of the two upcoming rereleases, The Winter of Red Snow and A Journey to the New World, dive into the lives of girls experiencing the colonial era of America. A Journey to the New World follows the harrowing journey of 12-year-old Remember Patience Whipple, who’s on board the Mayflower in 1620 with her family, as well as what happens once she arrives in the “New World.” Fast-forward a century and a half to 1777 with The Winter of Red Snow, as 11-year-old Abigail Jane Stewart details life during the Revolutionary War, as General Washington trains troops in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

Though the two stories will stay the same in the rereleased books, the Dear America series will get an updated look and feel for its new era. This time, the books will be published as deluxe paperbacks, as opposed to the hardcovers you might remember — and unfortunately won’t come with their signature ribbon bookmark. They’re also getting more modern illustrations as new cover art. According to Lisa Sandell, editorial director of Scholastic Press & Scholastic Focus, “The updated cover artwork will feel fresh and relevant to a new generation of readers, and flashes of foil will make them look collectible.”

For now, Scholastic plans to release the two colonial era books in the spring to celebrate the Declaration of Independence signing, another yet-to-be-announced title in the fall, and hopefully more of these titles in the future. This is great news for those of us eager to read these with our own kids and looking for help starting conversations around what it’s like to grow up in unprecedented historical times.