The Fighting Ground [Hardcover]

Avi (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

April 3, 1778. America is caught up in the Revolutionary War. On this warm spring morning, not far from Trenton, New Jersey, a 13-year-old boy and his father are quietly tilling the sod on their farm. But the boy can think of only one thing: He wants to fight. He knows how to use a gun-why won't his father let him go?

Unexpectedly, the quiet is cut by the sound of a bell-an alarm ringing from the nearby tavern. Jonathan is sent to find out what the trouble is. What he finds in the next twenty-four hours, when he does fight and is taken prisoner by three Hessian soldiers, changes his understanding of war and life forever. The real war, he discovers, is being fought within himself.

This swiftly paced adventure story of a battle-within-a-battle is told by Avi in stark detail, with vivid historical settings and breathtaking action.

Notable Children's Books of 1984 (ALA)
1984 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
Notable 1984 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
1984 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for Children
Children's Books of 1984 (Library of Congress)
1985 Jefferson Cup Award (Virgina Library Association)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The compelling story of a young boy's first encounter with war and how it changes him. Ages 9-up.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"Convincingly portrays Jonathan's passage from naive boy to young man." -- -- H.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 157 pages
• Publisher: Harper Collins (April 25, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0397320744
• ISBN-13: 978-0397320745
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,815,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Avi has published more than sixty books. Among them is Crispin: The Cross of Lead, winner of the 2003 Newbery Medal. Other novels with nineteenth-century settings, like The Traitors' Gate -- his grand nod to the work of Charles Dickens -- are listed before the title page, and include the Newbery Honor Book, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Avi and his family live in Denver, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for children!!!, November 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fighting Ground 25th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)

I have read this book for three years now with my fifth grade students. Every student has loved this book, many said it was the best book they ever read. The book makes war more real to my students by telling the story through the eyes of a child their own age. I feel the book is masterfully written, and contains a strong main character. There is an abundance of profanity used throughout this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Awesome!!!!!, June 16, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Fighting Ground 25th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)

The Fighting Ground by Avi is an awesome book. It went by minute by minute and always had you on the edge of your seat. It is very discriptive and easy to picture, it was like watching a movie in your mind. This is my first Avi book and definitely not my last. Anybody that would give this a bad review must have been reding another book.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Fighting Ground, March 22, 2006

By 

Class 15 (San Anselmo) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fighting Ground 25th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)

The Fighting Ground is a great book about a 15 years old boy named Jonathan who lived in Trenton, New Jersey. This book is set during the American Revolutionary war. America was fighting for its independence from England.
Jonathan is the only boy in his family who had not gone to war so he was waiting for his turn to go to war. Then one day, the bell rang at the Tavern and Jonathan went to go see what was happening. A Corporal was at the Tavern recruiting men to fight the Hessians (German Mercenaries serving for the British in the Revolution). The men of the town thought Jonathan was too young, but the Corporal took him any way. So Jonathan was on his way to war, the one thing he was dreaming of doing for almost half of his life.
This was a really good book with a sad middle and an exiting climax. If I could read this book a million and one more times I would. The detail in the book was exciting and I encourage every one to read The Fighting Ground.