The Fighting Ground

by Avi

April 3, 1778: He may be just thirteen, but Jonathan knows he's ready to go to the war against the British. He can handle a gun. He yearns to battle for glory, just like his brother and cousin.

So when Jonathan hears the tavern bell toll, calling men to fight, he runs to join them. He doesn't realize that in just twenty-four hours, his life will be forever altered -- by the war, by his fellow soldiers, and by the terrible choices he must make.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, American Revolution, Middle Grade, Fiction, Historical, Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Avi is a pen name for Edward Irving Wortis, but he says, "The fact is, Avi is the only name I use." Born in 1937, Avi has created many fictional favorites such as The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing but the Truth, and the Crispin series. His work is popular among readers young and old.

Reviews

[Sisters Three · Rating 1 out of 5]

What just happened....reading along...thinking oh, the d-word has been used three times...I'll mention that in the review...then bam! the gd used out of nowhere! WHat the crap, this is a middle-grade book???? What is happening to our world? Seriously, language should not be in this book, at all...I get it's a war story, but you wrote it for kids!

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read All Quiet on the Western Front, you'll know what I mean when I describe this book. This twenty-four hour glimpse at war is not just profoundly and intensely moving to the character, but to the reader as well. It's sobering, confusing, horrible, raw, and gritty. Simply put, it's the stark realities of war, stripped of its glory scenes.

When Jonathan decides to go against his father's wishes and run off to war, he has glorious expectations of what battle and his exaggerated character will procure. It doesn't take long for him to realize how ignorant he is and how much he just wants to be a little kid at home again.

Because of the intensity of this book and the themes it conveys, I would recommend it for a more maturer audience than the book itself recommends. It would make for a excellent family read-aloud; you'd be able to omit the language and have some truly deep and meaningful discussions.

Ages: 12+

Cleanliness: over fifteen times the word "d*mn" is used. God's name is used in vain a number of times throughout the book. It mentions someone peeing their pants. A boy sees two dead bodies, that of a man and woman, and while he buries them, it provides some detail of their decay.

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!

Visit my website!

[Brielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am honestly very disappointed in this book mostly because it's just flat out boring. My Language and Literature teacher loves the author Avi and is making us do a book report on one of his books. I read about 20 pages of the book and just stopped since I was so bored. I usually like historical fiction and thought this book would be interesting, but disappointingly it wasn't.

[Anne Osterlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chilling.

This is essentially a minute-by-minute account of a boy going into battle. He finds that nothing is as he imagined. War is not glorious. The leader he admires is no leader. The enemy he fights is not evil. The heroism he admires is not bravery. And battle does not make him a better human being.

He finds that the goal is survival.

[John Hathaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book as it made me feel like I was experiencing the revolutionary war myself. If I remember correctly it was written in first person so it really made it all feel more real.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

April 3, 1778 is a day that 13 year-old Jonathan will never forget, as much as he may try. Against his parents instructions, Jonathan takes off for the battlefield after hearing the tavern bell toll. He's sure he is ready for fighting the British, after all, he can handle a gun. But when they meet Hessians upon the road, and the day turns bloody, his perception of glory is not what he thought. Captured, fearful, and in pain, Jonathan has no choice but to rely on these strangers for mercy...yet, when they happen upon a deserted farm house, his anger surfaces. He's sure these Hessians killed the mother and father a while ago and left a young boy alone in the barn. But, as time goes on, he begins to doubt his first assumption. The Hessians actions do not mimic the atrocity.

Jonathan escapes with the young boy, and meets up with his troop and the events that led up to the killing become crystal clear. Those Jonathan was once fearful of, are not the same now. He struggles with loyalties, compassion, and choices. Told in one 24-hour-day, this story surrounding events that happen during The American Revolution are brutally realistic and bloody. A glimpse into battle conditions on The Fighting Ground are not sugar-coated and the reality of hundreds of lives lost is staggering.

Used for Hiawatha Book Talk-December, 2010.

[Mary Overton]

"Jonathan suddenly realized that he had never seen an enemy soldier before. He had seen Tories, but hateful as they were, they were only Americans. What he was seeing right before him were real enemies, foreign ones, the most awful ones, the cruel German-speaking kind.
"Down the road the Hessian officer waved his sword and shouted something to his men. The drum began to beat again. The fife played high, reedy notes. From behind Jonathan felt the wind cold again his neck. The gun, swaying, felt heavy.
"'Spread out a bit,' the Corporal ordered. 'Don't give so much target.'
"Everyone shifted.
"'When I give the call,' he continued, 'the first line fires. Then the second moves on forward. You on the first line, you step back and load again. You get that? Two rounds a minute, boys, two!'
"Jonathan's heart sank. TWO ROUNDS A MINUTE. He couldn't do it. He wished he'd practiced more.
"The tramp of the soldiers cut through his regrets. Jonathan turned. The Hessians, their red-and-white legs moving in high-stepping, winking unison, had begun once more to advance. Their guns rose beside their golden caps." pp. 44-45

[Ppechacek · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a part of my eigth grade english class, we had a year long reading assignment in which we were forced to read 2 books per quarter; one of our choice, and one from a list our teacher compiled of a certain genre. At the third quarter of school, a list of "war books" was forced upon us. I found Avi on the list and figured I'd read the book he had written because I had read Crispin beforehand and really enjoyed that. I really didn't know what I was getting into when I picked up the skinny copy of this book off the library shelf. I reread it a while ago and loved it just as much.
I could barely put this book down both times I read it. I literally felt almost everything Jonathan did. I found myself on the edge of my seat at times, and at other times holding my breath and crying and wanting to kick something cause I got so angry. I don't know how Avi does that, but it's just amazing how he puts you in the character's shoes. Great book! :)
~~TSP~~

[Nina]

A boy fights with out permission. He learns that its not as cool as he thought. It was so scary to him he ran away from his first battle and gets lost. He finds some strange soldiers. They speak another language. The boys name is Jonathan.

They all go to a house that has been abandoned. There is a cow tied to a fence. He is confused about where these soldiers are from. He is also a little scared. When reading this I might have been as scared as Jonathan was. That is what makes this a realistic book.

Because it makes you feel like you are there during this historical event I realy like this book.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good presentation of the realities of war for a younger audience. Though Avi includes the translations from German to English in the back, I felt like I understood the book way better than a kid would because of my admittedly limited German from high school and college. However, I also think that part of the point of the book is for kids to feel like they're really experiencing what Jonathan goes through, which includes NOT understanding German.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this with my 10 year old as it is required reading for 5th grade. We both thought it moved too slow and was unengaging. I was also displeased with the mild swear words. I don't understand how words I don't allow in my home are all right for her to read in public school.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast intense read about a boy who whose romantic visions of war are shattered by the reality of fighting.

[Johnny G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting. There’s something about this author. He puts you in a time and place, and keeps the pages turning. In this one, 13-year old Jonathan disobeys his injured father’s wish and runs off to join a local militia. He is taken by Hessian soldiers on April 3rd, 1778, in what is now Hunterdon County, NJ. I unknowingly selected this book to see if it fits with our LA/SS curriculum…it does, AND it’s a local historical fiction story! One error, though…there aren’t leaves on trees on April 3rd in New Jersey! That drove me nuts. The story was told as if it took place in a warmer month.

[Audrey Hannaford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book!!! I definitely would have given it 5 stars if it wasn't so slow at the beginning. Also, I have to say thank you to my teacher for making me read this book, because I definitely wouldn't have if she didn't, and I wouldn't have had the great experience of reading it.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Avi will remain in my heart as an amazing author!

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The greatest strength of The Fighting Ground, as I see it, is in the realistic way that a twenty-four-hour period of combat in the times of the American Revolution is portrayed. Instead of chapters, the book is divided into segments of minutes on a clock, as thirteen-year-old Jonathan finds himself overmatched and in over his head as part of a small regiment of vigilante American soldiers, with a commander who will stop at nothing to gain victory for their side.

Though his father has been crippled fighting in the Revolutionary War, Jonathan desperately wants to join the fighting, himself, as the book opens. What could be better than playing the role of hero in defense of one's own people and nation, battling to rebuff the dreaded enemy that seeks to tear down one's homeland? Gardening at home in a still-peaceful part of the country, Jonathan longs to join the action and do some real good for his country.

While standing and listening one day to a military man near the local tavern calling for a few good men to help him on a vital mission, Jonathan is surprised when even he, at his young age, is asked to partake of the operation. Eager to get in on the war however he can, he accepts the role offered to him, and goes off with a band of ragtag soldiers to do a little fighting.

The next twenty-four hours are vastly different than Jonathan had ever imagined. The gun assigned to him is six feet long and enormously heavy, yet he must bear the burden himself and keep up a fast marching speed alongside his fellow soldiers, to boot. When they finally do arrive at the valley where the planned ambush is to take place, the target of the attack turns out to be a group of fearsome Hessian soldiers, formidable German mercenaries paid by the British to fight the war in defense of King George's crown overseas. The ambush doesn't go well and the American fighting force with which Jonathan has been traveling is subsequently scattered, every man for himself.

Three Hessians catch up to Jonathan and eventually capture him, and he is led along as their prisoner until they find an abandoned home at which they can spend the night. Is the house truly abandoned, though, or is there something more waiting for them at their bivouacking site? Jonathan's fortunes are now inextricably tied in with those of the three Hessians that have him; however, they haven't hurt him at all yet, and don't seem to intend him any harm. When Jonathan is given the opportunity to turn the tables on his captors, how far will he be willing to go to exact revenge on soldiers that he has been told are the enemy? In the end, on whose side does Jonathan really want to fight?

Avi does a nice job in The Fighting Ground of telling an historical tale without sounding like a school textbook, and without pushing particular lessons onto the reader. There's a lot to be learned from reading this book, but any conclusions are left to each of us to draw from the story on our own. Personally speaking, I would say that anyone who could make it out alive after fighting in the Revolutionary War was a lucky individual, indeed, though the physical and mental scars might very well have lasted for the remainder of that preserved life. All in all, I think that The Fighting Ground is a good book, and I might give it two and a half stars.

[Angel Cortes · Rating 2 out of 5]

the book is basically about this kid named jonathan. he is only 14 and wants to join the revolutionairy war. so what he does is he runs away from home and he goes and joins. later after he gets aquainted he feels so proud that he has joined. and when the town bell sounds everybody scrambles. and now he has to join the was for real this time. and when he does he sees things he has never seen before. and he is suddenly stuck in the most frightining position ever. he thinks he is surrounded but it tourns out to be some body else.
this book connects to me. i have to make big choices all the time. i have to choose what middle school i want to go to. i have to choose tio do good in school and do well. i have to choose what to say and what not to. just like jonathan. he had to choose to leave his family to do what he thinks is right. and to him he thinks he made the right choice.
i gave this book 2 stars because i thought that it was an alright book. but i thought that it could have been more suspenceful. and i thought that it could have had more action and it could have explained more what was happening. i would reccomend this book to people who like reading books about history. and to the people who like reading books about war.

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief article about why this book was challenged and subsequently banned in a school district in Florida: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/a...

My response: Attempting to ban any book that even one instance of a word that could even vaguely be construed as "profanity" is just silly.

In this book, Avi ably portrays the hopes and then fears of Jonathan, a young boy who suddenly finds himself fighting in the Revolutionary War. Even more interesting, after the battle is over, Jonathan is thrust into a morally complex situation where he must question which side he's on. Students will be able to sympathize with Jonathan's dilemma and will take away valuable lessons about how the world is not always drawn in black and white.

[Cedrik Vb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fighting ground

Fighting ground is a story about a boy named Jonathan who runs away from his mother and father to fight in the American revolution, he, to his luck, is drafted, in his first battle, he gets captured by some Hessian (German) soldiers, they lead him to a wilderness where they get lost and find themselves in a “ghost farm” ,where in the uninhabited farm, Jonathan finds a small baby boy, how can he bring him to safety,without his German friends find out...

This book is great, you it has great action and is mysterious to the end.
Hey “Sprechen sie Deutsch”, do you speak German or want to learn, great book, Avi added a German-American translations of all of the many German quotes the Hessians say. Great book Avi!

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirteen-year-old Jonathon has a romantic image of the war taking place near his New Jersey home in 1778. He disobeys his father and joins some townspeople to fight for the patriot cause. The fight lasts one day and minute by minute we see Jonathon's reaction to war from his problems carrying and loading the heavy gun; getting captured by the Hessians; and encountering a murderered husband and wife who have left their young son orphaned. Jonathon later learns the family was French and that makes him question who was responsible for the murder.

The time element added so much to the suspense of this story.

[Brenna Call · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming of age story taking place in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. Jonathon, a naïve 13 year old boy disobeys his knowing father and runs off to defend his town against the enemy soldiers that have come to attack them. In 24 hours time Jonathon learns what it means to be a soldier and is forever changed because of his experiences. This story was action-packed, fast-moving and suspenseful. The setting was well described and I could see myself in Jonathon’s position and was deeply moved by this small novel.

[Niko · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Jonathon who thinks he is ready for battle but along the way he realizes that he does not like to fight. Jonathon has a lot of struggles in this book which I thuoght it made it interesting. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes fiction books and battle books. I thought this book has a lot of intensity and surprises and was a little easy for my reading level.

[NS · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book! I definitely wouldn't have finished it if it hadn't been required reading. A young boy wants to be in the Revolutionary War. I read it two years ago, so I don't remember too much except for despising it. This book was boring and badly written. The ending was incredibly unsatisfactory. This book was simply lame. Of course, this is just my opinion and I don't mean to offend anybody. If I were you, I would give this book a skip.

[Shari · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book that is geared towards 8-12 year olds, this had a ridiculous amount of using God’s name in vain. Luckily I read this aloud to my daughter so I could skip over those parts.
The story revolves around a 13 year old boy who disobeys his parents and runs off and lies to join a small band of American soldiers in the Revolutionary war. Over the next 24 hours he finds himself in quite the physical and moral predicament. So much potential to storyline but huge disappointment.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lizzie (14): I am giving this book four stars for one main reason the language. I understand that this book is set in a war, but it using some language that is not great. I could not stop reading this book. When I got half way I just wanted to keep reading, because it was exiting and scary at some points. I enjoyed the book a lot besides the language part.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good look at the Hessian soldier view of the British Colony, America and a young boy coming of age during the American Revolutionary War.
I would put along w/Gary Paulsen's Book, "The Rifle".
A good look at what war really does to people and their land.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because the author made the book more realistic. The Hessian actually spoke German! I've never seen an author do this. I think this is the Revolutionary war.

[Roseheart Jaycie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think it got kind of boring very quickly so....

[Madeline W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fighting Ground is a story that takes place over the course of a day during the Revolutionary War. We follow Jonathan, a young boy who joins a group of rebel fighters against his father’s wishes as “Tories” are advancing toward their town. Jonathan’s expectations of what battle is like are shattered as the brutal realities of war are realized.

This story was fast-paced due to the length of the book, but it still found ways to concisely explore major themes. This story reminded me a lot of The Red Badge of Courage by Stephan Crane. Both follow young men who expect war to be a thing full of opportunities for glory and honor, but both come to realize that it is not as glorious as they have imagined. Themes of death, fear, misconception, and morality in warfare are explored through this story. As a historical fiction, it did not highlight the time period as well as I imagined it would, though it was historically accurate. I would recommend and introduce this book as a character study rather than a historical fiction. 3.5/5 stars.

A student would need very little background knowledge to access this book. It would be perinate for a student to know that the Revolutionary War was fought between the Colonial Americans and the British and their allies. There are several moments where the soldiers of the opposing army are talking in German to each other. This is why it is helpful to know that not just British-speaking Englishmen fought against the Americans, but also their allies. Again, this story does not focus on the specifics that relate to this time period, it is more of a character study of Jonathan, which students can understand without much background knowledge.

The Fighting Ground would help target student’s misconceptions about the Revolutionary War. After learning about this war, some students might think as Jonathan did: that war is glorious. However, this book helps students understand what battle was actually like. As much as students would think they would be courageous and fight, war is chaotic and gory. After reading The Fighting Ground, students will begin to understand the realities of war and wonder how they would really act in this setting or in other stressful areas of life. This book could be used well in both a history and an English language arts classroom.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Revolutionary War books. It deserves a much higher rating than it has. This book cements Avi, in my mind, as a truly talented writer. His ability to get inside the brain of a 13-year-old boy who comes face to face with war and death is astounding.

Jonathan begins a day in 1778 with a glorified image of how it must feel to take up arms for your country. When the tavern bell tolls, he runs to find out what it means. He has strict orders from his parents to come straight back. He gets caught up in the frenzy and is given a musket to borrow. He and a small group of men set off to battle it out with the enemy. Jonathan is obviously out of his element. Before he knows it, guns are being fired, and he's totally confused. He runs to the woods, but is captured by three Hessian soldiers.

"'Oh God, oh God, oh God', he whispered. He had failed in all he had meant to do. He was alive and wished that he was dead. But not being dead, he was scared that he might die."

This is an example of the writing that fills the entire book. It completely put me in the head of this boy. I could feel and see everything going on around him. I could feel the fear he must have felt not knowing whether the German soldiers were going to kill him. I could feel the alarm he must have felt when he stumbles upon a home with a toddler and his dead parents. I could feel his struggle over killing the Germans when twice he has the chance. All these feelings are there, laid open wide. Shame. Fear. Confusion. Failure. Sadness. Responsibility.

Instead of laying out the story in chapters, Avi uses time segments. It begins at 9:58am and ends at 10:30pm. In one 24-hour period Jonathan's life is completely altered. Through it all he's thankful for one thing. He's alive.

Dramatic is an understatement.