The Fighting Ground
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Narrated by:
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George Guidall
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By:
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Avi
About this listen
Jonathan’s older brother is away fighting with General Washington in Pennsylvania. But at 13, Jonathan is too young to fight. Still too young. Then one morning, April 3, 1778, the tavern bell sounds, calling men to arms. Eager to prove his mettle, with blood pounding in his ears, Jonathan joins the gathering men at the tavern to hear the news. With a 12-pound, six-foot-long flintlock musket loaned to him by the tavern keeper, Jonathan finds a place in with the other men, marching to battle. Then the moment arrives - the distant sound of drums and the terrible whine of the fife. As the troops march into view, Jonathan sees 30 soldiers - all moving in perfect formation, a bayonet at every waist. "Hessians," the man next to Jonathan said. "Hessians."
Avi is author of the Newbery-winner The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. In The Fighting Ground he recounts one unforgettable day in the life of young Jonathan, a naive New Jersey farmboy eager for war.
©1984 Avi (P)1994 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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The 1757 New York frontier is home to the Oneida tribe and to British colonists, yet their feet rarely walk the same paths. On the day Fort William Henry falls, Major Reginald Aubrey is beside himself with grief. His son, born that day, has died in the arms of his sleeping wife.
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Awesome
- By WeRLoved on 04-25-18
By: Lori Benton
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The Cross Bearer
- By: E. James Harrison
- Narrated by: Jason Tatom
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Simon of Cyrene has long dreamed of celebrating Passover in Jerusalem. Yet the journey of a thousand miles seems impossible: Simon is crippled, and his beloved wife has been ravaged by a debilitating affliction. So when his sons arrange special passage to Jerusalem for Simon and his wife, the couple is overcome with joy and anticipation. It seems that an impossible dream is within reach...but their journey is fraught with unexpected perils, from deadly gales to dangerous thieves.
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The love of our Savior
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Amber Magic
- Haven Series, Book 1
- By: B. V. Larson
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The humans have no magic and are hunted for sport, but that is about to change. War is coming.... The Sun Dragon spawned nine lesser dragons which devoured their parent for the power the elder possessed. These young dragons fought for choice bits of the Sun Dragon, but each only managed to eat a portion, thus giving them specific powers. Over time, these foul dragons were hunted down and slain by heroes of old.
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Not Undying Mercenaries Thats for sure
- By John on 10-21-15
By: B. V. Larson
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Crispin: The End of Time
- By: Avi
- Narrated by: Ron Keith
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Newbery Medal-winning author Avi completes the Crispin saga with this third installment of the riveting trilogy. In 14th-century England, Crispin has embarked on one adventure after another since discovering that he, once known only as “Asta’s son,” has a much grander future than he ever could have imagined. Encountering such trustworthy souls as Bear during the course of his travels, Crispin teeters on the brink of fulfilling his destiny in this stunning tale of the Middle Ages.
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DO NOT READ THISSSSS
- By C. Smith on 02-25-20
By: Avi
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Samson
- A Savior Will Rise
- By: Shawn Hoffman
- Narrated by: Shawn Hoffman
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The year is 1943, and Samson Abrams has just made a life or death decision, coming to the aid of a young Jewish boy being beaten by the Nazis. Before long, Samson's entire family must board the train to Auschwitz. As they arrive at the camp, Dr. Joseph Mengele, a man who will later go down in history as a person of pure evil, oversees the "selection" process. The young, weak, and elderly are all sent to their deaths. Samson tries to attack, but is calmed by Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic monk also at the camp.
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Amazing
- By Ronnie Taylor Home on 02-10-15
By: Shawn Hoffman
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Season of Wonder
- The Remnants, Book 1
- By: Lisa T. Bergren
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
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Performance
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Story
After years of training in stealth and warfare, Andriana and her Knight protector, Ronan, are finally ready to answer the Call and begin the life they were designed for. But as they embark with the other Remnants on the first of their assignments, they quickly discover that the world beyond the protected Valley is more dangerous than they imagined.
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Next
- By Louise Thurman on 02-23-23
By: Lisa T. Bergren
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Iron Axe
- The Books of Blood and Iron, Book 1
- By: Steven Harper
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In this brand new series from the author of the Clockwork Empire series, a hopeless outcast must answer Death's call and embark on an epic adventure... Although Danr's mother was human, his father was one of the hated Stane, a troll from the mountains. Now Danr has nothing to look forward to but a life of disapproval and mistrust, answering to "Trollboy" and condemned to hard labor on a farm. Until, without warning, strange creatures come down from the mountains to attack the village.
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I DON'T WANT YOU TO FOLLOW ME,
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 07-22-17
By: Steven Harper
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Under a War-Torn Sky
- By: L. M. Elliott
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Henry Forester is shot down during a bombing run over France, the World War II pilot finds himself trapped behind enemy lines. In constant danger of discovery by German soldiers, Henry begins a remarkable journey to freedom. Relying on the kindness of strangers, Henry moves from town to town-traveling by moonlight, never asking questions or even the names of the people who help him along the way. Each day brings him closer to home, yet every step in enemy territory invites new dangers.
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Great book for young people.
- By Timothy Baker on 10-02-18
By: L. M. Elliott
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Witch's Boy
- By: Kelly Barnhill
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Ned and his identical twin brother tumble from their raft into a raging, bewitched river, only Ned survives. Villagers are convinced the wrong boy lived. Sure enough, Ned grows up weak and slow, and stays as much as possible within the safe boundaries of his family's cottage and yard. But when a Bandit King comes to steal the magic that Ned's mother, a witch, is meant to protect, it's Ned who safeguards the magic and summons the strength to protect his family and community.
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Not as good as expected
- By ladybug on 03-19-17
By: Kelly Barnhill
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Dated but a good story
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Beyond the Western Sea
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Overall
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In December 1850, the dark hours before dawn make 12-year-old Patrick O’Connell shiver. He lives with his mother and older sister in a wet and drafty shack. Patrick has been the man of the family ever since Da, his father, sailed from Ireland to America. But now he has a problem he can’t solve: there isn’t enough money to pay the rent.
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I really liked this series
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Ragweed
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Overall
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A mouse has to do what a mouse has to do. Ragweed is determined to see the world. He leaves his family and cozy country home and sets off by train for the big city. What wonders await him: music, excitement, new friends … and cunning, carnivorous cats! Silversides is the purring president of F.E.A.R. (Felines Enraged About Rodents), a group dedicated to keeping cats on top, people in the middle, and mice on the bottom. Can Ragweed and his motley yet musical crew of city nice—Clutch, Dipstick, Lugnut, and Blinker—band together to fight their feline foe?
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Great story
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What listeners say about The Fighting Ground
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Anne
- 11-05-14
Amazing narration Awful book
Is there anything you would change about this book?
The narrarator was on point and read very well but the book over all was just boring theres really nothing audible could do, I just wish the author did a better job writing the book.
Has The Fighting Ground turned you off from other books in this genre?
The Fighting Ground has definitely turned me off from other books in this genre.
Which character – as performed by George Guidall – was your favorite?
Honestly I didn't like any character they all could be improved.
Did The Fighting Ground inspire you to do anything?
All the fighting ground inspired me to do was never read another war book again.
Any additional comments?
The audible staff is wonderful and I was very satisfied with the narration but like I said the book was an zero out of five stars in my opinion.
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Overall
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Performance
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- Mari G.
- 02-07-23
The fighting ground
The fighting ground is a good book but isnt long enough and has events back to back instead of spaced out.
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Overall
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Performance
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- Lorenelle Gadell
- 05-05-15
Very good
I think the book was great and that the readers feeling is greatly touched by this book I really liked it. 😄
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Susanne R.
- 04-14-15
Good perspective for my students
Great for 5th graders. They found it surprising and interesting. Not as exciting as they would have liked, however. Good!
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Susan M. "Suzy" Oliver
- 09-11-14
Unbelievable events, dangerous ideas, ant-war
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
The listening experience was not the problem; it was the story itself. I think that it sends a some dangerous messages to its adolescent readers, and there are many events that are completely unbelievable. It also possesses a tone of being anti-war in general.
What was most disappointing about Avi’s story?
Both the abandonment of the boy and the three Hessian soldiers by their respective armies seem a little contrived. The thing that is hardest to believe about this story is that the Hessians did not kill the boy. Any Hessian soldier would certainly not have taken a prisoner unless that prisoner was likely to possess valuable information. The Hessians made no attempt to interrogate the boy, so they should have killed him.
The fact that the Hessians just went to sleep with an enemy soldier in the house is completely unbelievable. All the Hessian did was to tie a rope around the boy's ankle and his own ankle. Why didn't the Hessian tie both of the boy's hands behind his back? These well-trained, strongly disciplined soldiers then slept without posting a guard. That whole situation is incredulous.
After the Hessians are all dead, the colonel tells the boy to get his gun and reminds him that it is borrowed and that he is responsible for it. The boy deliberately destroys the tavern owner's rifle in a fit of rage even though he gave his word that he would return it. He is old enough to realize that a rifle is the single most expensive possession that most men own, and he doesn't even have the courtesy to apologize to the gun's owner for not taking care of it nor does he offer to pay for it or to work to help make up for the loss.
Most other reviews talk about how the boy becomes a man in this story, but I fail to see that. The boy's views on war certainly change, but, to me, he is still the same irresponsible kid that he was in the beginning who has come close to committing treason when he awoke the Hessians. What if the Hessians had killed one or more of the Americans? The boy probably would have been hanged as a traitor, and his behavior concerning the gun was inexcusable.
Besides so many unrealistic acts that the author expects us to believe, I see several dangerous messages in this story. First, it implies that it is acceptable behavior for a 13-year-old to lie indiscriminately and to be irresponsible with the belongings of others. It shows that it is fine to run from a battle in a war and to disobey your commanding officer. That is ridiculous. In a war, soldiers cannot be permitted to decide for themselves which orders they will follow and which they will not; the result would be chaos and unnecessary loss of life. This book undermines that reality, using an anti-war tone. The boy's father is anti-war and the boy returns with that attitude as well. If all the colonists had had that attitude, our great country would never have existed.
What about George Guidall’s performance did you like?
He did a good job of reading it.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
The writer does a good job of describing the march to the battlefield, how the boy felt, and what the other soldiers were doing and feeling. There is an excellent description of the Hessian army and its reputation for savagery. Just before the battle is to commence, there is also a good description of the boy's trying to load the musket under such strenuous circumstances and about the boy's fears of looking stupid and afraid in front of the men.
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4 people found this helpful