The Fighting Ground
by Avi

The book I read is The Fighting Ground by Avi. It is a great book, especially if you like war books, because this is all about war. I think this is an interesting war book because it is written for kids, so it’s easier to understand.

This book is about a boy, Jonathan, who wants to go to war, but his dad won’t let him. He sneaks off to go and fight for his country anyway. After a big battle against the Hessians that he thinks his side lost, he runs away from the battlefield. Later, he is captured by enemy soldiers; they all sneak into an empty house where Jonathan finds a little boy. Will he and the boy ever escape? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

What I like about the book is that the author didn’t have everybody speak English. Some spoke other languages, like German. Another thing I liked is that the author told about history, but kids still understand it. An important concept is that she told about death but didn’t get too graphic. What I like best is that she gets very detailed in describing how the characters felt.

I think the message is that on one side Jonathan thinks he should do his duty for his country. On the other side, his father doesn’t want to put him in that dangerous situation. I think this is a very educational book and every one should read it. Overall I think this is a great book.

Reviewed by John 10/02