The Fighting Ground | Avi

The Fighting Ground is a 1984 historical fiction novel by Avi about a 13-year-old boy, Jonathan, who runs away from his New Jersey farm to join the American Revolutionary War, only to have his romanticized ideas of battle shattered by the brutal realities of combat over a single, intense day. The story follows his disillusionment as he experiences the confusion, fear, and violence of war firsthand, exploring themes of coming-of-age, the harshness of conflict, and the internal struggle between idealism and reality.