Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Forge
    Unavailable
    Forge
    Unavailable
    Forge
    Audiobook7 hours

    Forge

    Written by Laurie Halse Anderson

    Narrated by Tim Cain

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Read the ebook instead

    About this audiobook

    The young soldiers at Valley Forge are suffering from hunger, cold, and the threat of the British army. Their newly forged bonds of friendship might be enough to help them survive. But the chains of Curzon's past threaten to shackle him again.

    Surrounded by the fires of ignorance, mistrust, and greed, Curzon can't risk sharing his deadly secrets with anyone. Does he have the mettle to hold on to his freedom? To claim his rightful place as an American? Is he strong enough to find the answer to the hardest question of all: Is Isabel still alive?

    Acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson continues the thrilling adventure started in her bestselling, award-winning novel Chains. Ride along on a gallop that will take you from battling the British at Saratoga to fighting the elements at Valley Forge to rebelling against merciless tyranny. Discover what the fight for freedom was really all about.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateOct 19, 2010
    ISBN9781423367406
    Author

    Laurie Halse Anderson

    Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author of many award-winning books including the groundbreaking modern classic Speak, a National Book Award finalist which has sold over 3.5 million copies and been translated into 35 languages. In 2023, Anderson was named the laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which is given annually to authors, illustrators, oral storytellers, and reading promoters "for their outstanding contribution to children's and young adult literature." In 2009, Anderson was selected by the American Library Association for the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature." A passionate spokesperson for the need to combat censorship and promote diversity in publishing, she has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English. Mother of four, grandmother of dragons, and wife of one, she lives in Pennsylvania.

    Related to Forge

    Related audiobooks

    Children's For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Read These Thrillers Under A Shady Tree

      Feb 16, 2024

      Watson's beautiful tribute to the baobab was first published in 2007 and this new edition is revised and expanded. As a lawyer in real life, his title is perhaps judicious because he certainly doesn't limit himself to African baobabs but includes Mad

      2 min read

    • Article

      Suspicions Of Sorcery

      Jan 19, 2023

      In the winter of 1581, Davy Thurlowe was “strangely taken” with fits. His parents, Grace and John, hired Ursley Kempe, a woman of poor reputation yet renowned as a healer. Ursley helped Davy, but took offence when the pregnant Grace Thurlowe refused

      2 min read

    • Article

      Manor Of Mystery

      May 16, 2021

      You’d think a feisty, tomboyish character such as Dorset-born Thomasina Trelora would be well suited for life in early 1800s colonial Australia, where pioneering families from England were creating lives for themselves. But the place she literally wa

      2 min read

    • Article

      NEW Book REVIEW

      Jul 7, 2023

      NEW Book REVIEW
      3 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reads

      Dec 9, 2019

      Summer Reads
      8 min read

    • Article

      Plunge Into Summer With The 10 Best Books Of July

      Jul 7, 2020

      Whether you’re hitting the road or staying put, a bumper crop of summer reads offers a welcome distraction. Dig right in.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Riders On The Storm

      Feb 28, 2021

      To achieve great things, it’s generally held that the recipe should include brains, talent, charisma or luck, preferably all four – not forgetting a more recent theory that it also takes 10,000 hours of practice. But what if an alternative route was

      10 min read

    • Article

      3 Young Adult Novels To Help You Out Of Hibernation

      Apr 9, 2019

      It's getting too nice to stay inside, but when you venture out into the sunshine, be sure to take a good book with you. And if young adult fiction is your favorite, we've got three great spring reads.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Winter Book Reviews

      Jun 3, 2022

      by Audrey Magee Published by Faber & Faber ISBN 9780571367603 $29.99 An English artist and a French linguist arrive on a remote, lightly populated Irish island. Each escaping their broken family and seeking to transform their professional fortune wit

      4 min read

    • Article

      Ties That Bind

      Jan 31, 2021

      Robert Jones Jr’s THE PROPHETS (Riverrun, $37.99) is the tale of a group of slaves at the Empty plantation in the American South, their lives ruthlessly controlled by the Halifax family and a trigger-happy clan of overseers. Treating his slaves like

      3 min read

    • Article

      New Zealand Books

      Jun 9, 2019

      Vincent O’Malley follows his magisterial survey of the war in the Waikato – The Great War for New Zealand – with a concise account of all those conflicts that come under this title. It aims to be, as the blurb elaborates, an “accessible introduction

      4 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Jun 16, 2021

      by CJ Carey (£14.99, HB, Quercus) In this alternative history, Britain has come to a post-war settlement with Nazi Germany. History and literature is being rewritten, and no one can trust or be trusted. Women are allocated ‘castes’, from the desirab

      1 min read

    • Article

      Winter Book Reviews

      Sep 4, 2020

      by Mark Laurie of South Seas Books, Port Elliot. A prolific journalist, essayist and sportswriter, Sydney-based Malcolm Knox is well known for his Walkley Award-winning exposure of Norma Khouri’s false memoir and highly regarded for his writing on cr

      4 min read

    • Article

      Top 10 Books About Chosen Families

      Aug 2, 2023

      Fairytales from Cinderella to Snow White, rituals such as “white weddings”, the valorisation of biological parenthood in mainstream culture, all reinforce a narrow idea of family as heteronormative and reproductive. But our closest and most meaningfu

      4 min read

    • Article

      Book Reviews

      Oct 11, 2016

      by Eowyn Ivey Published by Headline Publishing ISBN 9781472208613 $32.99 Eowyn Ivey’s latest novel is set in the harsh, life-threatening landscape of Alaska during the late nineteenth century. The desolate country that follows the Wolverine River nor

      4 min read

    • Article

      Summer Book Reviews

      Dec 1, 2023

      by David Grann Published by Simon & Schuster ISBN 9781398513341 $24.99 That unholiest of trinities – oil, money and murder – are reprised in this painstakingly investigated and riveting account by an award-winning journalist and author, recently rele

      4 min read

    • Article

      Book An Escape

      May 3, 2022

      By Laura Dave Prepare to sit down and not get back up until you’ve reached the last page of this buzzy book. This gripping mystery chronicles a husband’s strange disappearance and his family’s quest for the truth. This story will keep you on your toe

      1 min read

    • Article

      A Thrill A Second

      Aug 25, 2023

      Minutes after departing from Honolulu, Hawaii, one engine of Flight 1421 catches fire, causing the pilots to lose all control of the aircraft. There’s only one option open to them: an emergency landing at sea. Miraculously, they land the plane in one

      3 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Aug 14, 2022

      by Javier Zamora (One World Publications, ISBN 9780861544769) oneworldpublications.com In 1990, when Javier Zamora was one year old, his father escaped the bloody El Salvadorean civil war, taking the dangerous and illegal overland route into the Unit

      4 min read

    • Article

      Spring Book Reviews

      Oct 3, 2017

      by Mark Laurie. by Inga Simpson Published by Hachette Australia ISBN 9780733635960 $32.99 A memoir from the forest by one of Australia’s pre-eminent nature writers, and author of the acclaimed Mr Wigg, combining painterly observation, a deep curiosit

      4 min read

    • Article

      'Queen Of The Conquered' Serves Revenge With Delicacy And Savagery

      Nov 14, 2019

      In their new novel, Kacen Callender builds a vast, immersive landscape based on the colonial history of the Caribbean, but it's their morally conflicted heroine who will really hook readers.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Books Of The Month

      Jun 2, 2023

      By Sally Anne Garland Emma wishes birds would visit the concrete garden she decorates with chalk flowers – but they aren’t tempted until she begins to tend a little patch of earth. A lush, joyful picture book, full of colour and creativity. By James

      2 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Apr 11, 2022

      by Okwiri Oduor (One World Publications, ISBN 9780861543878) oneworld-publications.com Twelve-year-old Ayosa inhabits a world of blurred boundaries. Her memories pre-date her birth; wraiths, ghosts, emotions and nightmares are as real and compelling

      4 min read

    • Article

      Reviews

      Jan 25, 2024

      Reviews
      6 min read

    • Article

      International Books

      Sep 8, 2019

      Desperate to feel safe after a violent assault, a young author leaves London to teach at a university in the country. But as she navigates through student dramas and a demanding job, she realises her sense of safety is an illusion. A feeling of const

      5 min read

    • Article

      Paging Through Summer: Cool Reads For Hot Days

      Jul 16, 2021

      The 10 best books of July provide cool reads for hot days. From novels to a biography, these titles offer made-in-the-shade reading enjoyment.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Summer Book Reviews

      Dec 2, 2022

      by Inga Simpson Published by Hachette Australia ISBN 9780733634550 $32.99 Inga Simpson has outed herself as a cricket tragic. With this new novel, she will endear herself to the many others of her kind who walk among us, particularly those drawn to t

      4 min read

    Reviews for Forge

    4/5

    199 ratings23 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      What an excellent book!
    • 4/5
      This was a marvelous continuation of the series, told this time from Curzon's perspective. The first-hand glimpse at the hardships of Valley Forge were rivetting and accessible. I am very eager for the 3rd book to be released and learn more of the trials of Curzon and Isabel!
    • 5/5
      A wonderful book that emotionally engaged me as a reader, and also taught me about the important role of slaves and African-Americans in the U.S. Revolutionary War. The 2nd book in the "Seeds of America" series by Laurie Halse Anderson, this one shifts focus from Isabel to her male counterpart, Curzon. I can't wait to read #3... and have been waiting more than 2 years for it to come out! Latest news says it is to be released early 2015!
    • 4/5
      Even better than its predecessor, Chains. The story picks up right where Chains left off, only this one is narrated by Curzon. As with Chains, the level of historical detail revolving around the day-to-day life of a slave during the Revolution - as well as the conditions at Valley Forge - are layered and intimate all at once. This is a fast-paced, well told, authentically voiced story that adds onto the great work already started with the first book. I can hardly wait for Ashes!
    • 4/5
      I picked up this book for two reason: 1) The author, and 2) it's a sequel to "Chains," which I loved. Although I love historical fiction, I don't particulary like American Revolution-era stories. Well, this book ambushed me! I trudged through the first few chapters; picking it up, putting it down, picking it up again, ad infinitum. At times I laughed with Curzon's humor, or frowned over the conditions our Continental soldiers endured, but mostly I found the the plot slow. And then one day it happened; I found I couldn't put the book down. I sought out every opportunity to jump back into the story. I reluctantly slid the bookmark in between the pages whenever life demanded my immediate attention. I glanced longingly at the cover, eager for the next time I could pick the book up again and find out what Curzon was up to. This effect, the going from, "I'm not all that interested, but I'm reading it because I should" to "Leave me alone until I finish this story" is the mark of a talented writer. Anderson's ability to weave the strands of a story so craftily that it wraps itself around the reader is remarkable. The story of Curzon and Isabel is addictive, and I can't wait to consume "Ashes" when it arrives on my bookshelf.
    • 5/5
      In this sequel to Chains, Curzon and Isabel are separated. He enlists as a union soldier, believing she is heading south to locate her sister, Ruth. While serving and stationed at Valley Forge, he is retaken as a slave, he finds that Isabel has also been taken.
    • 5/5
      I loved Chains, the companion book to Forge. Laurie Halse Anderson does a brilliant job of believable storytelling, incorporating accurate historical details and giving the characters believable voices and dialog. She really brought the winter camp at Valley Forge to life for me. She brought actual people, like George Washington, into the story in ways that didn't fictionalize actual history. I hope you write more historical fiction, Laurie Halse Anderson! I listened to the audio version, and loved the voice actor's telling of the story. I could listen to Tim Cain all day, and was sorry when the book was finished. Now if I could just get more than one student in my high school to read it!
    • 5/5
      In this sequel to Chains, Curzon and Isabel are separated. He enlists as a union soldier, believing she is heading south to locate her sister, Ruth. While serving and stationed at Valley Forge, he is retaken as a slave, he finds that Isabel has also been taken.
    • 3/5
      I do like historical fiction, but I don't like excessive descriptions of suffering, hunger, and grime. (Also why I don't watch Game of Thrones, nor will I see Snow White and the Huntsman.) That said, it is incredibly interesting to read about the role of slaves during the Revolutionary War, and the irony of fighting for freedom, knowing they were not really ever going to be free. Looking forward to the next book in this series.
    • 4/5
      Phenomenal reading. Excellent research. Gritty story of survival and friendship.
    • 5/5
      This sequel to Chains is a stunning work of historical nonfiction! The terror of battle, the misery of Valley Forge, the brutal idignities of slavery are all brought vividly and comellingly to life in this brilliantly written, totally engrossing novel.
    • 4/5
      You know, I feel like I went into both Chains and Forge feeling like they were going to be books that were good for me, "important books," and forgetting that I love Laurie Halse Anderson simply because she writes such good stories. Yeah there was crunchy goodness mixed in here with historical details that I'd never known before, particulary relating to African American experiences during the Revolutionary War, but it's also a great survival story with really engaging characters that you care about. Even with all the historical details, it's not a slow read either which is a hard thing to pull off. I'll be looking forward to the next (final?) volume.
    • 4/5
      Anderson continues her story of two black children during the Revolutionary War, this time from the point of view of Curzon. It is winter, and the army is on the move to Valley Forge. Isabel is gone. The camp seems to have little by way of supplies. Can Curzon find Isabel, or, more importantly, can he survive the winter?

      I don't think you have to read the first book in the series to understand this one, but it would give you some background information.
    • 4/5
      Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson is the second book in her Chains YA series that is set during the American Revolution. In this book, the story follows the American army over the winter that they were in camp at Valley Forge. What helps to make these books so compelling is that these stories are told from the viewpoint to two young black slaves who desire their freedom above all, and this, contrasted with the story of a young country battling for it’s own freedom makes for an engrossing read. I picked up the book expecting to continue with the story of Isabel, a young girl who had been promised freedom by her mistress upon her death. Instead of the freedom she craved, the greedy heir separated her from her younger sister and sold them separately. Instead this book picks up the story of Curzon, a young black soldier, whom Isabel nursed and together they escaped from their captivity in New York.Recaptured and now with the army at Valley Forge, they must try and make another bid for freedom. Along with their story, we learn of the difficult conditions the American Patriots endured at Valley Forge, where frigid temperatures and starvation claimed the lives of over two thousand soldiers. Laurie Halse Anderson has done extensive research into these books, and many of the episodes in the lives of Isabel and Curzon are loosely based on actual slaves’ experiences which adds an emotional impact. Her historical references are well documented and she provides both backup facts and a reading list in the Appendix of the book. I highly recommend both Chains and Forge and I definitely plan on following these two fascinating characters as they continue on their quest for freedom down a road littered with broken promises, lies and cruelty.
    • 5/5
      "This camp is a forge for the army; it's testing our qualities. Instead of heat and hammer, our trials are cold and hunger. Question is, what are we made of?"The war for American freedom is the setting for Curzon and Isabel's fight for their own freedom. They have escaped New York and their respective slaveowning masters,but while Isabel is determined to get to South Carolina to find and free her little sister, Curzon thinks it is utter stupidity to head into the waiting traps of the slavehunters betwen New Jersey and Charleston. Isabel runs away, and Curzon rejoins the Continental Army after saving a soldier's life. The Army desperately needs both soldiers and supplies as they head into the brutal winter months at Valley Forge... where conditions are miserable at best, and deadly at worst. With the help of the soldiers in his company, Curzon survives being without proper shelter and clothing, having to eat soup made from boiled leather, and then going without shoes in the ice and snow when his are stolen. But nothing is worse than the day the Congressional Committee rides in to see the poor conditions at Valley Forge for themselves, and Curzon recognizes his old master, Bellingham. Forced to return to slavery because Bellingham refuses to tell the truth about his promise to free him if he would enlist, Curzon discovers that the other slave Bellingham now owns is none other than Isabel, who wears a metal collar and padlock contraption to prevent her running away again. Strong characters with difficult choices, racism and prejudice of the times, great plot twists and famous Revolutionary leaders! This would be a fantastic read for any 8th grader since we are studying the American Revolution in the fall, but anyone who enjoys excellent historical fiction would like this too. It's a knockout!
    • 3/5
      The focus of Forge is moves from strength to strength to strength; conditions are getting desperate in the Valley Forge and as the middle of winter falls upon the solders so does starvation and death. Here with this all going on around him Curzon the boy becomes Curzon the young man. In addition to the hardships of soldiering, he lives with the fear of discovery, for he is an escaped slave passing for free. And then there is Isabel, who is also at Valley Forge—against her will. She and Curzon have to sort out the tangled threads of their friendship while figuring out what stands between the two of them and true freedom.I was slightly disappointed with this sequel, I thought it would be as good as Chains, whether it was the male protagonist for the writing style I am not sure. I look forward to the the next book Ashes to see how the story ends.
    • 4/5
      sequel to Chains, just as enjoyable as the first. now to wait for the third in the trilogy... 
    • 3/5
      A decent follow-up to "Chains," but not nearly as good.The focus in this book shifts from Isabel to Curazon after their flight from slavery. Curazon has joined the army after becoming a free man, but learns the demands set upon him (cold weather, lack of warm clothes and little to no shelter) are difficult but worth it.Only when Isabel comes back into the story does it become alive. Curazon is a lovely character, but he has nowhere near the magnetism and energy that Isabel does. It's hard to base a book around a character that's meant to have a supporting role.Halse Anderson does a great job in depicting the horrors of Valley Forge, but I just wish Isabel had entered the picture a bit earlier.
    • 5/5
      This is the sequel to the amazing book Chains. Curzon is a slave, supposedly freed, who is mistreated by his boss and ends up fighting for the Revolultionary War and eventually at Valley Forge. LIke Chains, it is an eye-opening look at the treatment of African Americans during that war. It took me a bit to get into the story because Curzon was just a secondary character in Chains and I really wanted to find out what happened to Isabel, but once I got into Curzon's character, I loved the book. Can't wait for the third which I assume will be about both of them together! PS Although girls who read Chains will like this, it is a great one for boys. And they don't need to have read the first one.
    • 5/5
      Sequel to Chains. Told from the perspective of Curzon, after he and Isabel run away. They've gotten separated, so Curzon joins up with the army fighting the British, until his old master stumbles across him and forces him into slavery again, where he surprisingly reunites with Isabel and they plot a second escape.
    • 5/5
      Like Chains, Forge hits in the gut. Curzon is more likable than Isabel, and his circumstances just as horrific. I think teens reading the books would be left, as I am, desperate to hear what these two do next.
    • 5/5
      I have been waiting for this book ever since the last page of Chains. I was thrilled when my friend sent me a signed copy from the ALA Convention. If you have read any reviews, you know by now that this story focuses on Curzon's side of things. Initially, I was disappointed to find out I wouldn't be finding out about Isabel and Ruth the moment I opened the book, but I soon became enamored with this story. The main setting is the Civil War, Valley Forge. True to Ms. Anderson's amazing characterization in all of her novels, this band of brothers jumps off the page and continues to evolve throughout the story. After reading this book, the story and characters are so real to me that I feel that I've seen the movie. (Is anyone going to make a movie?)The only thing that disappoints is the waiting for the 3rd book!
    • 5/5
      Another brilliant historical thriller/drama from Laure Halse Anderson. Nice to see the POV shift from Isabel to Curzon, as well as the massive amount of research LHA put into studying the time of the Revolutionary War. As usual, I can't wait to read the next book in the series - I hope the next one is told in Isabel's voice, though.