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Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World cover art

Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World

Written by: Scott McCormick
Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi,Samantha Turret,Khristine Hvam,Gabriel Vaughan,Josh Hurley
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Publisher's Summary

Exclusively on Audible, hilarious history for ages eight and up

Did you know that most of our dinosaur fossils were discovered because two grown men absolutely hated each other? It’s true! 

Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World is a riotous audio exclusive, like if Monty Python taught your history class. Each volume of four 30-minute histories will dig into the petty name-calling and grumbling grudges that led to many of the world’s greatest advancements, all delivered with a cheeky sense of humor. 

Choose sides: Cope or Marsh, the jerks who discovered so many dinosaurs; Hamilton or Burr, whose rivalry fueled American politics; Queen Elizabeth or Mary Queen of Scots, who fought to rule England; Adidas or Puma, whose rivalry changed the world of sports and fashion. 

Kidnappings, rock fights, duels, and explosions, Rivals! shows world leaders at their absolute best and their worst, often at the same time. 

©2018 Scott McCormick (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC.

What listeners say about Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World

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Fun!

I wasn't sure about this audiobook at first. I normally prefer much longer books but the frenemies theme just sounded too good to pass up. I definitely don't regret it! Not only did I learn a lot but I was thoroughly entertained doing it. Cope and Marsh had to have been my favorite of the four rivals. Who knew archaeology could be so cut throat... well maybe archaeologists but I sure didn't. The only thing I didn't like about this is that it was over far too soon.

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2 people found this helpful

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So entertaining!

I loved this book and how it was performed, with all the extra characters and background noises. The stories were very interesting to listen to and I really enjoyed learning about some history!

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2 people found this helpful

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  • Tom
  • 2019-10-04

short but fun

makes one realize that sometimes good comes out events that one would not expect to bring about good

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1 person found this helpful

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history and humour

loved it. 4 great rivalries told in a way to pull you in and want to know it all.

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1 person found this helpful

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Nice funny

Awesome make a new one please and funny so Avenue please😂 or you can do something else

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Rivalries can be deadly!

This is a short and fun look into famous historical rivalries. Not all end in death, but they are all nasty.
Enjoyable and well narrated.

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  • Overall
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Great for history fans, young and old

Loved this series. My kids really enjoyed it. Felt a bit rushed, the speech, sometimes faster than you can keep track of all the names. But overall great. Thanks for all the info at the end about what books to check out.

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Intriguing narrative

Greatly enjoyed this work: gave good perspective on significant historical moments, in a memorable way.

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    4 out of 5 stars

interesting

I enjoyed the storys, very interesting read with some humor thrown in for good measure

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Interesting Trivia, or not so Trivial

Interesting trivia or not so trivial! Narrated in a funny way. Hilarious. You really want to know these stories. Recommend!

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  • Jetjaguar15
  • 2019-07-08

Warning for parents...

This selection was marketed to children. It is very entertaining and educational, and my kids have enjoyed it. However, if I had known about the cursing, I probably would not have let my kids listen to it.

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196 people found this helpful

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  • Miamigrrl
  • 2019-05-26

Sorry I waited so long to listen to this

I put this in my Wish List quite a while ago but every time I reviewed my list I couldn't get excited about listening to it. Finally, when nothing else appealed to me I bought it. What luck for me because it was so entertaining and educational. Possible spoilers coming up! There are 4 "cases" - the first one I had never heard of - Cope v. Marsh, 19th century paleontologists. Sounds boring, right? Far from it. I think the next was Queen Elizabeth v. Mary Queen of Scots. I was quite familiar with this one but it was till entertaining and I got a few new nuggets. Puma v. Adidas was new to me and fascinating. Burr v. Hamilton we all know but I for one did not now the exact details. My only complaint about this is that it is only 3 hours - I WANT MORE! Hoping for a sequel.

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136 people found this helpful

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  • Kindle Customer
  • 2018-06-07

Good for all ages

The author has done a wonderful job of turning chunks of history into great stories good for all ages.

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63 people found this helpful

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  • Jenny W.
  • 2019-02-17

We want more!

Bought this on a whim knowing I had some drive time for the holidays with my 8 year old son. This has been an amazing listen for all of us! We have learned some new things and been thoroughly entertained at the same time. Our kids are asking if there are more - and we certainly would love to see this become a series!

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57 people found this helpful

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  • R. L. Ortinez
  • 2018-07-18

Great Listen with Kids

Such a fantastic book to listen to with all of my children aged 5 to 12. I learned lots and it piqued my interest to read some of their biographies!

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  • Loan man
  • 2019-07-12

The extra sound effects are distracting

The story is interesting and well done with some good humor but the extra effects of voices and sounds got old in the first story. Overall it’s a solid free original just lose the extra sounds and voices. I almost didn’t finish it when I kept hearing “Jersey” shouted in a stupid fake accent each time the state was mentioned.

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44 people found this helpful

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  • Ohsman
  • 2019-07-11

Good book but some historical errors.

I liked listening to this book. I really enjoyed the shoe wars. But he claims that it is 100% accurate. When he is talking about the rivalry between Durr and Hamilton, he talks about the Republican Party. The problem is there was no Republican Party at that time. There was, however, a Wig Party. The Republican Party did start until the mid 1800’s.

Please don’t claim to be 100% accurate and have a clear error as this in your book.

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  • Jonathan
  • 2018-07-21

Interesting stories but....

If this is supposed to be for kids, it would seem a goal is to desensitize them with the use of inappropriate language. It could be very good otherwise.

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32 people found this helpful

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  • Wayne
  • 2019-07-08

Fun history!

RIVALS! is a light and fun look at three rivalries. The book is appropriate for children at least 10 years old and would have been appropriate for younger children except for the silly adult humor.

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  • Adam M Blood
  • 2019-07-27

Story is good, but...

It’s a good story, but the interjections and catch phrases greatly detract from an otherwise good story. It feels like it cheapens it.

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29 people found this helpful