Summarised opinion: fun adventure book for young readers that inspired the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (you might’ve seen the films). Popular with boys.
Published date: 1937
Author: J.R.R Tolkein
Genre: Fantasy
SYNOPSIS
It tells the story of a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who is recruited by the wizard Gandalf to join a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its treasure from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, they encounter a variety of obstacles and creatures, including trolls, goblins, and a Gollum. Bilbo proves himself to be a brave and resourceful companion, and ultimately helps the group achieve their goal. The story is full of adventure, danger, and humour, and has become a classic of fantasy literature.
Notes
- 📝 Ideal for 11+ prep: this is a popular fantasy book that has inspired many other fantasy fiction novels and should make it easier for students to understand other books in the same genre.
- 📚Words your child might get stuck on (Inside the Amazon Sample & based on my experience with 11+ students): prosperous, scuttled, depredations, solemn, ingenious, estimable
- ⚠️ Inexperienced readers may get lost around the second page: this is when the narrator stops describing hobbits and goes on a brief tangent to describe ‘Belladona Took’ and her history with the Baggins family.
Audio & Visual Aids
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is available on Amazon Prime Video
The film is rated 12 due to scenes of violence and ‘frightening images’.
- A Colour Illustrated picture book is available on Amazon
The book contains a map and various pictures per paragraph. This might be helpful for inexperienced readers.
- There’s a popular graphic novel of the Hobbit
But the age rating on Amazon is 12 to 17. As there’s no free sample, I cannot tell whether there are drawings too graphic for children, but there appear to be reviews on Amazon of parents giving this book to children as young as 5.
