November 4

‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.R Tolkien

the-hobbit-graphic-novelThe Hobbit, an unexpected journey, when Bilbo Baggins joins Gandalf, the great wizard and a group of 13 dwarves to salvage an embezzled treasure.

 

Bilbo Baggins was an ordinary hobbit who lives in a hole in the ground, a nice and comfortable hole. He was short and fat, yet he was a respectable kind of hobbit. Bilbo’s life changed dramatically when he agreed to help Gandalf, an old, magical and wise wizard, to retrieve his ancestor’s jewel.

 

Through the somber and mystical forest they fought their way past many goblins who tried to stop them in their tracks, climbed jagged mountains where they escaped immense storms striking at them with every step they took. This lengthy journey led them to the cave of the great dormant dragon, Smaug. This was the day which they have been dreading all their lives, entering the cave of the great Smaug to retrieve their stolen treasure. Will they make it out still alive? Will they be able to find the treasure in time before the dragon wakes up? This is your time to find out.

 

I would recommend this book to all those from the ages 8 and up whom like reading fantasy and like adventurous books. The depth of the vocabulary is very difficult at times. For this reason I would not recommend this book for anyone under the age of eight to prevent being discouraged from reading.

 

This book has a great story line. It is intriguing, especially when you want to know more about some characters. Other times the story line can get uninteresting, especially at the start of the book as the characters are introduced.

 

By Sebastien F., Year 9

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Meet Bilbo Baggins, a polite and conservative creature of habit who isn’t the adventurous type; a hobbit that enjoys his own routine and his peaceful life in his hobbit hole. Never would he have guessed that all this would change when Gandalf the wizard and thirteen dwarves invited him on an unexpected journey filled with mystery, action and adventure to claim back long lost treasure from the vicious dragon, Smaug.

Set in Middle Earth, a beautiful place with astonishing views and land that can sometimes be unforgiving, the brave group has to battle through the massive and treacherous Mirkwood forest, the windy and perilous Misty Mountains and extraordinarily wide rivers filled with trolls, goblins, elves and giant spiders. The Hobbit is a classic tale with an amazingly detailed description of Middle Earth by Tolkien.

I enjoyed the book, The Hobbit because it is a story of belief and self-confidence as well as one of action and adventure. In the beginning, Bilbo is afraid of the dwarves and Gandalf and reluctantly joins them on their quest. But as the story eventuates, Bilbo grows as a hobbit and develops confidence within himself to believe he can take on the adventure and do things he never would have imagined himself doing.

Tolkien’s description throughout the book is fantastically detailed and vibrant and really did paint a picture in my head. There was never a boring minute reading this book as it is filled with different battles or dilemmas to keep me wanting to read on.

       I recommend this book to 10 – 18 year olds and perhaps young adults who are interested in fantasy, mysterious and thrilling tales and enjoy a great adventure and action story. This book is a fantastic read. I would rate The Hobbit 4 out of 5 stars.

 

Shane M. Year 9

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      Bilbo Baggins is a unadventurous little hobbit who rarely leaves the safety of his little Hobbit hole. So when Gandalf proposes a highly dangerous, high risk adventure of uncertain troubles and endeavours, Bilbo is unsurprisingly very sceptical about whether to go. However, after Gandalf “persuades” Bilbo to go along, Bilbo finds himself getting stronger and making friends and enemies. The perilous journey is littered with goblins, bears, wolves… the list goes on. Bilbo and his companions get into situations that make you wonder how he will ever get back to his friends, or see them again. As you read The Hobbit, you start to admire Bilbo Baggins as he continually shows his companions and himself his intellect and courage in times of great peril.

      There are many other fantastic characters in this story, other than Bilbo Baggins, surrounded by mystery such as Gandalf, Beorn and Gollum. Beorn was my favorite character in this novel, a good example of how interesting some of the various characters are that you will meet in this book.

      With an excellent conclusion making you want to read more, The Hobbit is a perfect prequel to The Lord Of The Rings. I assure you, you’ll find yourself reading The Lord Of The Rings series after this, as I have. If you like adventurous, imaginative and surprising stories, then I highly recommend you to read this book.

      You will really appreciate the world Tolkien has created and how much depth he goes into when telling the story and describing the world. For these reasons, I would rate The Hobbit overall a 5 out of 5 mainly because of the overall readability and just how well written the book is.

      Michael D’Enett Year 9.            

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The Hobbit (Revised Edition) by J.R.R Tolkien is one of the most known and loved fantasy books. First published in 1937, this graphic version of the novel was published in 2006.

 The Hobbit is a far more cheerful story than the Lord of the Rings. This book introduces the unforgettable Bilbo, Gandalf and Gollum.

 This book is full of adventure and bravery. But soon the Shire is left behind and Bilbo, our reluctant hero, encounters Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Eagles and Wizards as the party passes through Rivendell, The Misty Mountains and Mirkwood on their way to the Lonely Mountain, in order to take back treasure stolen by the great dragon Smaug.

 This is just a part of the story. One day an old man comes with a staff and a high pointed blue hat, a long grey coat, and an extremely long white beard that ends down below his stomach. This is Gandalf, a powerful wizard, who you will get to know very well, if you read this book. Bilbo already knows Gandalf from when he was a child.

 Gandalf says to Bilbo that he needs Bilbo go to the lonely mountain and kill the Dragon and reclaim the stolen treasure.

             Bilbo doesn’t believe he’s the one that Gandalf is looking for. Gandalf cuts a secret mark on Bilbo’s front door and at tea time next day thirteen dwarves all go into Bilbo’s hole for tea. It’s not just for tea it’s the final planning meeting for a great mission.

 One of the dwarves in Bilbo’s house was Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain son of Thror, King under the Mountain. The treasure and the kingdom is Thorin’s inheritage, but the kingdom was taken over by a dragon Smaug. Now the Dragon sleeps in the middle of the mountain on his massive hill of treasure.

 Bilbo has been happy living a quiet life, but he is about to see that evil and marvels which rule the wilderland.

 One of the main things in the book is when Bilbo finds a magic ring, right in the middle of the Misty Mountains. The ring is a pretty useful thing to find, because it enables Bilbo to escape from His enemies. The ring makes the wearer invisible.

 Later in the book Bilbo becomes a different person. He relies on himself more then he did before.

 This is a story that looks to grow in the telling. It seems like the characters are taken out of fairy stories, elves, trolls, dragons and shape-changers, but the reasons and reactions of the characters are really convincing.

 The Hobbit is a book that can be liked by people aged 12+. The reason why I liked it so much is because it has such a good story line, plus it’s like a comic book and I like comic books.

 Aidan, Year 9

 

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Posted November 4, 2013 by marjk in category Adventure stories, Student Reviews

About the Author

Teacher-librarian at Aquinas College, Southport, Gold Coast, Australia

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