Book Review: The Hobbit

Review by Elinor

Title: The Hobbit

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien

Rating: 5/5

Plot: Bilbo Baggins was a completely normal hobbit. He lived in his cozy hobbit-hole and all he wanted was to live the simple, quiet life of any other hobbit. He never asked for the adventure that he is quickly thrown into (thanks to the wizard, Gandalf). He embarks on a journey to assist a group of dwarves regain their kingdom by being their "burglar"; and along the way brings into his possession The One Ring of Power. 

I thought the plot of this story was absolutely amazing! It had so many twists that were completely unexpected, and Bilbo's over-all situation was quite funny. Tolkien truly knew how to weave a story together, and how to relate fantastical things to our own lives. 

Characters: I loved the way that there were so many different characters, who each seemed to represent a different part of ourselves. There really wasn't a way to relate to only one of them, because I was able to see a bit of myself (whether I liked it or not) in each one of the characters (ok, so Gollum was a bit harder to relate to, as was the Master of Lake Town :)). The depth that I got to know each of the characters is actually making me miss them now.

Emotions: Tolkien did a brilliant job of capturing nearly every emotion. Happiness, sadness, joy, anger, victory, defeat, fear, love, guilt, loyalty, and the odd feeling of coming home again after an indescribable adventure. One was truly able to feel each of these things with the characters, and Tolkien's writing style towards these feelings is so different than anything I've read before.

My Thoughts: This book is quite possibly the best fiction I've ever read, and I know it's one of those stories that I will always love. It truly awakened my imagination, and Middle-earth has become one of those places that I deeply wish was real (maybe not, if we're counting the dragons, goblins, and Necromancer ;)). I would probably recommend it for ages 12+, just because the writing style was so deep (which, by the way, was one of the main reasons that I loved it so much), at some points it felt like you almost had to translate it. I just think it would better hold the attention of a 12+ audience, unless you're just way above your average reading level. Thank you so much Mr. Tolkien for sharing your incredible imagination with the world!

Favorite Quotes: 

"Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking stick"

"I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging,"

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world"

Book Review: The Horse and His Boy

Review By Marianne

Title: The Chronicles of Narnia Book 3: The Horse and His Boy

Author: C.S. Lewis

Rating: 5/5

Age Recommendation: 12+

Plot: A young boy named Shasta lives alone with his fisherman father. The fisherman is unkind to Shasta, and only keeps him there to work. So one day when a rich Tarkaan (or lord) comes by asking to buy Shasta as a slave, the fisherman is eager to get a good price. Shasta then discovers that the Tarkaan's horse, Bree can talk! And that Bree wants to run far away to the beautiful lands of Narnia. The two run away from the Tarkaan together and embark on a strange and beautiful journey filled with adventure, lions, and new friends.

I loved this book! I could easily say that of the three Narnia books that I've read, this one was the best! I felt I could connect with the characters better in this one than either of the others. It's an amazing book that I would most definitely recommend!

Characters: My favorite character would have to be Shasta. He is very sweet and humble but still has struggles to overcome. He matures and changes so much during the journey, that he hardly seems like the same person. Bree was quite the humorous character as he was very prideful and not afraid to tell you what a wonderful horse he was. He, too changes quite a bit during their journey.

Emotion: This book contained many different emotions. There were several times that I laughed out loud making Elinor wonder what had humored me so. There were also times that were sad, and times that were victorious.

My Thoughts: Overall this is an amazing book. It surpasses the others in the series and makes me wonder why they didn't make a movie for it. It portrays each and every character in an unforgettable way and offers much entertainment! The only reason I recommended ages 12+ were because of the reading level. There are some parts that may be hard for younger children to understand. However, this does not by any means mean that you or your child may not be able to read it!

Book Review: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

Title: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Author: C. S. Lewis

Rating: 5/5

Plot: The four children Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, are sent away from their mother due to air-raids going on in London during WW2. They go to temporarily live with a strange old professor in his mansion until it is safe for them to return home. While there, the youngest of them, Lucy, steps in to an old wardrobe only to find herself transported to a completely different world, and eventually, all four of the children enter! There they meet many new friends and enemies, and embark on a strange new adventure to find Aslan, and defeat the White Witch.

I really enjoyed this book! If you have seen the Narnia movies (as I have) you will already know the story, but it is still definitely worth reading! I loved seeing all of the characters' thoughts and feelings on such a deep level (as it is sometimes hard to do with a movie).

Characters: As I said, I saw the movies prior to reading the book so therefore, I already "knew" the characters. However, being able to really read what they each think and feel in every situation was quite a treat! My favorite character (besides Aslan) would have to be Lucy. 

Emotion: C. S. Lewis explains both scenes and emotions in such a strange way that it makes it easy to "see" the story and how it's taking place. I know that sounds kind of weird, but it's true! Read it and you'll see!

My Thoughts: This was a very good book that I would highly recommend! It isn't very long, so I think an 8+ audience would greatly enjoy this adventure. And of course I absolutely adored the main message of this story: Jesus Christ is our Savior and Conqueror. He died for our sins because He loves us so much and then later, rose form the dead.

Favorite Quote:

"Perhaps it has happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don't understand but in the dream it feels as if it has some enormous meaning - either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning to lovely to put into words, which make the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again."

Movie Review: The Hobbit, Desolation of Smaug

   Hello! We are so sorry for the crazy delay of posts... We've had a bit of a stomach bug going around the house and have been unable to write them. Anyway, we feel much better now, so here's that Movie Review we promised!

Title: The Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug

Rating: PG-13

Our Rating: 5/5

Plot: Bilbo Baggins continues on his journey with 13 dwarves and the wizard Gandalf. He encounters giant spiders, the wood elves, the skin-changer Beorn, and a mysterious man named Bard. All to retrieve the Arkenstone from the clutches of an evil dragon called Smaug; and reunite the dwarf kingdom under the reign of Thorin Oakenshield.

   We thought that this movie was amazing! It really kept you on the edge of your seat until the very end. We talked about it for about three days after we watched it, and are greatly anticipating the release of the third and final movie in this trilogy.

Bilbo: Bilbo is a rather comical character, being a home-body who has no taste for adventures in the beginning, the poor fellow goes through a great deal of discomfort. In this movie, you begin to see his adventurous side as well as his cunning abilities.

Smaug: Smaug is the evil dragon that stole the dwarve's Arkenstone and destroyed their kingdom. He now guards the Lonely Mountain (the dwarve's previous home), and lives among the mountains of gold and jewels there. He will not give up his riches without a fight.

Gandalf: Gandalf is the wizard that brings the dwarves together to regain their kingdom. He is also the one that pulls Bilbo into the story as the group's "burglar" :). Gandalf is much more than he seems, and fights fearlessly to defend his friends.

The Dwarves: Thirteen dudes of pure awesomeness. These guys are seriously hard core and will fight even a dragon to take back their beloved kingdom. Thorin is the leader, and the rightful ruler of the Lost Kingdom Under the Mountain.

Tauriel: Tauriel is a wood-elf who sets out to defeat the evil that is encroaching on her kingdom. She also develops feelings for the dwarf named Kili. She is willing to go against the wishes of her king if it means that good will prevail over evil.

Legolas: Legolas is the prince of the Wood Elves and leader of their army. He joins Tauriel in looking to defeat the growing evil around their kingdom. He has growing feelings for Tauriel, but his father disapproves.

Bard: Bard is a bargeman that lives in the town near the Lonely Mountain. He helps the group enter by smuggling them into the town and hiding them in his home. He has reasons of his own for wanting to defeat the dragon.

Elinor's Thoughts: When I saw this movie in December when it came out, I absolutely LOVED it! At that point my sister was a bit unsure of the Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit movies, she didn't really know if they were something she would like; but when I went on and on about how great this movie was, I talked her in to watching them with me and now she loves them just as much as I do!

I love this movie and everything about it! Being that I am currently working through the book, I loved seeing how well the actors portrayed the characters and truly bringing them to life. I will warn those that have read the book however, that there were several elements to the movie that were not included in the book. There wasn't a change the actual story, but there were some new turns to the story. This didn't bother me at all (in fact I rather enjoyed the new plot twist), but if you are a huge fan of the book and wouldn't want changes to it I thought I might point this out. I would definitely recommend this movie, but (depending on maturity level and fear of orcs) probably a 12+ audience.

Marianne's Thoughts: This. Movie. Is. Awesome. Ha! That's pretty much the best way to sum it up! While the first Hobbit movie (The Unexpected Journey) was great, this one totally passed it and I can't wait to see the next!  I've seen all the Lord of the Rings movies and didn't think this would top them... I'm not sure if it tops the third Lord of the Rings (Return of the King)  but it comes really close! Now, I will warn you, there are some rather frightening/violent scenes in this movie, and it is not appropriate for children, but it is SO worth your time! It's about 3 to 3 1/2 hours long, so you need to be able to just sit down and enjoy watching it. It is an amazing movie that combines action and adventure with a super complex and interesting story-line. It's absolutely WONDERFUL! One of the only things about this movie that doesn't make it better than the Lord of the Rings, is the absence of Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's best friend. I know they couldn't have put him in this movie, after all, Bilbo is Frodo's uncle, but still, I just kinda missed Sam (you can read about him in our fourth Book Friends post). :) But overall, this is definitely one of my all-time favorite movies!

Book Friends #4

Marianne's Choice:

Princess Una from Heartless

By Anne Elizabeth Stengl

   I would LOVE to be friends with princess Una! That was one thing I noticed while reading her story. That she didn't really have any good friends and sometimes, (quite often actually) she just needed someone to shake some sense into her (a good friend will always be happy to do that for you)! She was sweet but she had many lessons to learn from the beginning of the book, and matured quite a bit throughout the story. 

   Like it sometimes turns out, she didn't realize how blessed she was until she lost everything. Not only was her every need met, but nearly every want she could ever have was met. She had an amazing home and many people loved her. It took her quite awhile to come to her senses but when she did, she was quite a beautiful character. She, for many reasons, was an unforgettable character.

  You can read my book review on Heartless HERE! You can read Elinor's book review on Heartless HERE!

Elinor's Choice:

Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings

by J.R.R Tolkien

   Ok let's be honest here, who has seen or read The Lord of the Rings and not loved Sam? Who wouldn't want to have him as their best friend? Sam is kind and gentle, but willing to fight for what matters to him. He is the friend that doesn't give up on you even when you give up on yourself. He is incredibly loyal, and someone you just couldn't say anything bad about.

  Sam is one of the most endearing characters ever. There just couldn't be a better friend to have. He's someone that you can grow close to pretty quickly. He is just someone that perfectly portrays true friendship, and that's all there really is to it.

Book Review: Heartless

Review By Marianne

Title: Heartless, Book 1 in The Goldstone Wood Series

Author: Anne Elizabeth Stengl

Rating: 5/5
Age Recommendation: 10+

Plot:  Princess Una of Parumvir has come of age and her mind is filled with daydreams of romantic suitors come to pay their respects (which, according to Una means, "to investigate marriage possibilities with the resident princess.") Soon Prince Aethelbald of Farthestshore comes to her kingdom and proclaims his love for her. The only problem with this is, he is not nearly as exiting, romantic and dashing as she had hoped. She instead, is interested in another prince who better meets her ideals, and refuses to pay heed to Aethelbald's warnings of a perilous monster on its way to her kingdom. She sees no fault in ignoring Aethelbald and his news of a coming threat, until it is far too late.

This. Book. Is. Awesome. That's the only way to describe it. AWESOME! I absolutely adored every part of it! Elinor enjoyed as well and you can read her review HERE! The plot to this book was very interesting and keeps you on the edge of your seat! There weren't any dry and boring parts to this book and every moment was absolutely marvelous!

Characters: My favorite character would have to be Aethelbald (duh!) But Una's little brother, Felix was very cool too! The "perilous monster" was... how shall I put this? Extremely creepy but, I wanted to learn more about him at the same time you know? Altogether, the characters in this book are some of the best developed and easy to connect to that I have ever read about!

Emotion: There were so many! Most of the time the kingdom of Parumvir had a cheerful and sweet feeling, but there was a point when it was very dark and hopeless. I don't want to give to much away, but you know that scenario where you're in this building and the Bad Guy is somewhere there too but you don't know where, and you have two choices, leave the room you're in and try to get out, but face the fear of running right into him, or stay put and wait for him to find you? Yeah, that is depicted very well in this book. And that scenario is like, the Ultimate Nightmare for me. But I loved that scene too! I'm kind of weird like that.

My Thoughts: Overall, this is an amazing book and if you haven't read it, you're really missing out. It has that really cool fantasy feeling, but it is also kind of your classic knight in shining armor type thing as well! There was nothing inappropriate in this book, but just because of the genre and reading level, I would recommend it to mainly a 12+ audience. It's totally worth reading and I am SO exited to read the rest of The Goldstone Wood series! 

Favorite Quote:

" 'I am here.' Aethelbald stepped in the room. His clothing was worn and burned, his face lined with care. 'I have come for my sword.' "