Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable and quiet life. His contentment is disturbed one day when the wizard, Gandalf, and the dwarves arrive to take him away on an adventure. Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out on to the floor when he casught a sudden thin ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaugs left eye. He was only pretending to sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance! Whisked from his comfortable hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves. Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon
This book has been graded for interest at 13 years.
This book is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed. This book was published in 2008 by HarperCollins Publishers .
J. R. R. Tolkien was was born on the 3rd January, 1892 at Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State, but at the age of four he and his brother were taken back to England by their mother. After his father's death the family moved to Sarehole, on the south-eastern edge of Birmingham. In 1920 Tolkien was appointed Reader in English Language at the University of Leeds which was the beginning of a distinguished academic career culminating with his election as Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford. He is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 50 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.
This book contains the following story:
The Hobbit
The story of the finding of the ring of power. Bilbo the hobbit lives at Bag End in Hobbiton. One day his friend, the wizard Gandalf, visits and persuades Bilbo to set out on a great quest to help the Dwarves reclaim their treasure from the marauding dragon Smaug. Along the way to Smaug the band of dwarves and Bilbo have a series of adventures, which include being captured by (and escaping from) both trolls and goblins. Most importantly, whilst wandering through the tunnels below the mountain Bilbo meets Gollum and finds the ring of power which turns the wearer invisible. Eventually the company reaches Lake Town at the foot of the Lonely Mountain and the dragon is slain and treasure recovered.
This book features the following characters:
Thorin Oakenshield
This book features Tolkien's character, Thorin Oakenshield.
Gandalf
This book features Tolkien's character, Gandalf.
Gollum
This book features Tolkien's character, Gollum.
Bilbo Baggins
This book features Tolkien's character, Bilbo Baggins.
`A finely written saga of dwarves and elves, fearsome goblins and trolls... an exciting epic of travel and magical adventure, all working up to a devastating climax.'
