The Hobbit: Is It For You?

Since mid-January, Mrs. Palladino’s seventh grade enrichment language arts class has been reading the Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. The Hobbit was published in 1937, and is considered “The greatest fantasy epic of our time.” The book is about a group of dwarves and a hobbit who embark on a journey to save their treasure that was stolen long ago. Although many people all around the world love the Hobbit, many students disagree. To get an inside look, Sydney Reed gave her opinion on the book, a seventh grader in Mrs. Palladino’s ⅚ block.

When asked if she liked the book, the answer was no. However, she did enjoy the way the message of greed was portrayed and how the book followed the hero’s journey. On the other side, she disliked how slow the story moved. The final question was “Would you recommend the book?” Her response was, “I would recommend this to people who enjoy fantasy.”

Lily Newton, 7th grade student at HMS, had a different perspective. She overall enjoyed the book and liked how the theme of bravery built up overtime. She didn’t enjoy that she had to read one chapter at a time. In the end, she would not recommend it.

As a whole, of the sixty-nine students that read The Hobbit, forty-four would recommend the text. If you are planning to read The Hobbit, it is hard to say if you will enjoy it or not, but you can expect a classic book that is globally accepted.