Surfside Academy Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 I have a distinct memory of being in elementary school and crying to my great grandmother (not a typo) because I had to write a book report on The Hobbit and I thought the book was dumb. Fast forward about 30 years and I decided to give the book another try after running across it at the library. My first impression was that I remembered absolutely nothing from the book...nothing, nada, zip! My 2nd impression was that it was just ok! I wanted to really like it but it just didn't thrill me. I'm probably treading on hallowed ground here. Isn't one of the basic tenents of homeschooling is that all homeschoolers should love J.R. Tolkein and/or C.S. Lewis? :D I'm not a big fantasy fan but I have to admit (and I'm not ashamed) that I love the Harry Potter books. I just can't get into Tolkein. Is it just me? Am I giving homeschoolers a bad name? :w00t: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay in Cal Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Yes. ;) ____________ Seriously, I loved The Hobbit as a child (I think I was 9?), but it is a children's book. As an adult, I enjoy it... but I find the themes/content of LOTR much more satisfying to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 I'm not a big fantasy fan but I have to admit (and I'm not ashamed) that I love the Harry Potter books. I just can't get into Tolkein. Is it just me? Am I giving homeschoolers a bad name? You and I both, baby! :) I like the idea of Tolkien more than I actually like reading Tolkien. Same with Ursula Leguin. I'm not even sure I like the idea of Harry Potter though... I find the writing to be pedestrian, and there's nothing new there. HP is, well, OK, though many of my discriminating friends vehemently disagree with me. It's a verboten subject at dinner parties now. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Which reminds me, (highjacking the thread here).... My son was an early reader, read Harry Potter 1 at 5yo... He reads constantly, and mostly fantasy. Yet, when I gave him The Hobbit, he claims it's too hard to read! He's 10, right now. So now I'm worried. Could he now be behind in his reading level??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Which reminds me, (highjacking the thread here).... My son was an early reader, read Harry Potter 1 at 5yo... He reads constantly, and mostly fantasy. Yet, when I gave him The Hobbit, he claims it's too hard to read! He's 10, right now. So now I'm worried. Could he now be behind in his reading level??? Maybe not behind, but used to reading books that come easy to him? Tolkien is a workout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfside Academy Posted June 3, 2008 Author Share Posted June 3, 2008 My son is almost 8 and there's no way he could read this on his own. I'm still trying to transition him into easy chapter books. Ugh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 At my house cries of "too hard" can mean many different things. 1. The print is too small. 2. The words are too difficult. 3. The syntax is too complicated. 4. It is way too boring, thus it is too hard to sit down and not fall asleep while reading this awful book. The Hobbit is at about a 7th grade reading level. 7th graders are normally 12-13 yo. However, the sentences can get pretty complicated. A made up language and world are involved. That makes the words a whole lot harder if you are a llittle person who is trying to turn those made up words into words that are real. (How a normal little person reads anyway!) The book is usually printed so that the typeset is very small due to the large volume of words in the story. Little eyes that read very well may still not be ready to handle the visual set up of this book. Plus, it is a very slow starter. I only know of a few people who have jumped into The Hobbit and found it to be fascinating from page one. Therefore, you can conclude that this book is not an easy read on any level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 I've never been a Tolkien fan. When someone else tells me the stories, it makes me want to read the books, but, even after multiple attempts, I've never made it more than half-way through the trilogy. I do love The Hobbit, though. On the other hand, I continue to love Narnia. My son started reading those when he was 7 or 8, and I re-read them to keep him company and fell in love with them all over again. Then, this year, we listened to the audio versions of the whole series on a couple of road trips and enjoyed them again, together. Both of my kids have enjoyed The Hobbit, first as a read-aloud and then on their own. My daughter trudged (her word) through the first of the triology on her father's behalf, but just couldn't bring herself to start the next one. I suspect my son will end up being a Lord of the Rings person, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFP Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 My family lacks the Tolkien gene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrianne Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Congratulations! I am jealous. I have tried reading Tolkien many times and can't get through them. I am so glad they came out with the movies. Needless to say, it is not on our read aloud list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 My 9yo son has read the Hobbit and all of the The Lord of the Rings, but no matter how hard I try, I can't get him to read the Chronicles of Narnia. ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Which reminds me, (highjacking the thread here).... My son was an early reader, read Harry Potter 1 at 5yo... He reads constantly, and mostly fantasy. Yet, when I gave him The Hobbit, he claims it's too hard to read! He's 10, right now. So now I'm worried. Could he now be behind in his reading level??? I doubt he's behind on his reading level. I know with my son, he thought Lord of the Rings was too hard until I found a copy in a larger size type. We went through three versions until I found one he would read. He read it very quickly once the type was right. I thought he would get a kick out of reading the same copy his dad read. Unfortunately, I had to get rid of that copy because it had so much cat dander from being stored at my DMIL's house for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 They are utterly different and can't really be compared to the Hobbit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 But, "The Hobbit" is not nearly as well written as LOTR. It doesn't have that same epic feel. It is just not at the same level at all. I would suggest reading LOTR first, and then going back to read "The Hobbit". It is a prequel, and not necessary to the grandeur that is LOTR, so you could skip it if you wanted to. I did read "The Hobbit" to DD when she was about 6, but I shortened some of the long descriptions of surroundings and trails. She just loved it, but it has a much more 'young' feel than LOTR. (IIRC, DH enjoyed it as well. I think I read it to both of them.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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