If you wanted to replace the Hobbit

[Mom22ns]

What would you replace it with?

 

Dd will be doing LL8 next year. I've read The Hobbit out loud to my kids. She hated it. I don't think there would be any great benefit to her reading it when she really doesn't want to. I don't mind picking up a lit guide for a different book.

 

Any suggestions? I'm not sure what literary element that LL is teaching with The Hobbit.

[Lori D.]

So sorry to hear DD disliked The Hobbit so much! :( However, for replacing that unit, The Hobbit is:

- a novel

- fantasy genre

- literary lesson = conflict

- mini writing lesson = genre fiction

 

So, because of the mini-writing lesson, you might want to stick with a different fantasy work -- or does DD dislike all fantasy? Below are fantasy works with conflict as an easy element to pick out. BEST of luck in finding what works for your DD! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

- The Giver (Lowry)

with this lit. guide

short novel; a much more serious, less light/adventure quest than the Hobbit; a dystopian work, which is usually considered more sci-fi than fantasy, but it certainly is like fantasy with that "other world" aspect

 

- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O'Brien)

short novel; fantasy, perhaps young for your 8th grader

with this lit. guide

 

- The Horse and His Boy (Lewis)

very short novel; fantasy; perhaps young for your 8th grader

ideas for lit. guides: Book Rags; Enotes

 

- Redwall (Jacques)

novel; with this study guide

fantasy, with talking animals; may also be a bit young

 

- The Great and Terrible Quest (Lovett)

short novel; at a 7th-10th grade level; not quite fantasy, but not historical medieval times either; powerful characters and themes; male progatonist; alas, no guide that I can find

 

- Enchantress from the Stars (Engdahl)

female protagonist; fantasy AND sci-fi; right at a 6th-9th grade level

ideas for guides: Bookrags; Enotes; Bookfolio

 

- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll)

free Pink Monkey study guide

or did you already do this in LL7? if so, and if DD liked it, then perhaps:

 

- Thru the Looking Glass (Carroll)

you could use the annotated version by Martin Gardener and get a lot about all the riddles, math and chess puzzles that Lewis Carroll embedded in the work; not much about conflict in this work

 

 

 

These might be a little harder (more of a high school level), as they have a lot in them, but maybe DD might connect with one of these?

 

- Farmer Giles of Ham (Tolkien)

Also by The Hobbit author; short story; very humorous "mock epic"; conflict -- but seen in a humorous way

the full text online

possible study guide: Enotes; Book Rags

 

- Wizard of Earthsea (LeGuin)

male protagonist; straight-up story, easy to follow; well-written and well-defined world, complex characters, great themes

possible study guides: Book Rags; Enotes; free NEA teacher schedule and lesson plans

 

- Tombs of Atuan (LeGuin)

sequel to Wizard of Earthsea BUT can easily be read as a stand-alone work, as this one follows a female protagonist, again, very well-written, well-defined world, complex characters, great themes; alas, no study guides that I can find

 

- Watership Down (Adams)

long novel; fantasy -- talking animals, quest of rabbits to find/make a new home (you could compare this to The Aeneid!); LOTS of parallels of different types of governments that the rabbits find along the way in this work, so you might want to save this one for high school;

free Best Notes guide; free Sparknotes guide

Edited April 15, 2012 by Lori D.

[Mom22ns]

I was hoping you might reply Lori. Thank you! The rest of us are huge Tolkien fans here, so it was quite a disappointment. She has watched the LOTR movies since then and liked them, so I may try reading those aloud still if she is willing to try them, maybe this summer :).

 

She has read all but Enchantress from the Stars on the first list, but that one looks good. She really liked The Giver, so the fact that Lowry is one of the authors would be a plus for her.

 

The only one she has read from your more advanced list is Watership Downs, actually I read that one aloud and we all LOVED it. I'm not familiar with the others either, so I'll have to do some more looking!

 

Thanks again Lori. I think our homeschool experience would be very different if it weren't for all the great information you post here!

 

ETA: Looking at the Le Guin books, I'm going to have to recommend them to ds. They sound like something he would love! I loved all your middle school suggestions except the Lewis Caroll books. I hated Alice, but DD liked it and read them both. The Great and Terrible Quest was my favorite book from SL Core 6/G!

Edited April 15, 2012 by Momto2Ns

[Lori D.]

The rest of us are huge Tolkien fans here, so it was quite a disappointment. She has watched the LOTR movies since then and liked them, so I may try reading those aloud still if she is willing to try them, maybe this summer :).

 

 

Well, Peter Jackson (director of the LotR movies) IS coming out with a two-part movie of the Hobbit -- releasing at Christmas of 2012, and 2013. Maybe DD will like it more after that. ;) Maybe the tone of the book felt too juvenile for her??

 

I really encourage you to look at Tombs of Atuan; lots of internal and external sources of conflict, and some wonderful Christian themes (although the author is not Christian), and not too hard a read, as I recall. The author creates a whole world that is very rich, complex and believable. Enchantress from the Stars is competent, but not as well-written (not too much beyond the obvious plot and character's conflict, IMO) -- but it might be exactly what your DD would enjoy.

 

Since you are Tolkien lovers, I really encourage you to enjoy (just for fun as a family) Farmer Giles of Ham. Two other absolutely lovely and moving short stories he wrote are Smith of Wooten Major and Leaf by Niggle -- beautiful, poignant, and powerful Christian themes in both. You might want to pre-read all three yourself and see if maybe you'd like to substitute all 3 Tolkien short stories for Tolkien's The Hobbit... Just a thought! :)

 

 

Happy reading! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Mom22ns]

I will read the Tombs of Atuan (in fact I just requested it from the library) and see if it might be a good fit. I'll also read the short stories by Tolkien. Great ideas!

 

She told me The Hobbit, was "just stupid" :glare:. I liked LOTR trilogy better too, I think because of the richer character development. That might have been the sticking point for her. She isn't a big fan of fantasy like the rest of us, but if you are going to taker her to a fantasy world, you had better give her characters she loves, hates, relates to, or something in order to make it worth her trip. :)

[Lori D.]

She isn't a big fan of fantasy like the rest of us, but if you are going to taker her to a fantasy world, you had better give her characters she loves, hates, relates to, or something in order to make it worth her trip. :)

 

 

LOL! :lol:

[PeterPan]

You know my dd said she hated the Hobbit the first time she read it. Read it again 9 months later and thought it was the 2nd greatest thing every written, LoTR being the first. So you just never know. You might try it on her again. Sometimes they just need time and maturity. It's really profound on a lot of levels.

[PeterPan]

I will read the Tombs of Atuan (in fact I just requested it from the library) and see if it might be a good fit. I'll also read the short stories by Tolkien. Great ideas!

 

She told me The Hobbit, was "just stupid" :glare:. I liked LOTR trilogy better too, I think because of the richer character development. That might have been the sticking point for her. She isn't a big fan of fantasy like the rest of us, but if you are going to taker her to a fantasy world, you had better give her characters she loves, hates, relates to, or something in order to make it worth her trip. :)

 

Uh, she needs to read the Hobbit again. She was just so caught up in the PLOT that she missed the POINT. All the richness is there, but it's something you have to fish for and think about. It all comes together at the end. Definitely have her reread it. She judged it too quickly. Or as Jane would say "it grows upon closer inspection"... :)

[Lori D.]

...so caught up in the PLOT that she missed the POINT. All the richness is there, but it's something you have to fish for and think about...

 

 

This reminds me of how I recently got a really great new additional perspective on CS Lewis' writings by reading Michael Ward's book, "Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of CS Lewis". Ward's book is a bit dry, like reading a doctoral thesis, BUT... he shows how Lewis was greatly influenced by the classic Medieval Western "cosmology", in which they looked at 7 heavenly bodies (sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), and attached both an ancient Greek/Roman symbolism AND a redeeming Christian symbolism to each. Ward shows how Lewis quietly used that symbolism all through his writings -- poetry, essays, and fiction -- to add richness to the work. Ward shows how he believes each of the 7 books about Narnia is dominated by the symbolism and meanings of each of one of the 7 Medieval heavenly bodies.

 

Pretty cool! I just spent last week re-reading through the 7 books, and greatly enjoyed seeing those additional hidden depths! :) Cheers! Lori D.

[3byzaz]

My son hated the Hobbit too!! He's not a big reader, so I wasn't surprised. But, my oldest loved it and all the LOTR books!! Whatever!!!!:001_huh:

[Chris in VA]

Do you think she might like the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke?

They have to be read in order, but they raise very interesting questions. No guide that I know of, but maybe just read and discuss.

The second one is neat, esp--about the responsibility of a Creator towards his Creation...

[Mom22ns]

Ds and I have read the Inkheart series. I don't think she would like it. There is too much gratuitous violence.

[romeacademy]

She told me The Hobbit, was "just stupid" :glare:. I liked LOTR trilogy better too, I think because of the richer character development. That might have been the sticking point for her. She isn't a big fan of fantasy like the rest of us, but if you are going to taker her to a fantasy world, you had better give her characters she loves, hates, relates to, or something in order to make it worth her trip. :)

 

FWIW, I had a hard time with The Hobbit the first time I read it. It just seemed endless, and I hated how Tolkein would ramble off and spend a page and ahalf describing a hillside. Then I read LOTR and fell in love. If she's not a fantasy fan though, it's going to be tougher. I agree that the characters in LOTR kind of grab you and pull you in more than those in The Hobbit; they're just more..likeable.. for lack of a better word.

[Mom22ns]

FWIW, I had a hard time with The Hobbit the first time I read it. It just seemed endless, and I hated how Tolkein would ramble off and spend a page and ahalf describing a hillside. Then I read LOTR and fell in love. If she's not a fantasy fan though, it's going to be tougher. I agree that the characters in LOTR kind of grab you and pull you in more than those in The Hobbit; they're just more..likeable.. for lack of a better word.

 

:lol:

Yeah, Tolkein is definitely too descriptive of things we care nothing about in the Hobbit. Having read all 4 books several times, I still don't care for it. I don't feel I ever knew the dwarves in that book nor did I care about them or Bilbo.

 

There are far too many good books out there to make her re-read something she didn't enjoy the first time. If she later decides the rest of the series was wonderful and she wants to go back, that is great, but I'm not going to force her to. Life is too short.