The Hobbit

The copy read for this report

Summary:
"Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum" (Scholastic.com).

The Lexile of The Hobbit is 1000L
Suggested Interest level is ages 6 and up
Reading level: Grade 6

Personal Reflection:
I have utilized Scholastic.com for the summary of the novel as well as the reading levels. When encountering this text I had a difficult time getting started and was unsure if it was simply a schema of Tolkien's work that I was unfamiliar with or if it was the style of writing in the novel. As a result, I regret to inform that I was not able to complete the book for this inquiry. I have scanned the text, mostly what I have read for are text features in order to attempt a review of this book. Therefore, I have used the scholastic summary so to provide the most accurate description for my readers. The Lexile levels interest me, the recommended level for this book is grade 6, but as an adult reader I must admit I had to reread beginning parts quite often. I further interviewed several friends to see if they had read this text. One friend, who was a strong student in grade school and now a successful adult, also said he couldn't get past the beginning. I am aware that this is not the case for all readers.

Text Features:
The Hobbit has an attractive and detailed cover that is relevant to the novel. Within the novel, illustrations are limited to just a few setting depictions throughout. One of the more useful illustrations, in my opinion, was that of Baggin's home, which is on the last page of the novel. I feel as if this would have been more useful at the start of the novel. Other text features include "the map" within the cover pages and a few songs and poems within the text. 

Baggin's Home

The edition I read from has 255 pages and 19 chapters. Text is small and single spaced, margins are about 1inch in all dimensions. Despite the reading level of grade 6, the vocabulary and schema of characters is quite difficult. Vocabulary words I found that I consider above a 6th grade level include: flummoxed, conspirator, and audacious. All of these words are taken from the very first chapter. Furthermore, at first the names are hard to keep straight. Many characters are introduced in the very beginnings and names are fantastical in nature. Some names include: Baggins, Gandalf, Thorin, Balin, and Dwalin. Overall, the fantastical characters and setting require a certain patience or previous understanding of what to expect when beginning the novel. If used in a classroom I would suggest that this novel use a good amount of scaffolding to begin.

Timelessness:
Despite my personal hesitations and concerns with this novel I completely support its timelessness and usefulness in a classroom. Using Goodreads.com I have noted that the average rating for this novel is (4.18/5) starts, and has 1,008,515 ratings. The Hobbit is ranked 7th on a list of "Books That Everyone Should Read at Least Once" on Goodreads.com. In no way do I discredit this novel, but unfortunately I was not able to give it the proper attention before this report. J.R.R. Tolkien has written three other very popular novels: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. A young reader who enjoys this novel has a lengthy amount reading to continue if he or she is entranced by the writing of Tolkien. Furthermore, there is such a large following to Tolkien, that being a reader and fan of his work comes with a certain identity or feeling of being part of a whole (such as with Harry Potter). Overall, this novel is timeless piece and an essential book for any classroom or household shelf. I look forward to the opportunity to complete the novel within the next few weeks.