The Lord of the Rings

By J.R.R. Tolkien

      The Lord of the Rings trilogy consists of three of my favorite books of all time. In them J.R.R. Tolkien has created not only a wonderful story, but an entire world for it to take place in; he called this world "Middle Earth." Middle Earth is a land filled with ancient forests, misty mountains, and rolling plains; a vast and beautiful country. It is populated by elves, dwarves, men, and a quiet peaceable people known as "hobbits". But evil creatures like dragons and goblins also lurk in the dark places of Middle Earth.
      The story starts in the shire, the quiet country of the hobbits, where little is ever heard from the world outside. The story follows the adventures of a hobbit named Frodo who is forced to leave his home when he discovers a dark secret about the gold ring his adventurous uncle Bilbo left to him. He soon finds himself, like it or not, involved in the war against Sauron, the Dark Lord. This story is very engaging and a good read. The only drawback is its length (six books in three volumes), but if you stick it through, it's well worth it.

John (age 16)