The Hobbit

The Hobbit, Or There And Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien, 288 pages

In this prequel to The Lord of the Rings, unassuming hobbit Bilbo Baggins is drafted (as a burglar, of all things!) into a dwarves' quest to defeat a dragon and reclaim the treasure of their ancestors. Along the way, they encounter trolls, goblins, wargs, elves, and, my favorite, the creepy Gollum. This was by no means the first time I've read this book, though it was my son's first experience with it. He was thrown by the "old-timey" low-dialogue style, and I was thrown by having to read the many songs aloud, but we both loved the classic tale. I don't know that I'm up for reading The Lord of the Rings to him (at least not yet), but I loved sharing this story with him.