The Hobbit Returns

Image from en.wikipedia.org

The twenty-five hardbound coverless copies of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien have been sitting untouched on my eighth grade classroom storage shelf for the past five years. Some teacher in some distant past must have ordered them for a fantasy-based literature circle, along with Dragonriders of Pern by Ann McCaffry, The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuinn, and The Seeing Stone by Kevin Crossley-Holland. Once that teacher left, and our schedule changed, cutting Language Arts time from 90 minutes to 55 minutes per day, the unit was pushed aside to make way for a leaner curriculum.

Last year, I tried to interest my students in reading the fantasy books as part of an "Informal Book Club." While we were immersed in our writing unit, they could be reading these books at home with their choice of friends, and I'd give them time once a month to meet and talk about them. Just like a "real" adult book club! They liked the "choice of friends" part, but were not interested in the books on offer. That's OK. They got together and shared their home reading books with each other.

Image from apnatimepass.com

This year I tried again. The Hobbit "sold out" immediately! What was the difference? The movie version and winter break both arrived the same day! As their friends in their Informal Book Club urged them, students who are not big fantasy lovers agreed to give it a try. They turned the plain blue cover over doubtfully, but got hooked by the map of Middle Earth on the end papers. They asked what it was about, and some who had already read it gave a synopsis and a glowing review. The prospect of the movie clinched the deal.

The best part of this story is that the movie version is in three, widely-spaced episodes! So even though my somewhat reluctant readers will rely on the movie to tell them the story, they won't be able to find out the end until they read the book. What a way to hook a reader! I am really looking forward to the conversations when we return in January! They will be a mix of movie and book comparisons, predictions, and discussions of the characters and ending. Thanks, Peter Jackson!