The Main Characters
Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo, the Unlikely hero, is a hobbit who was unknowingly chosen to be part of a team of dwarves trying to recover their lost treasure! He likes maps and poems. He is cunning, which is part of the reason he was chosen to be part of the expidition. He was the one who killed the evil dragon Smaug.
Gandalf
Gandalf is the wizard who showed the group of dwarves the way and is the one who chose Bilbo to join them. He left the party before they entered Mirkwood, a shady forest filled with creepy creatures. Gandalf likes to make jokes, but is serious when he needs to. He has a secretive and mysterious past and follows his own agenda, leaving one adventure to start another.
Thorin Oakenshield
Thorin is the leader of the group and was the son of the dwarf king before the dwarves were driven out thier mountain. He is intent on his goal, but he is lighthearted at times of good fortune. He likes to sing along with all of the other dwarves at these times.
Smaug
Smaug was the evil dragon who attacked and took over the dwarf's mountain and hoard all of the gold inside. He has a primitave mind and is entranced by all things gold. He is eventually defeated by a stab to the underbelly.
The Problems
The main problem is that the dwarves want to take back the mountain that used to be the dwarves kingdom. The mountain was attacked and occupied by a dragon named Smaug. He is invincible everywhere except on his under-belly, and it's pretty hard to get under a giant fire-breathing dragon. Another problem in the book is the journey. Bilbo, being accustomed to a peaceful and prosperous life, was not ready for a great big adventure across the land. He was often tired and weary, even after only a few days. The journey was also a very hard one, full of suprises like giant spiders and trolls.
Summary
At the begening, Gandalf arranges a meeting at Bilbo's for the dwarves. Suprised but still welcoming, Bilbo invites all thirteen dwaarves into his home. The group wanted to retake their mountain because it had been taken over by Smaug, the evil dragon. It turned out, Gandalf had chosen bilbo to join the adventurous crew, and Bilbo was so shaken he said yes! the next day they set off. One night of their journey, they came upon a fire. Around the fire was 3 ogres! Bilbo eventually tricks the ogres into staying until sunlight, where they turn into statues. While raiding the ogres cave they find Sting, a legendary sword that glows when orcs are near. Countinuing on, the adventurers head high up into the Misty Mountains, a stormy, dark mountain range.
The wanderers trekked along until a fierce storm appeared and the rock golems started throwing rocks at each other! The company countinued on, looking for shelter. They found an outcropping rock, but it did not give the very much protection so they moved on. After finding a warm and snug cave with nothing already sleepingin it, the weary travelers plopped down and almost immediatly fell asleep. When Bilbo awakens, They are getting captured by goblins and are taken down into the deep dungeon. When the heros escape the dungeon and are running through dark caves to get away, Bilbo gets knocked out and is lost. When he reawkens, he is in a dark cave and begins to stumble onward. Little does the hobbit know, he is being watched by a creature.
The creature watching him is Golem, a sick twisted creature who used to be a hobbit. When bilbo discovers him, they agree that if Bilbo wins a game of riddle telling, Golem will show hm the way out, but if he fails to win, Golem gets to eat him. After a few riddles, Golem is tricked (slightly unfairly in my opinion) and Bilbo escapes using the ring he found. The ring turns out to make you invisible. After escaping the mountain, he finds his friends thinking they lost him, mourning for him. When he appears, they ask him how he escaped. He doesent tell them exactly what happens because he wants to keep the ring secret.
After they escape, the goblins track them, taking with them worgs, evil wolf-like creatures, and chased the party up a tree. Gandalf then shot magical fire at the goblins and worgs. After they escaped, they slept at the house of a man who could talk to animals. after that, they head into mirkwood and Gandalf leaves them. Inside Mirkwood the party is captured by giant spiders. They escape and travell by barrell to an elven settlement. After they leave there, they travell to the dragon's lair. When they get their, they find a secret door on the side of the mountain and Bilbo went in.
In the lair, Bilbo put on the ring and, then invisible, talked to the dragon. Bilbo tricked Smaug, angering him enough to have him burst out of the lair and begin attacking the nearby village of men. The men fought against the dragon until a black arrow peirced his heart through his soft underbelly, killing hi. Then a huge battle erupted with the elves and men against the goblins. During the battle, Bilbo was hit in the head by a rock and was knocked out. When Bilbo awakens, the war is over and the elves have won. Then the heros head home with their piles of gold without any trouble.
Why I Liked This Book
I liked this book because not only was it action packed, it gave a lot of detail. While I was reading the book, I felt like all five of my senses were there feeling all the exitement and determination. Another thing I liked about the book is that it was very well developed. The elves, hobbits and the other creatures all had history and unique customs. Tolkien was also good at songs and riddles, which are scattered through the book, giving it a uniuque taste.
