A Bit More Tolkien Magic

Ok, so I started writing this post because I wanted to gush about my spiritual bond with Tina Fey. Then I realized that everyone loves Tina Fey, always say great things about her, and my post would be nothing different. So I scratched that (even though Tina Fey is the greatest person of all time and I adore her).

Instead, I received the inspiration for today's post from my younger brother, who is often infuriatingly inspiring sometimes. Darn him to heck. (I think that's quote from the Dilbert comic strip, but I can't be sure.) But my brother is one of those people who reads only certain books, at certain times, when he feels like it. Which is, like, two books, twice a year, and only when he doesn't have an Xbox game to level up on. Seriously, I couldn't even get him to read Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five. I even used the words, "science fiction," "time travel,""WWII," and "dark humor." My sales pitch didn't work. Instead, my brother wandered a couple aisles down the green Hastings carpet to a different set of books from which I could barely drag him away. More on that later.

Despite my description, my brother has done a bit of reading, and in fact,  he has a favorite book. If you asked me to pick a favorite book, a look of terror would shoot across my face, because I literally, couldn't give you an answer. My brother, on the other hand, could tell you, without hesitation, that his favorite book is J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. He's read it more times than I can count. He owns at least three copies of it. Yesterday he bought the new Hobbit movie on Blu-Ray - the special edition. We've watched it twice since then. He saw it multiple times in theater. He plays LOTR video games. And that mesmerizing aisle in Hastings? A whole section dedicated to Tolkien books. That's like, five shelves worth. But he loves it! He hates to read Shakespeare, but this is his thing, so I'm going with it.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love Tolkien's books too. (In fact, I read them before my brother -Ha!) But even though my brother loves these books, he hasn't read all of them. That's why I want to tell you about Roverandom.You're probably thinking - WAIT! Tolkien only wrote stories about Middle Earth right? He wrote about hobbits and elves and wizards. What the heck is Roverandom?

I'm so glad you asked. Roverandom is a lesser known children's story that Tolkien wrote after the Hobbit, but it wasn't made available until 1998. It's also a novella, which means it's not quite a novel, and not quite a short story. So it's perfect for a child's bedtime, or for a nice, quiet read at home. And don't worry, wizards and magic make an appearance in this story - but the main character is Rover. Rover is a nice little dog who travels to the moon and under the sea, and has many adventures. There are also things called "moon-dragons," but you'll have to read the story to find out more.  (Here's the part where you abruptly leave my blog and rush to your local library.)

Or you can purchase it here on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Roverandom-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0395957990/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363995900&sr=8-1&keywords=roverandom

My brother still loves hobbits and wizards and such, so he will never say this book is better than the Hobbit. But really, if you like Tolkien, wizards, puppies, and a good adventure story. Please, I beg you, buy this book. Read it to your children. Read it for yourself. Treat your kids to a bit more Tolkien magic -and rekindle your own sense of wonder and imagination.

Cheerio my darlings,

Verity