My Summer Trip By Cameron

What are you planning to do this summer? Well, I am planning to go to an amusement park in the U.S. called Cedar Point. I am very excited to go on the rides because some of the rides are in the top ten for speed and for height in the world! My family is going to leave at the end of August in the morning for Cedar Point. We are driving, and we will stay at a hotel. In the morning, we will be heading to the amusement park, and we will be there for the whole day. Then, we will be spending the night at the hotel again and heading home in the morning.

I am most excited about riding a roller coaster called the Gate Keeper because the first dip it does does not just go straight down, it also twists. The speed of the Gate Keeper is 100 kilometers an hour, and the height is 170 feet tall! The ride takes 2 minutes and 20 seconds to get through the whole roller coaster, and the length is 4164 feet long. I am actually kind of scared to go on it, but I will still have the time of my life. I bet you know why I am excited now!

I hope all of you who are reading this have a great summer too.

The Fellowship of the Ring: Part 1 of the Lord of the Ring By Aadyn

The Fellowship of the Ring is the first book of the epic Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R.Tolkien. This is a well written book and a good read, although it can be challenging.

In The Fellowship of the Ring, a young hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins is entrusted with the task of bringing the ruling Ring of Power to the cracks of Mount Doom in the land of Mordor. The story explains that the ring was forged by Lord Sauron, and it can only be destroyed from the place it was made. This fellowship is the only thing that prevents the dark lord’s dominion!

The story begins in a sleepy village in a place called the Shire, where Bilbo Baggins (Frodo Baggins’ uncle) celebrates his 111^th birthday. Bilbo passes down his ring to Frodo, and Frodo must leave the Shire before evil has crept back into the west and much that once existed has been lost.

I find this book to be very descriptive. You can really picture the story like it is a running movie in your head. You can see the old fords of the shire, the tall and wise trees in the valley of Rivendell, and the large bold Misty Mountains, a place where the dwarfs use to dwell.

I also like the variety of powerful words that J.R.R.Tolkien uses, such as argent (silver), eaves (the fringe of a forest), and boon (a gift). One thing I found difficult at times was keeping track of the family lineage of the Hobbits in the Shire, because there are many relationships in The Lord of the Rings.

I recommend that people read this book and really try to visualize the scenery that Tolkien describes of Middle Earth. Although Tolkien’s words can be tricky and uncommon in normal tongue, I think that persevering thought the difficulties is worth the reward.

Click to see what Tolkien books are available in the JRC library

The Journey of the Hobbit By Owen

Today I will be talking about The Hobbit. The story began before Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring, where Frodo went on the journey to destroy the one ring to rule them all. The story is about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins of The Shire who one day meets thirteen Dwarfs. I am writing this post to express my anticipation for the movie because of what I have seen. What I have seen so far is the Lord Of The Rings trilogy that happened after The Hobbit. The Hobbit is a prequel to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

For those who have not seen The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, it is about Frodo ,the nephew of Bilbo, who was given the ring by Bilbo. Gandalf then tells Frodo he has to destroy it by taking it to Mordor, which is the only place to destroy it. I think The Lord Of The Rings trilogy was interesting because it has a lot of action. The other thing I liked about it was it was sort of a medieval movie. The movie has Orcs and Elves, Dwarfs, Hobbits, Ents, Goblins, Cave Trolls, Wizards, and last but not least, Black Riders.

I am excited to see The Hobbit because what I have seen so far is energetic. The trailer has a lot of interesting weapons like Sting the Elvish sword, a Double Headed ax, and Maces. It has new creatures like Wargs, which are wolf like animals. What is exciting for me about the story is that I will see the beginning of the story before The Lord Of The Rings. The Lord Of The Rings is a story set in caves and mountains, kingdoms and tunnels. What I specifically like about the story are Shelob the spider and Black Riders. The specific part of the story I liked was when the new king was crowned. Since The Hobbit is about the restoration of the Dwarf king, I think it will be the same but a bit different. The celebration was my favorite part because it represents peace to the new king and the land/subjects. My hope is that The Hobbit will be the same.

I choose to write this post because I want you to see the movie because I think you will love it. So see you at the movies.

Is J.R.R. Tolkien Sexist? By Glenna

In The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien has a major lack of female characters. Whether it was because of the time he wrote it, or because it is just pure sexism, I feel this is wrong.

The Bagginses were said to have been "very respectable people," and they were the type to always follow a strict schedule. On the other hand, there's the Tooks. The Tooks are described as a hobbit clan that often disappeared and went on adventures.

Tolkien says, "Tooks were not as respectable as the Bagginses, though undoubtedly richer."

Bilbo's father was a Baggins and his mother, Belladonna, was a Took. As you will notice, Belladonna is a woman being portrayed as irresponsible. The Took side of Bilbo is supposedly a "bad" trait to have.

Why is it that Tolkien made Belladonna seem naive and foolish?

Besides Gollum's grandmother, Belladonna is the only female character.

When Bilbo and the dwarfs got captured by the wood elves, they became prisoners of the Elven King. Why couldn't he be a she? I don't see why the rulers are always men. Maybe Tolkien stereotyped women as weak, considering that around when the book was written, men viewed females as delicate and powerless. Yet there were Queens before Tolkien wrote The Hobbit.

I personally read a lot of Manga/Anime which happens to be the exact opposite of The Hobbit. Women often take the lead role, proving to young girls that women are both strong and independent.

As a female, I definitely don't support Tolkien's decision to have few female roles. Manga/Anime has a much better balance of both sexes.

Aren't women and men supposed to be equal?

See if The Hobbit is in the June Rose Callwood Library
  

My Story: The Trenches: Billy's View By Ethan

I am reviewing a book called My Story: The Trenches: Billy Stevens, The Western Front 1914-1918 by Jim Eldridge. In this book, an underage boy named Billy Stevens goes into war and gets injured. He is sent to a General’s office until his wounds heal, and if he says a word of what goes on he will be shot for treason. I believe the author’s main massage is that there is a reason for the age limit to go in the army. Also, some war stories aren’t always fun like this one. This book is unique because a very young man is in the army, which is wrong because that’s too intense for a young person like himself.

I would recommend this book because it is a harsh, but thrilling story. Also it really goes into detail with World War I, and it was all true. It is harsh because Billy and his best friend were split up, and Billy does not know if he’s dead or not so he’s afraid for his friend. It is thrilling because Billy’s friend’s uncle is mining under the Russian and German lines and filling that mine with bombs. If you like this review you would probably like the book. It can be found at your local June Rose Callwood library. So check it out!

Click here to see if this book is available at the June Rose Callwood library.

Finding Treasure In An Old Story By Mr. Durston

Treasure Island

With so many great new adventure books on our shelves like the Hunger Games, why would I write a book review of the classic novel Treasure Island (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson? The answer is that the novel is just that good. For those of you who have never heard of Treasure Island, it is the adventure story and coming-of-age tale of a young man named Jim Hawkins. Jim is a teenager who begins the novel working in his parents’ inn. He then obtains a pirates’ map from one of guests, and he departs on an adventure to recover a hidden treasure. The novel follows Jim as the sole young person in the crew of a ship, a ship where not all of its members can be trusted. Jim tells the reader his tale of life-and-death encounters in negotiating the dangerous adult world of treasure hunting out on the open sea.

One of the reasons that I like this novel so much is that despite the fact that it is such an old book, Jim’s challenge in dealing with adults is so current. Just like Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games, Jim must also learn and survive in a world that is created and controlled by adults. Unlike Katniss though, Jim does not have any special skills, like Katniss’ hunting abilities, that will keep him alive when things get tough. Instead, Jim must learn on his own about who he can trust, about what is right and wrong, and about what it takes to hunt for treasure with some of the most dangerous people on earth.