Do you think Tolkien was making some kind of statement in his book?

[Catamorandi]

I would be interested in your comments.

[Angie, YA lovin mod!!]

For sure! This book is even taught as a college course at some universities because of the complexity of the novel. Is it a children's book? We are reading it as a YA novel but is it?

Another message in this book is overcoming greed. The One Ring is evil and sucks Gollum into a world where he hides and even murders for the ring.

It is sad that the book is Tolkien's take on World War 1. Smaug kept the area under control and then after defeating him the area is destroyed. Which was many veteran's point of views after the war.

[Catamorandi]

Angie - I think that it can be classified as any kind of novel. I know kids who have read it, we are reading it now, and I know many, many adults who have or are reading it.

[Angie, YA lovin mod!!]

It reads as a YA novel... but I personally think it is more a lead in for LOTR which is clearly adult novels to me. I know that this is really debated about this book. I read it for the first time in 8th grade and have pretty much read it once a year after that. What makes it YA? What makes it adult? I guess it is both.

[Kathryn]

It's on our district high school curriculum as an approved novel for Freshmen level.

[Meghan]

There are a lot of religious themes in this book, as well as LOTR. Tolkien was a Christian and it influenced his writing.

But as it's stated in a different thread, the Hobbitt was written for his kids and separately from LOTR. I believe that's why there is a different feel to it when you read it, and why it can be read as a stand-alone (you can enjoy it without ever reading LOTR).