LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring by J R.R. Tolkien

The Fellowship of the Ring by J R.R. Tolkien, the first book of the trilogy The Lord of the Rings, begins the tale of hobbit Frodo Baggins's journey to save middle earth and continues the story of the dark and powerful ring that began in The Hobbit.

Frodo Baggins--nephew of Bilbo Baggins, who was a bearer for many years of the one ring of power made by Sauron, dark lord of Mordor, to wield--is set on this quest which unfortunately fell in his lap when his Uncle decides to call it quits on his "peaceful" time in the shire on his one hundred and eleventh birthday, leaving all of his belongings including the ring to his nephew. Frodo's quest is to destroy that one ring. Sauron seeks to increase his already immense power by reclaiming that One Ring that he has lost. The wizard, Gandalf, warns Frodo that he should leave the shire and keep the ring out of Sauron's hands. Frodo must destroy the ring by throwing it in the fiery pits of mount doom in the very center of Sauron's dark kingdom and cease his only opportunity to enslave all of middle earth. However the chances of Frodo successfully ending the ring's existence seem slightly dim. Not only is Sauron building an army of Orcs, Trolls, Variags and so on to capture Frodo, the ring too has a weapon of its own. It has the power to reel in anyone who possesses it and ultimately drive them mad. This is a burden that Frodo is brave enough to take on but not without help; thus the fellowship is formed. The author does such a good job introducing you into this fantasy world of good and evil that you'll become invested from the first page. The characters are uniquely built and it'll be hard for you not to love them. Friendship, honor, loyalty, and sacrifice encompasses the entire book and it's simply an amazing experience; it is greatly recommended.

Rating: 5

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

 Veronica Roth ends her Divergent series in her third installment, Allegiant. It follows up where Insurgent stopped and artistically ties together the story threads of the other two books. Veronica Roth made a worthy ending for the Divergent series. I highly recommend this book for people between the grades of six and twelve who enjoy the action, suspense, and romance genres; good-looking, intelligent, and  badass characters; and tragedy. The plot runs smoothly and jumps to a fast past in certain sections of the book.  Some adults may also find joy in reading Allegiant. If you loved the first two books, then it's a must read.


Rating: 4

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

In 1897, during the Klondike Gold Rush, a dog named Buck lives a pampered, serene life on the Santa Clara, California, estate of a wealthy judge. Buck is large and strong, a mix of St. Bernard and Scotch shepherd, and the undisputed ruler of all the dogs on the estate.

The gold rush has created an insatiable demand for dogs to pull the sleds of the prospectors across the frozen North. Buck, big, strong, healthy, and well-furred, is stolen by a worker on the judge's estate and sold to pay his gambling debts. Buck is crated and transported north, away from warm California where he led a life of easy nobility, to the frigid North, where dogs are ruled by the clubs and whips of men and the fangs of other dogs.

Buck is broken to the harness and spends his days hauling in the traces with the dog team. He is clubbed and whipped when he makes mistakes and disciplined by bites from the dog team when he fails to perform his duties correctly. He quickly learns the job of pulling the sled and becomes the best dog in the whole Klondike, renowned for his formidable strength and keen intelligence.

As he becomes accustomed to his new life in the North, Buck becomes aware of his latent wild nature, and the instincts of his wild ancestors rise in him and begin to govern him. The pull of these wild instincts and urges grows stronger and stronger the longer he stays in the North, until he can resist them no longer.

Jack London lived a life of adventure. He was a gold prospector during the Klondike Gold Rush, a seal hunter in the North Pacific, a sailor, a war correspondent, and a prizefighter, among other pursuits. His lust for life permeates his work. The Call of the Wild is one of his best works and is one of the most famous dog stories ever written. He died young, at the age of 40, leaving behind a great body of work. Another of his famous stories which you might enjoy is White Fang, also set in the wilds of the North.

A classic of American literature. Rating: 5