Reviewed by Martin O. (age 11)
I think that this is a good book for many reasons. One reason is that it is full of action, which is thoroughly described. It has a good flow of words and stays mostly on topic. It gives a sufficient amount of background knowledge, and, although complicated, is easy to understand. It is very creative and very original. The only bad thing about this book is that it sometimes has too much description and becomes hard to read. I like the characters because they are realistic. They change, have emotions and have unique personalities with good and bad sides. The characters who changed the most were Frodo's best friends. At first they were always very happy, go-lucky, mischievous and care free, but as the story goes on, they become grim, careful, serious and depressed. They become this way because orcs and goblins attack and capture them. This book is the first book in a series of three and is like the other books because it has the same characters and a similar plot, but it is different from the other books because the other books have a much more complicated story line. The unique part of this book is that the evil is not in some magnificent, huge, probable thing, but in a small unlikely trinket, a mere ring. While I was reading the book, I felt sad that the land of Middle-Earth had changed so much for the worse.
I think that this is a good book, and I would definitely recommend it, but not for all ages. This is a good book for junior high or advanced and mature readers at a lower age. If you like fantasy or science fiction, you will probably like this book. It has lots of action and surprises to keep you on the edge of your seat, so if you like that kind of thing, this book is probably a good match for you.