[instructiona

February Bookworm Bonus

Ryan Mayer
•
Feb 24
•
Tests/Projects
•
100 points
Due Today
Hello, Students!
Each month, you’ll have the opportunity to earn extra credit by completing a
book reflection assignment. Which will be called Bookworm Bonus. This is
a great way to dive into a book of your choice, develop your writing skills,
and connect what you’re reading to what we’re learning in class.

● Each month, I’ll provide two book options for you to choose from.
Select the one that interests you most.

Your reflection should be 2–3 pages long and include the following:

● : Start with the title and author of the book, a brief summary, and why
you chose it. End with your overall impression of the book.
● : Share what stood out to you, key moments, and your emotional
response to the story.
● : Identify the major themes in the book and explain how they connect
to your life, the world around you, or ideas we’ve discussed in class.
● : Reflect on how the book changed your perspective or deepened your
understanding of something. Would you recommend it? Why or why
not?
● : Summarize your takeaways and share any future questions or
interests sparked by the book.
● Link the book to one or both of the last two units we’ve studied in
class.
● Upload your completed essay as a Google Doc by the due date listed
below.
● : 90%
 ● : 10% (Optional)
📖 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
📖 Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
]

Book Reflection on The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit tells the story of Bilbo Baggins, who starts off as a hobbit living a nice, quiet life in his
hobbit hole at Bag End. One day, a group of thirteen dwarves and Gandalf ask him to go on a quest
with them. They want to reclaim their homeland and treasure from a dragon named Smaug.
Throughout their adventure, Bilbo faces many dangers like goblins, trolls, and giant spiders. However
as the story goes on, he makes friends and realizes he can do much more than he thought.

I chose The Hobbit because the story’s summary was intriguing, and it's a classic book. The idea of an
ordinary hobbit going on an adventure really got my attention. I also enjoy seeing how Bilbo’s
character grows and takes leadership throughout the story. Additionally, I am a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s
books, and reading this will help me better understand The Lord of the Rings, which is another book I
plan to read.

One key moment is when Bilbo is when Bilbo outwits Gollum and wins the riddle game. I liked
seeing how Bilbo used his intelligence and quick thinking to get out of the battle instead of just
fighting. Finding the One Ring is another huge moment because it lets him be invisible and escape
Gollum. Bilbo also decides to spare Gollum's life insteading of killing him.

Another key moment is how Bilbo tricked Smaug into revealing he has a bare spot on his chest with
no protective scales. Bilbo tells the dwarves about Smaug’s west spot. A thrush hears him and then
tells Bard, who uses that information to kill Smaug with his Black Arrow. This key moment highlights
Bilbo’s important role in taking down Smaug and helping the dwarves reclaim their treasure. A third
key moment was when Bilbo took the Arkenstone from Smaug’s treasure and gave it to Bard to
prevent a war. This shows Bilbo saw it as a way to help others and didn’t want it for himself.
What stood out to me was Bilbo’s character development throughout the story. At the beginning of the
story, he's just a regular hobbit with little interest in going on adventures. Initially, he’s reluctant and
doesn’t want to go. However, throughout his journey, he proves his bravery by outsmarting trolls,
escaping goblins, and facing Smaug. His cleverness and kindness was shown through these key
moments. [I admire how Bilbo’s character evolves and how he overcomes his fears.

The book had some big emotional ups and downs. There were lots of tense and exciting moments, like
when the group gets caught by goblins or when Bilbo faces Smaug. However, there were also some
pretty deep moments, like when three dwarves died at the end of the Battle of the Five Armies.
Despite the challenges and sacrifices the characters face, I think the story has a good ending.

One big theme in this book is that courage isn’t just about being physically strong, but it's about facing
your fears. Bilbo starts off hesitant about going on an adventure, but grows braver and deals with
challenges. Another main theme in this book is greed and power. The quest for treasure, especially the
gold in the Lonely Mountain, is a major part of the story. The fight between the dwarves, elves, and
men and the goblins show how greed can divide people.

The major themes of the story connect to the ideas we learned in class about the American Revolution.
Just like Bilbo in The Hobbit, they showed bravery and faced off against a stronger and larger enemy.
The colonists stood strong in their rebellion against the British Empire despite major risks, and that
changed history. Bilbo’s quest to help the dwarves reclaim their home is similar to the colonists
fighting for independence. Both involve people wanting to be free and treated fairly.

Reading The Hobbit deepened my understanding about courage because it showed we grow not just
during big moments, but also in the small choices we make every day. It really helped me see how
important it is to persevere even when things get tough. The book also made me think about how we
need to be responsible with power and wealth and not let it divide us. I’d recommend The Hobbit to
anyone who likes fantasy and adventure. It has great lessons about courage and important themes.

My main takeaway from The Hobbit is that even ordinary people can make a big difference. I want to
check out more of Tolkien's books which build up on this story, especially The Lord of the Rings. In
conclusion, The Hobbit was an amazing, thought-provoking book that made me think about important
themes like courage, greed, and becoming a better person. The story connects to history and reminds
us that acts of bravery can make a big impact.
[[

Book Reflection on The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien tells the story about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins living
a contented and serene life in his large and pleasant hobbit hole at Bag End. One day,
an old wizard, Gandalf, asks him to accompany Gandalf and a group of thirteen
dwarves led by Thorin on a quest. The dwarves want to reclaim their homeland and
treasure from a dragon named Smaug. Gandalf practically forces Bilbo amidst many
protests from the dwarves and Bilbo himself to join the group as a burglar. Through
various adventures, Bilbo faces many dangers, such as goblins, trolls, and giant
spiders. However, as the story progresses, he also makes friends, saves the dwarves on
multiple occasions, and realizes he is capable of much more than he could ever
imagine about himself back at Bag End..

I chose The Hobbit because I had seen the movie earlier and liked it immensely. I also
wanted to explore whether the movie followed the original story and was as intriguing.
I know that The Hobbit is an all time classic. The idea of an ordinary hobbit going on
an adventure and transforming his personality and life through the process got my
attention. I enjoyed reading about how Bilbo’s character grows throughout the story
and finally takes leadership in Gandalf's absence. Additionally, I am an admirer of
J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, and reading this will help me comprehend The Lord of the
Rings, the next book in the series that I plan to read.

One key moment is when Bilbo outwits Gollum and wins the riddle game. I liked
reading how Bilbo used his intelligence and quick thinking to evade open
confrontations and be safe during battles. Finding the special Gold Ring is another
defining moment because it lets him be invisible and escape Gollum and other dangers
he subsequently encounters in his adventures. Bilbo, due to his inherent kindness, also
decides to spare Gollum's life instead of killing him.
Another key moment is when Bilbo tricks Smaug into revealing that he has a bare spot
on his chest with no protective scales. Bilbo tells the dwarves about Smaug’s weak
spot. A thrush hears him and then tells Bard, who uses that information to kill Smaug
with his Black Arrow. This key moment highlights Bilbo’s important role in taking
down Smaug and helping the dwarves reclaim their treasure. A third key moment is
when Bilbo takes the Arkenstone from Smaug’s treasure and gives it to Bard to
prevent a war and make Thorin open to negotiations. This shows Bilbo's generosity
and self-restraint as he uses the Arkenstone to help others rather than keep it for
himself.

What stood out to me was Bilbo’s character development throughout the story.
Initially, he is just a regular hobbit with little interest in going on adventures. So, he is
reluctant and does not want to go with Gandalf and the thirteen dwarves led by Thorin.
However, throughout his journey, he proves his bravery by outsmarting trolls,
escaping goblins, and facing Smaug. His cleverness and kindness were demonstrated
through these key moments. I admire how Bilbo’s character evolves to overcome
fears and other shortcomings.

The book had some big emotional ups and downs. There were lots of tense and
exciting moments, like when the group gets caught by goblins or when Bilbo faces
Smaug. However, there were also some intense moments, like when three dwarves
died at the end of the Battle of the Five Armies. I think that despite the challenges,
loss, and sacrifices the characters face, the story has an ending that deeply touches the
heart with warmth and kinship.

One big theme in this book is that courage isn’t just about being physically strong, but
it's about facing your fears and overcoming them. Although, at first, Bilbo is hesitant
about going on an adventure, with time he grows braver and deals with challenges.
Another main theme in this book is greed and power. The quest for treasure, especially
the gold in the Lonely Mountain, is a major part of the story. The fight between
dwarves and ogres, elves, men, and goblins shows how greed can be divisive and lead
to violence with utter disregard for life.
 The major themes of the story connect to the ideas we learned in class about the
American Revolution. Like Bilbo in The Hobbit, the Colonists showed bravery and
faced off against a stronger and larger enemy, the British. The Colonists stood strong
in their rebellion against the British Empire despite major risks, which changed the
course of history. Bilbo’s quest to help the dwarves reclaim their home and wealth is
similar to that of the colonists fighting for independence. Both involve people wanting
to be free and treated fairly.

Reading The Hobbit deepened my understanding of courage because it showed we

grow not just during big moments, but also in the small choices we make every day. It
helped me see how important it is to persevere even when things get tough. The book
also made me think about how we need to be responsible with power and wealth and
not let it divide us. I would recommend The Hobbit to anyone who likes fantasy and
adventure. It has insightful lessons about rising above human frailties such as fear or
complacency with courage, zeal, and determination, as well as important themes such
as true friendship and triumph of good over evil.

My main takeaway from The Hobbit is that even ordinary people can make a big
difference. I want to check out more of Tolkien's books that build up on this story,
especially The Lord of the Rings. In conclusion, The Hobbit was an introspective,
thought-provoking, and inspiring book that made me think about important themes
like courage, greed, and becoming a better human. The story connects to history and
reminds us that acts of bravery can make a big impact not only on our lives now but
can change the course of history and impact the future as well.

]]