I am a huge proponent of reading fantasy novels to children. I know there are many people and groups out there that feel fantasy novels are anti-Christian and dangerous, but I couldn't disagree more. Every good fantasy novel features and epic battle between good and evil, characters who make hard choices to do what's right, and people who prove that love and forgiveness are more powerful hate. These are precisely the ideas I want my child to absorb.
Plus, fantasy is just plain fun. Crazy Bug loves the Harry Potter books and the Prydain Chronicles
by Lloyd Alexander, and my husband and I can read them without going out of our minds. But recently, we got a little more ambitious. My husband has been begging to read Crazy Bug The Hobbit
for some time now, but I've been putting him off. I figured the book was just too dense for a six year-old to enjoy. I couldn't have been more wrong. Yes, the book took a lot of explaining. Unfamiliar terms abound, there are dozens of characters, and Tolkien enjoys using extremely long sentences. But there is a new adventure every chapter and Crazy Bug loved the battles with wolves, trolls, goblins, and spiders! Plus, with The Hobbit movie coming out on November 28th, your kids will undoubtedly be seeing and hearing enough about it to stir their interest. If you're already reading chapter books to your child, then I highly recommend this book for your next read aloud!
