Parents' Guide to

The Fellowship of the Ring

By Mark Nichol, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Spectacular fantasy classic is where Frodo's journey begins.

Book J.R.R. Tolkien Fantasy 1954
The Fellowship of the Ring Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 6 parent reviews

nayadaily
nayadaily Parent of 11-year-old
March 31, 2023
age 13+

Greatest fantasy adventure book with high moral character

Incredible book with wonderful themes of Good vs Evil and light vs dark. The greatest evil of all might just be the battle going inside the heart. Tolkien pioneered the fantasy genre and unlike contemporary fantasy writers he paints a sensory delight without unnecessary gore or sexuality. This book series has mature themes that are best understood at minimum the Jr. High age.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Charlie99
Charlie99 Adult
February 10, 2019
age 12+

Not for kids under 12

This book is not for kids under 12. My son who is 10 started reading It because his class mates had started it and he previously hadn't been into those kinds of books he only really wanted to read skull D pleasant and the book gave him bad nightmares for nearly a week. My 12 year old has read it and didn't get nightmares but he is has always liked those kinds of books so I recommend it for no younger then 12 but a great book for 12 year olds.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

When Bilbo Baggins (adventurer from The Hobbit) decides to retire away from the Shire, he leaves everything to his nephew Frodo, from his lovely hobbit-hole down to the magical ring he found on his travels. The ring that is now Frodo's treasure turns into a horrible burden when the wizard Gandalf discovers its origins: forged by the dark lord Saruman and possessing some of his evil power. The dark lord is rising once again and sends out nine cursed "black riders" on horseback to find it with the words "Baggins" and "Shire" on their lips. Frodo must leave the Shire and everything he knows behind, save three hobbit companions, to find out how to get rid of his ring of power. And after Gandalf goes missing they must set out alone, facing the world of mortals and elves for the first time in search of those that might help them and all of Middle Earth.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (55):

With this spectacular tale, Tolkien invented not only a language and a land in which it was spoken, but also -- unintentionally -- a new literary genre. Tolkien was perhaps the first author to create a fully realized, authentic-seeming world. Brimming with various cultures and creatures engaged in an existence that accepted magic, it is as fully realized as our own.

What is it that draws generations of adolescents -- and latecomer adults -- to Middle Earth? Epic battles, yes, but inner turmoil too; Overwhelming forces of evil, but also temptation and greed within oneself; potent sorcery, but perhaps more so the magical spells of friendship and loyalty and devotion. This is the kind of story the word epic seems to have been invented for, but it's also an intimate tale about the bonds among companions and about the human instinct to do the right thing. From these simple features it derives its true power.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether they decided to read the book or see the Peter Jackson movie first. What was different about the movie?

  • Since the Lord of the Rings trilogy is an excellent example of a Hero's Journey (thought up before Joseph Campbell ever named it that), it's worth looking up why. What makes something a Hero's Journey? What does Frodo's journey have in common with Odysseus'?

  • Gandalf, pondering how the ring got to Frodo, says this: "There was more than one power at work, Frodo. The Ring was trying to get back to its master....[the Ring] abandoned Gollum. Only to be picked up by the most unlikely person imaginable: Bilbo from the Shire!...There was something else at work, beyond any design of the Ring-maker....Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, and not by its maker. In which case you also were meant to have it. And that may be an encouraging thought."
    What do you thing that "something else at work" was?

  • Did you know that Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, author of the Narnia series, were friends and colleagues? Read more about how they influenced each other.

Book Details

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