The Hobbit

[Anonymous]

I noticed my 8th grade DC reading the Hobbit. I asked if they were reading it on their own and to my surprise, they said it was for school. The first book in four years that was not about the struggle of some disadvantaged person.

[Anonymous]

You don’t consider hobbits disadvantaged?

[Anonymous]

Woah, woah, woah!
Not so fast... Hobbits have many deficiencies... many may even call them disadvantages.

Hobbit are generally looked down upon.
The struggle is real.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if your kid is in school with mine. He is also an 8th grader reading the hobbit. They did animal farm either last semester or last spring. I think they did a sci fi type disaster story too. I think you are hyper focusing on what your impression is of McPS. It’s called confirmation bias.

With that said, I wish they would read more books and more classical literature. I read the red badge of courage n middle school. They are old enough for Shakespeare.

[Anonymous]

Ah yes, Tolkien is required reading in our house.
Since I have despaired of public school systems ever teaching classics, I have a list of summer reading just for the purpose. British, French and a few American classics, since we're from all three countries.

[Anonymous]

For years, it seemed that every assigned book my MCPS kid brought home, someone died. It seemed to be the defining quality for what the schools considered literature. It got to be a joke. Every time she had a new book assigned, I’d ask “Who dies in this one?” and she always had an answer. Literature doesn’t have to be so depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I noticed my 8th grade DC reading the Hobbit. I asked if they were reading it on their own and to my surprise, they said it was for school. The first book in four years that was not about the struggle of some disadvantaged person.

I hate those books about the struggles of disadvantaged people. Antigone needs to get over herself. Oliver Twist should have make better choices. Les Miserables, The Grapes of Wrath, As I Lay Dying, Heart of Darkness, Crime and Punishment, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Jane Eyre, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, blah blah blah blah blah. I refuse to read anything except books about the struggles of advantaged people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if your kid is in school with mine. He is also an 8th grader reading the hobbit. They did animal farm either last semester or last spring. I think they did a sci fi type disaster story too. I think you are hyper focusing on what your impression is of McPS. It’s called confirmation bias.

With that said, I wish they would read more books and more classical literature. I read the red badge of courage n middle school. They are old enough for Shakespeare.

I have never understood why of all books in the world, The Red Badge of Courage and Of Mice and Men were required reading in middle school.

However, I was super pleased when my kid was reading Lord of the Flies at school and came home and said that there was a discussion in class where the teacher said that the book is about the universal human experience and somebody raised their hand and asked how it could be about the universal human experience when there are only boys and men in it. Which is true about The Hobbit too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For years, it seemed that every assigned book my MCPS kid brought home, someone died. It seemed to be the defining quality for what the schools considered literature. It got to be a joke. Every time she had a new book assigned, I’d ask “Who dies in this one?” and she always had an answer. Literature doesn’t have to be so depressing.

Thorin dies in The Hobbit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I noticed my 8th grade DC reading the Hobbit. I asked if they were reading it on their own and to my surprise, they said it was for school. The first book in four years that was not about the struggle of some disadvantaged person.

Struggle of a disadvantaged middle-Earth species.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ah yes, Tolkien is required reading in our house.
Since I have despaired of public school systems ever teaching classics, I have a list of summer reading just for the purpose. British, French and a few American classics, since we're from all three countries.

Could you suggest some good ones for middle schoolers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I noticed my 8th grade DC reading the Hobbit. I asked if they were reading it on their own and to my surprise, they said it was for school. The first book in four years that was not about the struggle of some disadvantaged person.

I hate those books about the struggles of disadvantaged people. Antigone needs to get over herself. Oliver Twist should have make better choices. Les Miserables, The Grapes of Wrath, As I Lay Dying, Heart of Darkness, Crime and Punishment, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Jane Eyre, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, blah blah blah blah blah. I refuse to read anything except books about the struggles of advantaged people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For years, it seemed that every assigned book my MCPS kid brought home, someone died. It seemed to be the defining quality for what the schools considered literature. It got to be a joke. Every time she had a new book assigned, I’d ask “Who dies in this one?” and she always had an answer. Literature doesn’t have to be so depressing.

Thorin dies in The Hobbit.

Fili and Kili too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For years, it seemed that every assigned book my MCPS kid brought home, someone died. It seemed to be the defining quality for what the schools considered literature. It got to be a joke. Every time she had a new book assigned, I’d ask “Who dies in this one?” and she always had an answer. Literature doesn’t have to be so depressing.

Thorin dies in The Hobbit.

Fili and Kili too!

And Smaug.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if your kid is in school with mine. He is also an 8th grader reading the hobbit. They did animal farm either last semester or last spring. I think they did a sci fi type disaster story too. I think you are hyper focusing on what your impression is of McPS. It’s called confirmation bias.

With that said, I wish they would read more books and more classical literature. I read the red badge of courage n middle school. They are old enough for Shakespeare.

In fifth grade CES, DC read about half a dozen Shakespeare plays at MCPS. In middle school it's pretty much one or two books about disadvantaged people like the OP suggested. Because of this, I've made an effort to find engaging fiction and encourage them to read a book a month independently.