NATIONAL BOOK AWARD SHAMELESSNESS!!!

We're starting out with ridiculously exciting news!!!  This year's winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature is...

WILLIAM ALEXANDER 

for 

GOBLIN SECRETS!

Plus there's an amazing interview with Will in Publisher's Weekly.  We pretty much couldn't be more excited.  You should have seen the email chain that went through the Inkies group.  It was epic.

But that's not all the news we have today. The new YA edition of Lena Goldfinch's fantasy novella, THE LANGUAGE OF SOULS, is now available as an ebook (print forthcoming). And yes, there's a cover reveal!!!

Nancy Holder has accepted a position as writer in residence at Odyssey, a six-week intensive science fiction and fantasy workshop held at St. Anselm college in New Hampshire. The workshop runs from June 10-July 19, 2013.

She will also serve on the faculty at the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program at their campus in Dingle, Ireland, in July of 2013. For those of you who haven't been, the Dingle Peninsula is one of the most beautiful places in the world.  So yes, I'm ridiculously jealous.

Hilari Bell's first four novels have been re-released as ebooks! You can look for SONGS OF POWER, NAVOHAR, A MATTER OF PROFIT and THE WIZARD TEST, wherever ebooks are sold. And if you check out her Facebook page, you can get a Smashwords coupon to get any one of those books free.

And that's it!

"It."  WILL WON THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD!!!!  *flails*

:)

The Hobbit Read-Along, Day 5: Chapters 17-19

All week we have been reading J.R.R. Tolkein's The Hobbit together here at the Inkpot. Today is the grand finale, the end of the journey, where we read the final chapters and finish our Hobbit reading adventure.

It's been a marathon week of reading - (and writing for all those involved in NaNoWrMo) - and today we cover how Tolkein ended his classic. Personally, it's made me hugely excited about the first of the three Hobbit movies, Unexpected Journey.  Unfortunately, we have to wait until July 18, 2014, before we see these chapters on the big screen in the third and final Hobbit movie, There and Back Again, but we have the book so we can hungrily anticipate Jackson's magical movie interpretation knowing how it ends.

Briefly, in Chapter 17, The Clouds Burst, Bilbo's plan has backfired. Not only does the appearance of Bard, the Elvenking and Gandolf with the Arkenstone incense Thorin against Bilbo, but it incites him to call for dwarf reinforcements. Thorin has such treasure-lust that he refuses to honor his deal with Bard and chooses to fight instead. With true Tolkein genius, the stakes are raised when the armies of dwarves, elves and men are forced to unite against the Goblins who turn up with their chilling sidekicks: bats, wolves and Wargs. At the beginning of the chapter Bilbo courageously owns up to his part in handing over the Arkenstone, but by the end of the chapter Bilbo is our loveable coward again - hiding under his ring of invisibility as the battle rages, and Bilbo gets knocked out cold. 

Chapter 18, The Return Journey Tolkein as omnipotent narrator has Bilbo rescued, reunited with a repentant and dying Thorin, and tells us how Beon in bear form, along with the eagles, saved the day and routed the goblins so their defeat was absolute (well, almost). And so, Bilbo, Beon and Gandolf head home and our omnipotent narrator saves us a hundred pages or more by summarizing the journey back to Rivendell.

Chapter 19, The Last Stage (can we bear it? The FINAL chapter.) Here Tolkein indulges in Elven songs and an informative rest stop with Elrond before Gandolf and Bilbo move on to retrieve the buried gold from their encounter with those three delightful trolls, Tom, Bert and Bill, and then travel to Hobbiton. Instead of a quick happy-ever-after ending, Bilbo arrives home at Bag-End, Underhill, to find the scrumptiously named Messrs Grubb, Grubb, and Burrowes auctioning off his possessions on behalf of Bilbo's conniving cousins, the Sackville-Bagginses. There's nothing more satisfying than Bilbo arriving home just in time to thwart these sneaky Sackville-Bagginses' plans to move into his most cozy hobbit-hole.

And just when we thought it was over after our narrator tells us all about Bilbo settling back into his content, not-quite-respectable Hobbit life, who turns up again but Gandalf (who is habitually enlightening when it comes to backstory and information) with Balin. They fill us in with an all-is-well follow-up from the lands of the Mountain, and Gandolf gives a profound reminder to Bilbo that much more than luck was at work throughout his adventure.

For Discussion:
When I picked up my old tatty copy of The Hobbit after 20 years (gasp, did I say 20 years?) for this weeks' read-along, I was struck with how much of the story I had forgotten. At 13 yrs-old I had struggled to get into it, but on my third attempt I got beyond the first chapter and couldn't put it down. I fell in love with the story, and The Hobbit is still one of my all-time favorite novels. It was great to read it again, and yet, my honest opinion is that Tolkein's writing would never be acceptable to an editor today. What do you think?

What impact did your first reading of The Hobbit have on you? 

And how did you like Tolkein's ending?

I hope you enjoyed re-reading The Hobbit and spending time with us here at The Enchanted Inkpot as we've discussed it. Can't wait to hear from you - and come back and let us know what you think of the movie. I'm a huge fan of Martin Freeman so consider him a rather dishy Bilbo Baggins ... but that's a whole new topic entirely!

Pippa Bayliss (the short and non-hairy-footed honorary Hobbit. Second breakfasts rock.)

The Hobbit Read-Along, Day 4: Chapters 13-16!

All week we are reading J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit together here at the Inkpot.  Be sure to come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!

To the casual reader, chapters 13-16 could seem to be when none of the action happens. There are no goblins or trolls. No riddles in the dark. No bears and eagles and wolves. But for the reader who wants to take a step just a bit farther from the hobbit hole, chapters 13-16 are the heart of the novel.

As I take a deeper look at Chapters 13-16, it's where we truly see that this is more than a simple adventure. It's more than a tale told about a hobbit. It's the story of a dwarf who should be king. And of a man who carries noble blood and is descended from the Lord of the Dale. Thorin and Bard rule these chapters, and Bilbo is only transcribing.


Chapter 13: NOT AT HOME
(This chapter brought to you by Thorin)
We start in chapter 13 with the dwarves stuck in the side door entrance of the Lonely Mountain. They are afraid to venture down the tunnel and into the lair of the dragon. And they can't get out the way they came since the door has collapsed. But time goes by and hunger and desire for riches take over and down to the treasure trove they go.
After the fear wears off, the dwarves go kinda nuts and start stuffing their pockets. And...
...Bilbo find the Arkenstone and proves that he truly is a burglar!
(and on a side note, Thorin also gives Bilbo the mithral coat of mail which I adore since it is then passed on to Frodo in LOTR.)
The dwarves get a little nervous and leave, heading for a nearby guard post.
And though Thorin is now technically King Under the Mountain, this realization has not quite hit him. He needs a moment (or two or three) for this to really sink in. We start to see it as he proclaims the glory to which the Lonely Mountain will be restored, but he still doesn't quite believe it's finally happened.


Chapter 14: FIRE AND WATER
(This chapter brought to you by Bard)
In chapter 14, Smaug comes to Esgaroth. This is a horrible battle, and many lives are lost. Like dead. And though it is quickly glanced over, that doesn't change the fact that it still happens. The dragon is angry and fierce, and he is taking out his wrath on the men. All seems lost. And then...
The thrush tells Bard where to aim. And...
Bard kills Smaug!
The town people try to name Bard king, but he is humble and does not accept this. And though he bows to the master of the town, he is truly the man in control. his dignity shines through, and he is the hero in every way.
And because elves are fun and we must get set up for the big battle, the wood elves come to join the men.
Everyone remembers the treasure. Everyone wants the treasure. The treasure is shiny.


Chapter 15: THE GATHERING OF THE CLOUDS
(This chapter brought to you by Thorin)
In chapter 15, we return to the dwarves. The raven tells of the men and elves gathering.
War between the dwarves and the men and elves is on the horizon.
So Thorin feels threatened by the men and elves and thus will not bargain, and the men and elves feel threatened by Thorin because he will not bargain. 
Thorin calls for reinforcements.
We now have three armies gathering. Men. Elves. Dwarves.
This part kind of reminds me of when a relative dies and there is some inheritance and everyone who feels they deserve a part starts to descend. Everyone has a valid claim. Everyone's claim in better than the next. And nobody will listen to anybody else. 
Again, this is a chapter about Thorin. He now has accepted that he is King under the Mountain! But he does not quite know how to handle this. Learn much, you will, Thorin.


Chapter 16: A THIEF IN THE NIGHT
(This chapter brought to you by Bilbo)
Go, Bilbo!
In chapter 16, Bilbo can't stand to see how the dwarves are acting. They won't listen to reason. Thorin is obsessed with the Arkenstone and does not want to give up any of his fortunes. War is imminent. The future is not so bright at all.
So Bilbo sneaks off in the night and visits the men and elves and delivers to them...The Arkenstone! He hopes they will use it as a bargaining tool. And though he knows he is going to get in huge trouble when he gets back, he returns because he does not want to abandon his friends.
Here we have our brief appearance by Gandalf as the mentor who congratulates his student for doing well. Gandalf is proud of Bilbo.
We are all proud of Bilbo.


It's easy to think of THE HOBBIT as a bit of a light-hearted adventure, but with these chapters, we are seeing war approach. We are seeing part of the population die from the destruction of the horrible dragon who has been tormenting the city of men for so long. We are seeing a fallen kingdom restored to the dwarves it was taken from. Even with the death of the dragon, it's the edge of a dark time for Middle Earth.


The Visuals
Before we end, let's take a step back to think about the visuals of these chapters. We're all excited about the movie, and I believe much of what I'm excited about the most is seeing
(1) the inside of the dragon's lair (because of what I am guessing will be its similarities to the magnificent Moria), and
(2) the abandoned city under the mountain (which I am wondering how much will remind me of Osgiliath).


Discussion Questions:
Who do you feel has a right to the treasure? How would you divide it at this point?

How do you think the tone and pacing of these chapters compare with the previous 12 chapters?

What should Bilbo's punishment be for giving the Arkenstone to the men? How would you react if you were in Thorin's place?

If you were one of the other dwarves who did not quite support Thorin's view, would you speak up and try to reason with him or keep quiet since he was now your king?

What parts, visually, are you most excited to see in the movie?

*****

P. J. Hoover is the author of the upcoming dystopia/mythology YA book, SOLSTICE (Tor Teen, June 2013), the upcoming Egyptian mythology MG book, TUT (Tor Children's, Winter 2014), and the middle-grade SFF series, THE FORGOTTEN WORLDS BOOKS (CBAY, 2008-2010). You can read more about her and her books on P. J.'s website or blog.

The Hobbit Read-Along, Day 3: Chapters 9-12!

All week we are reading J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit together here at the Inkpot.  Be sure to come back tomorrow for Chapters 13-16!

The Wood-elves take the dwarves prisoner at the beginning of Chapter 9 ("Barrels out of Bond"), though all concerned are so hungry and miserable that "they were actually glad to be captured."  Luckily for the dwarves, Bilbo has the magic ring, so the elves don't know he has snuck into their underground realm, where he uses his growing talents as a burglar to find his way around, pilfer food, and discover the deep cell in which the elves are holding Thorin.  (THE HOBBIT is a book very rich in caves, by the way!)  Bilbo's task is to get all those dwarves safely out of prison.  He does this using, as the chapter title suggests, barrels, into which he packs the dwarves in order to float them down the river to the Long Lake.

Bruised and waterlogged, the poor dwarves finally get to crawl out of their barrels, and the Master of the town greets them with some suspicion.  His hand is forced by the townspeople's enthusiasm, however; the people of Lake-town promptly dig up all the old songs about the "return of the King under the Mountain" and sing them with gusto.  That's why Chapter 10 is called "A Warm Welcome"!  Fortunately for the Master of Lake-town, the dwarves are eager to set off in the direction of the Lonely Mountain, and they don't end up lingering too long.

Chapter 11, "On the Doorstep," takes us right to the "skirts of the Mountain," and even farther than that, up to the back door, but unfortunately for them, that door is closed, and nothing they do makes it budge.  It's up to Bilbo to save the day again by figuring out the secret message represented by an enormous thrush busily dining on snails near the hidden door.  Aha!  Just as the moon-letters on the map had told Elrond long before:  "Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole."  (I am impressed by a map thorough enough to mention local birds!)  Sure enough, the sun sets, the key is brought forth, and the stubborn door into the mountain finally opens. 

Does Thorin say, "Why, thank you, Mr. Baggins, for your sharp eye and useful bird-watching habits!  Why don't you take a nice rest now?"?  Why, no, he does not say that.  He says instead, "Now is the time for our esteemed Mr. Baggins . . . to perform the service for which he was included in our company; now is the time for him to earn his Reward."  The narrator, by the way, is much more mocking of a hero like Thorin than the LotR narrator will later be:  "You are familiar with Thorin's style on important occasions, so I will not give you any more of it, though he went on a good deal longer than this."  Poor Bilbo!  He will spend Chapter 12 ("Inside Information")  chatting with dragons.  A particular dragon, that is:  the dragon named Smaug. 

Dragons are tricky conversationalists.  Before Bilbo really understands what Smaug is up to, he spills a little too much information about, for instance, places the company has recently been.  The dragon flies off, intent on showing these bipeds who's in control around here.  Not a good time to be living in Lake-town!

Questions:  More echoes here of Lord of the Rings, did you notice?  A door into a cavern that will only open under very particular circumstances!  Another question:  would you rather ride a river INSIDE or ON TOP OF a barrel?  What does THE HOBBIT teach us about how to converse with ancient and dangerous creatures like dragons?  In his adventures thus far, has Bilbo done something you would find especially hard, if not impossible?  I, for instance, would have quailed in the face of Chapter 8's spiders.  And how how how did the map's rune-writer know that thrush would be there at the appointed hour?

***

Anne Nesbet is the author of THE CABINET OF EARTHS, which came out earlier this year from HarperCollins, and A BOX OF GARGOYLES (appearing in May 2013).  She lives in California (but not the warm part of California) with her dear family and an only moderately well-behaved Border Collie.  More info about Anne and her books at www.annenesbet.com. 

The Hobbit Read-Along: Chapters 5-8!

Today, we continue our group read of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, preparing ourselves for the movie coming out next month. Return tomorrow for chapters 9-12!

 “…till suddenly his hand met what felt like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel.”

Did JRR Tolkien have any idea what he was getting us into when he wrote those words? Eighty years later, when someone says “the Ring” they’re probably not talking Wagner.

The chapters we’re discussing today are Riddles in the Dark, Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire, Queer Lodgings, and Flies and Spiders. In addition to introducing us to the One Ring and Gollum, these are the chapters in which Bilbo (and hobbits) come into their own in the wide world.

The summary: Bilbo awakes alone in the dark, having been knocked out and left behind while he, Gandalf, and the dwarves fled the goblins. Groping around in the dark, he finds the ring and sticks it in his pocket, thinking nothing of it. He stumbles upon the underground lake that is home to Gollum, whom Tolkien describes as “a small slimy creature . . . dark as darkness, except for two big round pale eyes in his thin face.”

You can watch Gollum take hold of his author’s imagination. At first, the narrator is dismissive, saying, “I don’t know where he came from, nor who or what he was.” A page later, we learn that Gollum had once played riddle games “with other funny creatures sitting in their holes.” A page after that, we find out Gollum once had a grandmother and remembers sun on daisies.

A high-stakes riddle game ensues—if Bilbo wins, Gollum shows him out of the goblins’ maze of tunnels; if Bilbo loses, Gollum eats him. The score’s tied when, desperate for a new riddle, Bilbo fumbles in his pocket, feels the Ring, and muses aloud, “What have I got in my pocket?” Gollum takes this as a riddle question, can’t guess, then makes an excuse to fetch his own ring—a magic one that, to his horror and despair, turns out to be gone. “What has it got in its pocketses?” he hisses, and the chase is on. Bilbo learns that the Ring makes him invisible, and Gollum unwittingly shows him the way out of the goblins’ realm.

In one of my favorite scenes—bursting with typical Tolkien humor—an invisible Bilbo squeezes through a doorway gap to escape, mystifying the pursuing goblins when his waistcoat buttons pop into view scattered on the ground.

Bilbo reunites with Gandalf and the dwarves—tellingly, he neglects to mention the Ring. Our heroes are treed by wolves and goblins, who set the trees on fire. The eagles come to the rescue—foreshadowing future events not only in this book but in The Lord of the Rings.

After an utterly charming scene in which Gandalf wins hospitality through a good tale, the troupe enjoys a little R&R with Beorn, the shape-shifter and animal lover. Beorn helps them find the entrance to the path they must follow through Mirkwood. As this exceedingly mysterious and dangerous leg of their journey is about to begin, Gandalf leaves for mysterious duties elsewhere.

Despite Beorn’s warnings, the dwarves are lured from their path by the sounds of elvish feasting, then captured by giant spiders. (And may I just say . . . ew). Bilbo, who has been growing in cleverness and bravery the deeper he journeys into the woods, uses the Ring to save everyone but Thorin, who is captured by the elves.

Discussion questions: The Bilbo who emerges from these four chapters is a very different little chap from the Bilbo who got left behind as the chapters started. Which events do we think contributed most to his growth?

Tolkien is careful to build in rest periods: Rivendell in yesterday’s chapters, the Beorn sojourn in today’s. How important is this to you as a reader? Are you charmed or bored?

Bilbo’s uncharacteristic attempt to keep the Ring secret has great significance in The Lord of the Rings, when Gandalf cites the lie as his first clue that this wasn’t just any magic ring.  In this book, though, it strikes me as an odd loose end. Gandalf gives Bilbo a funny look when he initially misleads everyone, but never refers to the incident directly again. Is this a flaw, or just Tolkien playing a deep game? (We do know he’d started the trilogy before The Hobbit was published.)

What about old Gandalf? Why’d Tolkien choose to send him away at this juncture?

In addition to the ring, Gollum, and the eagles, what other aspects of these chapters do we think foreshadow events in The Lord of the Rings?

***

Ellen Booraem is the author of the middle-grade fantasies THE UNNAMEABLES, SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS, and TEXTING THE UNDERWORLD (coming in August 2013). She lives in coastal Maine with an artist, a dog, and a cat, one of whom is a practicing curmudgeon. She's online at www.ellenbooraem.com.