Roverandom

I'm ashamed to admit it took me years to read Roverandom, but I'm so glad I finally did. I actually started the book years ago at the repeated insistence of my now-best friend, but I only made it a third of the way through before it went back to the library. I wasn't interested enough to check it out again and finish it then, though I always meant to. As a teenager, I just wasn't very interested in any Tolkien except Middle-earth, even though I was a die-hard Tolkien fan and was very much obsessed with Middle-earth. Tolkien was and still is my very favorite, so I really should have read Roverandom sooner than this.

But I did at last! It happened because I introduced my little sister to Tolkien for the first time by beginning our show more read-aloud of The Hobbit. She was head over heels in love with it from the first page, and since she loves animals and fantasy, I knew she would like Roverandom. As soon as I told her about the book, she was so excited to read it, and I resolved to finally read the whole thing myself as well. When I got it for her, she loved it, and she even read the whole thing with excitement and without losing interest,which is unusual for her attention span. That is a testament to how good the book is. All that to say . . . my little sister, the budding new Tolkien fan, beat me, the veteran! Wow. *smiles sheepishly*

But I did read it, from the beginning, and I finished it this time! And unlike before, I enjoyed and appreciated it as much as it deserves!

Things I liked:

-I loved the dog Roverandom so very much. He's so sweet, and I enjoyed his point of view and his way of thinking about his experiences and acquaintances. And I loved seeing him grow up and become wiser as the story goes on.
-I enjoyed the other characters very much as well - the sweet, wise, cantankerous, strange, annoying, and foolish characters alike. I especially loved Little Boy Two and the Man in the Moon. Also, Psamathos and, by the end, Artaxerxes.
-I laughed or smiled almost constantly while reading the book. I loved the wry wit, hilarious satire, tongue-in-cheek references and parodies, and comical events and people. The amusing, clever humor throughout was one of my very favorite things about the book. I love that it has a wide range of humor that do you like children and adults alike, as well as making adults of the time laugh at references a child would not understand. I enjoyed the notes at the back that helped me understand all the hilarious references to history and to the contemporary culture Tolkien lived in.
-All the parts with Roverandom and his little boy, and their love for and devotion to one another. So much sweetness!
-The whole feel and heart and theme of the book. It is so utterly sweet and golden and wonderful and heartwarming!! It was such a comforting read, especially when I wasn't feeling well.
-Illustrations by Tolkien himself. I have always adored his artwork for his books and his beautiful style of illustration. And his handwriting!
-Some of the characters were cold, difficult, unhelpful, and unkind toward Rover, just exactly like real life, and written in such a skilled and rare way. I appreciated so much how humorously perceptive of and accurate to real life Tolkien's portrayal was. And sweet Roverandom's downcast reaction to the cold shoulders and conflict was so sweet and relatable!
-The sea-dog's tale of his own origin and adventures, since I love Vikings and history - and I love Tolkien's far greater love of them both. And the sea-dog himself was so sweet and wise, especially his devotion to his master
-The wizards, as I mentioned before, and also the relationships and humorous conflict between them. It made me laugh hard during the part when one wizard was telling another wizard about the third wizard's foolish shenanigans.
-The writing style, which was both exquisite and like a story being told aloud, and the lovely descriptions.
-Tolkien's insertion of himself and his family at the center of the book. It is so sweet!! I adore the story behind the book - that he told the tale to his sons to comfort his son Michael after the loss of his toy dog at the seaside. The roots of the tale are very evident in even the settings of the story.
-The perfect, joyous ending! I guessed and hoped that the story would end a certain way, and it did!
-There was literally nothing I didn't like!

All in all, Roverandom is a wonderful, humorous, sweet, and gently magical tale that will appeal to Tolkien fans and non-Tolkien fans alike. It makes a wonderful read-aloud for parents to read to children of any age, even very young children, and it can be enjoyed by anyone, from young children to adults.

Updated Rating: I'm raising my star rating from 4 stars to at least 4.5 stars, because in the few months since I've read it, this book has remained fabulous in my memory. There was really nothing to keep it from being a very high rating - it's a great book, well worthy of Tolkien's caliber, and super sweet. Some books are forgettable, and the star rating drops after a few months - but it's the opposite with this one. show less

This story was written and revised by Tolkien decades before his most popular novels, but only published well after The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Written to soothe his young son after the loss of his favorite toy dog, this fantasy illustrates Tolkien’s writing genius and imagination. In this tale, Rover bites a wizard and suffers the consequences, and in the process has a great many adventures. One can see the beginnings of the fascination Tolkien had with other civilizations, with other worldly settings, and with mythical creatures and beings. Well-written and well developed, this entertaining tale is sure please all ages, not just children.

I absolutely loved this book! It was written by Tolkien for his son who had lost a favorite toy dog of his. The story is obviously geared for children, but the writing style of Tolkien's other works is quite evident here and so it really can be enjoyed by adults as well.

I actually enjoyed getting to read about the fantastical adventures of a dog turned toy, turned moon-dog, turned mer-dog, turned back to real dog. They were cutesy while still being a bit adventurous.

My favorite section was when Rover (Roverandom) was on the moon. I liked getting to read about the different beings that lived there and the different things revolving around the Moon Man.

very enjoyable little story about a dog going on an adventure, has a very fun writing style - with lots of long sentences thats very Tolkien-esque.

If you like children's books from the 20s and 30s, this is a cute one, and fairly easy to get, as it wasn't published back then, but only in 1998 and since. The editors of the edition I read included lots of notes to help you recognize the references to other books and mythology that Tolkien loved to scatter through his writings.

If this had been published when it was written and if the author hadn't gone on to write Lord of the Rings, probably nobody would read it today. It's not the kind of great book that you read over and over. However it would make a really cute animated feature.

I'd never heard of this droll novella until it popped up in Terzah's feed--it was published posthumously after I was grown. My son and I read it together, and it was a good bedtime book for my young Harry Potter / Percy Jackson megafan (this story is charming and not as scary). Sure, Tolkien's prose is full of what, today, we'd call run-ons, and jammed with a lot of dated Britishisms, but it was still fun!

I absolutely loved this book! It was written by Tolkien for his son who had lost a favorite toy dog of his. The story is obviously geared for children, but the writing style of Tolkien's other works is quite evident here and so it really can be enjoyed by adults as well.

I actually enjoyed getting to read about the fantastical adventures of a dog turned toy, turned moon-dog, turned mer-dog, turned back to real dog. They were cutesy while still being a bit adventurous.

My favorite section was when Rover (Roverandom) was on the moon. I liked getting to read about the different beings that lived there and the different things revolving around the Moon Man.