... crumbled. Boromir tells him that the people of Gondor are still strong. Mordor has aligned with men of distant kingdoms to the east. Gondor cannot hold out too long. Rohan is the only ally that might come to their aid. Boromir recites a dream that he had in which a voice spoke. His father, the steward ... when winter comes. Gandalf tells them to rest and says that he may go on the journey. This excites Frodo. Bilbo talks about the end of the book he has been writing and hopes it will be happy. The days slip by and winter comes rolling in. Two months later all the messengers have returned...

• Word Count: 7779
• Approx Pages: 31
• Grade Level: High School

... palantir (a seeing stone). Gandalf knows that though Saruman is a lost cause, this is a great treasure. Gandalf asks Treebeard to pour back the water into Orthanc so that Saruman can never escape. Treebeard agrees. The Palantir Pippin is extremely inquisitive about the glass ball that Wormtongue threw at Gandalf. Finally, curiosity ... marsh. There are candles for every dead creature in it. Somehow they get across the dead marshes, guided solely by Smeagol's senses. As their journey progresses they sense Smeagol's uneasiness. Later, a winged creature flies over the marshes and Gollum refu...

• Word Count: 4146
• Approx Pages: 17
• Grade Level: High School

... quiet breakfast when Gandalf enters and rushes him off to the Bywater Inn, where Thorin and the rest of the dwarves have been waiting to begin their journey. As they head east on the main road, Bilbo sulks at having gone without breakfast or proper preparations. As if to spite him, rain begins ... proceed to fight over cooking up Bilbo. The commotion attracts the dwarves, who unfortunately come to the clearing one at a time. The trolls stop fighting just long enough to hide in the trees and throw a sack over each approaching dwarf. Soon, they have everyone tied up except Bilbo, who has be...

• Word Count: 5600
• Approx Pages: 22
• Grade Level: High School

... For unknown reasons, it is Bilbo that Gandalf chooses to be the fourteenth member of the journey to Lonely Mountain. Although the tale is about a journey, it is also about the slow change of Bilbo from a provincial hobbit into a world-weary hero. It is his bravery and wisdom that rescues the dwarves on multiple ... end of the tale. Bombur: Bombur is the fat dwarf who is often messing things up. In Mirkwood, he falls into the stream of forgetfulness and falls to sleep for many days. His companions must carry him. When he wakes, he has forgotten everything since they left the home of Bilbo...

• Word Count: 2796
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School