January 2, 2002

Hopping Hobbit happening

Library throws Lord of the Rings party

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       Swords and bows, leather and lace, the elves and Hobbits came out in force Saturday for a Hobbit Party at the Traverse Area District Library.
      Promoting reading in any way they can, members of the Youth Services department at the library hosted a Hobbit Party featuring games, puzzles, crafts, snacks and a magic show. For the 30-plus attendees of all ages it was a good time had by all, though some trivia questions and crossword clues had many scratching their heads.
      In the final analysis, it was the now-famous characters of elves and dwarves, Bilbo and Gandolf, who have endured in readers' imaginations for five decades, that drew the small crowd.
      "I like the Hobbit characters," said Linnea Egan, 10, a fifth-grade student at Kingsley Elementary School. "My favorite is Arwen, the Elf Princess, and I am dressed as her today."
      With Harry Potter books and the subsequent movie captivating audiences young and old, devotees of JRR Tolkein's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy are now having their day in the sun. The anticipation for the movie and its box office success has another generation of young readers devouring the written word.
      Staff at the library threw the party to ride this wave of interest and direct eager readers to other fantasy classics. They handed out an extensive list of recommended readings, including "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle, "Starstone" by Grace Chetwin and "Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis.
      "It was a promotion for fantasy books in general, we took advantage of that connection to promote other books," said Bernadette Groppuso, youth services coordinator for the Traverse Area District Library. "It is a very popular genre with kids right now."
      Groppuso said the many kids who start with either Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings books are ripe to try others.
      "Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are just the tip of the iceberg, they have so many other books to explore," she said. "These other books give them something to read while they are waiting for the next installment of the movie or Harry Potter books."
      Jason Hughey, 11, has read all but the final book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
      "I like the book because of the action," said Hughey, a sixth- grade student at the Grand Traverse Academy.
      Hughey and his best friend, Ian Wolf, came to the Hobbit Party sporting elaborate elf costumes, complete with long bow for Wolf and sword for Hughey.
      They created these costumes for Halloween with the help of their parents. Hughey's leather jerkin took hours of improvisational sewing by his mother but the effect was pure elf. (Though Hughey admits that on Halloween, his vest, boots and forest green shirt underneath had many people thinking he was dressed as Robin Hood.)
      Hughey and Wolf are fans of the books and plan to see the movie. They reveled in the chance to be an elf for a day, as heads turned to admire their costumes.
      An aficionado of the fantasy genre, Hughey pledges his allegiance with Tolkein's forces. Having read all of the series but the last one, he has this to say: Harry Potter move over!
      "I think that the Lord of the Rings is a million times better than Harry Potter," Hughey said. "Harry Potter is cool but I like this better."