Dana McNamara

Something that I find so enjoyable about The Hobbit, and much of Tolkiens work, is the extent of immersive world building he does in his stories, as the characters travel through Middle Earth, the reader is exposed to so many different races with varying livelihoods and languages and cultures, so its no wonder that Tolkien had such a powerful influence on the realm of high fantasy adventure. The main character of the book, Bilbo, goes through a deep change throughout the book, with his own character development being a major portion of the story. Bilbo starts with such a sheltered life, having abandoned the adventurous spirit he had when he was younger. But with the sudden and unexpected offer of adventure given to him by Gandalf, which he at first refuses, Bilbo finds that his life has been uneventful and boring, and goes off anyway. Throughout the novel Bilbo is forced to face many harsh realities and dangers that he is ill prepared for, forced to adapt so that he can hope to see his...

This novel definitely took a different turn from the ones perviously covered, with a young 12 year old girl as the protagonist in a more magical/fantasy coming of age story that deals with the main character, an albino girl named Sunny, who is also a witch, (referred to as Leopard People) trying to find her place while split between a multitude of worlds and situations. Sunny is borne an albino with the ability to turn invisible in an intolerant and superstitious society, and has recently found herself to be a witch, or Leopard person. Throughout the whole novel, there are classic themes that are normally found within coming of age stories. Sunny strives and struggles to find her place in the two worlds she is a part of, trying to find her own individuality and autonomy as she grows, and despite her own connection to the magical world, deals with situations common amount young children, such as bullying and crushes. But as with most YA novels, the protagonist and her friends are also f...