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J.R.R. Tolkien NPR coverage of J.R.R. Tolkien: News, author interviews, critics' picks and more.

J.R.R. Tolkien

Books

J.R.R. Tolkien

Books by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Story of Kullervo

The Silmarillion

The Children of Hurin

The Hobbit, Or, There And Back Again

The Lord Of The Rings

Beren and Lúthien

J.R.R. Tolkien has written books about:

NPR stories about J.R.R. Tolkien

Beren and Lúthien

Review

Book Reviews

'Beren And Lúthien' Reflects Tolkien's Real Life Love Story

May 31, 2017 • J.R.R. Tolkien's son Christopher proves an able guide through Beren and Lúthien, his father's haunting tale of a mortal man who falls in love with the daughter of a disapproving Elven King.

The Story of Kullervo

Review

Book Reviews

Frodo, Bilbo, Kullervo: Tolkien's Finnish Adventure

April 10, 2016 • While still at university, J.R.R. Tolkien became fascinated by Finnish mythology, abandoning his Classics degree to adapt the epic Story of Kullervo — work that led to the creation of Middle Earth.

Hatchet

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Julie of the Wolves

100 Best Books

The Ultimate Backseat Bookshelf: 100 Must-Reads For Kids 9-14

August 5, 2013 • More than 2,000 of you weighed in with your nominations for the best books for young readers.

Harry Potter Box Set

The Hunger Games

The Fault in Our Stars

Summer Books 2012

Your Favorites: 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels

August 7, 2012 • More than 75,000 of you voted for your favorite young-adult fiction. Now, after all the nominating, sorting and counting, the final results are in. Here are the 100 best teen novels, chosen by the NPR audience.

The Lord Of The Rings

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Ender's Game

Opinion

100 Best Books

Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books

August 11, 2011 • More than 5,000 of you nominated. More than 60,000 of you voted. And now the results are in. The winners are an intriguing mix of classic and contemporary titles.

Three Books To Help Grown-Ups Believe Again

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Review

Three Books...

Three Books To Help Grown-Ups Believe Again

November 17, 2010 • Children have the gift of magical thinking — and writer Signe Pike thinks adults should, too. She recommends three enchanting tales — of fairies, goblins and folklore — that will fill grown-up children with a sense of wonder once again.

Critics' Lists: Summer '07

Summer Reads for Former Recess Rebels

June 4, 2007 • As kids we preferred indoor recess to the playground hullabaloo. As adults we're film dorks, comic book geeks and indie-music nerds. We do not, as a general rule, jet-ski. This is what we'll be reading as we try to avoid the sun.

Summer Books 2007: Excerpts

Excerpt: 'The Children of Hurin'

June 4, 2007 • Glen Weldon recommends the newly published Tolkien book, edited by Tolkien's son, Christopher. Set in the Elder Days of Middle Earth, the prequel is based on stories that appear in Unfinished Tales and reads, Weldon says, like classic Tolkien.