School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9-In a thoughtful and appreciative biography, Lynch explains how the beloved hobbit came to be created by a man whose fascination with dead languages led him to write fantasy stories, as well as to create and study language throughout his lifetime. Tolkien's fans will meet the man behind the tales: a soldier, a teacher, an Englishman, and a Catholic. And most importantly, they will meet a writer and a father. Through a combination of his close relationship with his children and his discontent with the modern world, he was able to give his readers a mythical, imaginative world of the past. In Lynch's biography, despite his otherworldliness, Tolkien comes off as being entirely human, a man who drove his car into walls, had trouble writing at times, and even made spelling errors. Supplemental information, in the way of archival photographs and sidebars, help to put the material in context. There is an affectionate tone in the writing here, and readers will be touched and inspired by this carefully crafted portrait.-Holly T. Sneeringer, St. Mark School, Baltimore, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Reviewed with Christin Ditchfield's Condoleeza Rice. Gr. 5-8. These biographies in the new Great Life Stories series, one about a contemporary political leader, the other about an enduring literary giant, tell of blazing success, without a hint of criticism or failure. The drama is in the struggle, and both books do a good job of relating the personal life story to the history of the times. Ditchfield describes Rice from her childhood in segregated Birmingham, Alabama, to her role as the first woman to be national security advisor in the White House, counseling President Bush on international affairs. Lynch's biography may surprise even ardent Tolkien fans, who will learn how much the famous writer's stories draw on his personal experience, including his childhood in the English countryside (which became Hobbit land) and his trauma in World War I. The books have an open design, with lots of photos and boxed insets, and a detailed chronology of the life and times of the subjects. Rice includes only a vague note about sources; Tolkien is better documented, with some sources given for direct quotes. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2003 Booklist
