Shelob's Lair and The Choices of Master Samwise

Sorry for no report yesterday, but there were no good reactions to record from those chapters. Tonight I started out reading Shelob’s Lair and had some good discussion of Shelob and what Ungoliant and Morgoth had done with the Silmarils. When I got to the end the kids didn’t like the suspense and begged me to continue, so I went on and read The Choices of Master Samwise to finish out The Two Towers. When Sam decided that Frodo was dead the following exchange happened.

8YO: “So he has to be the ring bearer now?”

6YO (): “Why did they put Frodo in if he had to die? All this is Sauron’s fault! If he hadn’t made the ring none of this would had happened.”

8YO: “Do you remember something good from the last chapter? [Sauron] isn’t paying close attention to his own land so I hope it will be easier for [Sam] to throw it in that fire.”

There was a big sigh from the eight year old once the Shagrat revealed that Frodo wasn’t dead after all. Then the six year old asked “If he gets Frodo back and he’s awake will he give him back the phial and the Ring?”

Me: “We’ll have to wait and see.”