Books in Review: Walking with Bilbo

​I so clearly remember reading The Hobbit for the first time. Reading that book changed my life, helping me fall in love with reading, writing, and learning. So when I found out that the author of Walking with Frodo had written another devotional about The Hobbit, I was so excited. In the end, I found this devotional to be even better than the first. Whether it be because of my fond memories of the first time I read The Hobbit or the improved devotional format, this book seemed to draw me even further into the world of Middle-Earth than ever before. This book, along with the first book Walking with Frodo, also eventually inspired me to write a devotional on another of my favorite movies in a similar format (Redeeming the Beast). While this book was released 18 years ago, I still believe this is a journey worth taking for any fans of The Hobbit ~ Bethel

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In her book Walking with Bilbo, Sarah Arthur uses the beloved fantasy book The Hobbit to take readers on a devotional journey through the biblical themes present in the story of Bilbo Baggins and thirteen dwarves on their way to the Lonely Mountain. Throughout 22 devotionals, we follow the powerful story of Bilbo’s unexpected adventure to see what it has to teach us about the Christian life. As she did in her previous book Walking with Frodo, Arthur uses stories from The Hobbit and other relevant illustrations to set up the Scriptural truths for each devotion and summarizes each devotion with a main point to take away. Each devotion also follows up with additional Scriptures and reflection questions. Even when I read this as a teen who was not big on using devotionals, I found myself compelled by the way that Arthur integrated Scripture in the story of The Hobbit. This was done in such a way that doesn’t allow one to dominate over the other, but allows both to work together to communicate their point.
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If you are a Christian fan of The Hobbit (or The Lord of the Rings), this is a book I highly recommend.

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Teen Rating. This book was written as a youth devotional and would still appeal to them today if they are a fan of The Hobbit

Personal Rating. This book ended up being even better than the first! It is still one of my favorite devotionals. I would highly recommend it if you are a fan of The Hobbit