The entries are in! As you probably know, we’re running a contest in which kids were invited to record themselves reading a few pages of The Hobbit. On the first week of our Hobbit Read Along, we heard from John Erickson, author of the Hank the Cowdog books, and I asked you all to help your kids try out Mr. Erickson’s mantra: “throw yourself into it, forget who’s watching, and be bold enough to experiment with your voice.” And wow, did you ever! I am so proud of every child (and parent!) who participated. Thank you all for your hard work!
For the purposes of the contest, though, I did have to choose three finalists. So, here they are! I think they are all so sweet, and it makes me giddy to hear these young voices enjoying Tolkien’s work. Hopefully after listening to all three, you can vote in the poll below. Keeping in mind that these are kids of all different ages and reading levels, just vote for the rendition you think is most professional or creative. (And those who don’t win, remember, we’ll do this again sometime, so take notes from your competition…and maybe you’ll come out on top next time!)
Finalist #1: Taia S.
[mp3player width=250 height=100 config=hobbit-radio.xml file=https://redeemedreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/hobbit11-mix.mp3]
Finalist #2: Micah M.
[mp3player width=250 height=100 config=hobbit-radio.xml file=https://redeemedreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Memo.mp3]
Finalist #3: Evert Boys
[mp3player width=250 height=100 config=hobbit-radio.xml file=https://redeemedreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Evert-Boys-Hobbit-Reading.mp3]
CAST YOUR VOTE
This is no American Idol, but we do have a Hank the Cowdog audiobook AND a Hobbit caricature on the line here. Vote below for your favorite finalist, and we’ll announce Monday who won! And while you’re encouraged to get family and friends to vote, please only one vote per person. (We’re still working with our polling software, and I’m not sure how it will react to repeat voters.)
One last thing: don’t forget to put a word of encouragement to our young readers in the comments. I know they would appreciate it after they worked so hard!
**VOTING IS NOW CLOSED, but you can still leave a word of encouragement below**
[poll id=”3″]
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My kids listened and picked Taia because her Gollum voice was so good and because she didn’t have an adult in her recording!
We loved Taia’s recording, too! Micah’s is also excellent! For the record, the ages of the boys in the Evert boys’ recording are 7, 10, 12, and 16. No adults…
Excellent job, Taia! We LOVE this book and are currently listening to the audio for the second time.
The Evert boys are amazing!!!! They must have done this before!! Though, I had to vote for Taia. Just more raw and not as professional, but still very good! Great Job all 3- Micah- I’d put a little more heart into it- do fun voices and get into the reading more. You have an amazing understanding of the written language, which is most of the fight. Now, just have fun and imagine yourself in that imaginary world :o)!
We LOVED hearing the Evert boys and thought they did a fantastic job! We wish they would record the whole book! 🙂
Thanks so much, guys! Voting is closed, but I’ll be officially announcing winners and prizes in just a few hours! What a nail-biter!