The Wobbit: A Parody    by Harvard Lampoon Order:  USA  Can Touchstone, 2013 (2013) Softcover, e-Book      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Are you, like me, keenly awaiting the next Hobbit movie? Here's an amusing diversion in the meantime. The Wobbit: A Parody is 'The sequel to the parody of the sequel to the prequel to The Lord of the Rings'. It's wittily written by The Harvard Lampoon, who also gave us Bored of the Rings and The Hunger Pains. It opens with And What is a Wobbit? (but doesn't answer the question). A Note to Readers is really addressed to 'trollhunter44 of lotr.wikia.com'. Next comes a map of Widdle Wearth with Jerkwood right in the middle and 'Mordor (under construction)'. Then we get to the meat of An Unexpected Trilogy and meet wobbit Billy Bagboy in Wobbottabad. Wobbits came from a 'wobesity epidemic'; they eat a lot. Wizard Dumbledalf shows up, soon followed by Drawlin, Ballin, Fili, Whorey, Slorey, Kourtney, Loin, Groin, Beefer, Buffer, Doc and Aaron Sorkinshield. They choose their burglar. Sorkinshield makes a speech that boils down to 'Your name is Puff the Magic Dragon. You took my mountain. Prepare to die.' They sleep and set off. They narrowly defeat Internet trolls; find Celebritology in Livinwell; and survive rock giants and moblins. Billy plays the riddle game with Goldstein, and steals his anklet. The adventure continues with chapter headings like Treehuggers and Muddafuggers and How to Desolate Your Dragon - you get the drift. It concludes with 'The Last Stage Before the First Stage of the Books That Really Matter or There and Bored Again'. It all ends in a new name for Billy and in verse ... 'Franchises go ever on and on, / Over-budget and under-seen, / Through sequels that are quickly gone, / And prequels that never should have been; / And filmmakers who work on an epic scale / (As to old habits they resort) / Forget they're adapting a children's tale / That was all the better for being short.' The Wobbit is tons of fun. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews