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Rating: 
Summary: Just wants your money
Review: I haven't read this book. I won't read this book. I don't need to read this book. Here someone has the audacity to compare the Harry Potter books with Tolkien's huge achievement; anyone who would think there is anything worth comparing is dull-witted. This has been written to make $. Ignore it, good people.
Rating:
Summary: Just wants your money
Review: I haven't read this book. I won't read this book. I don't need to read this book. Here someone has the audacity to compare the Harry Potter books with Tolkien's huge achievement; anyone who would think there is anything worth comparing is dull-witted. This has been written to make $. Ignore it, good people.
Rating: 
Summary: An Informative and Insightful Read --- Highly Recommended
Review: The world has really become acquainted with the names Harry and Frodo. With the upcoming release of the third Harry Potter movie to the much-anticipated release of the final movie in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, we have been inundated with these two characters. Both overcoming evil for the triumph of good, it's easy to understand the attraction to both. But how are we to discern whether these characters, books and movies are moral and present a worldview that is proper for our children?FRODO & HARRY, co-authored by media experts Ted Baehr and Tom Snyder, compares the fantasy worlds of Frodo and Harry Potter, contrasting the fictional "real world" in The Lord of the Rings with the occult world of Harry Potter. Baehr and Snyder are obviously movie buffs, but they are also Christians who observe culture and are concerned with the way visual media is affecting our world. "Our purpose is to help people of faith and values see and understand the difference between the two movies that have been adapted from the popular literary works," the authors state. Part one is an analysis comparing and contrasting both movies and their worldviews. They briefly outline each film and discuss the message that each is giving. Although they point out a couple of positive aspects, the authors are extremely critical of Harry Potter, saying that it "attacks Biblical Christianity," and that the stories reflect a "pagan, gnostic, and nominalistic worldview." However, they praise The Lord of the Rings, calling it an "epic story" that "points us toward God and Jesus Christ and toward truth, honor, virtue, and beauty." Discussion questions at the end of each beginning chapter help readers evaluate the books and movies, and their effect on their lives personally. The second part of the book touches on the spiritual approach we are to take when evaluating entertainment media in order to protect our lives from negative influences. Because the entertainment industry has such an influence over our children, Baehr and Snyder say parents should be concerned. They provide shocking statistics, ways we can pass on our moral and spiritual values to our children and go into detail about how children develop mentally and exactly how they react to certain types of media --- horror films, violence, etc. This section also touches on the history of the Church and its relationship with media and culture. Finally, there are suggestions for discerning readers and parents on how to ask the right questions about Frodo and Harry. FRODO & HARRY is strongly recommended for those who are interested in pop-culture and how it relates to our spiritual lives, as well as for thoughtful parents who want to learn about the nature of the fantasy genre and the various critical tools necessary to develop an informed judgment about art and entertainment. --- Reviewed by Karen Campbell
Rating: 
Summary: I found it rather biased
Review: This book is an interesting read, although I don't agree with everything the author says. This book is meant for committed Christians who are concerned about media and it's influence on their children's lives. The review by Jim Keil was ridiculous, considering he hasn't even read this book and has no idea of its' content or topical matter. That being said, I think the author is rather predispositioned to dislike anything having to do with Harry Potter, and while he lambasts the HP series, he tends to excuse similar elements in Lord of the Rings. He takes the position that because it includes sorcery and children who sometimes lie and disobey rules (and other elements), Christians should stay away from it. I don't think that's necessarily true. It's a STORY. Let me say here that I am a committed Christian myself, and I have read all 5 Harry Potter books as well as the unabridged Lord of the Rings, and have seen all the respective movies. I read the Lord of the Rings because I wanted to, and I read the Harry Potter series because my step-daughter reads it and I like to keep up with what she's reading. I agree with the author that parents (Christian and non-Christian alike) have a responsibility to monitor the kind of media their children are expsosed to. But would I summarily dismiss Harry Potter from every Christian's reading list? Not necessarily. I think the books should be read by parents and children together and discussed, but I don't think by allowing your child to read the series you are predisposing them to joining a satanic coven (an exaggeration; the author never states this). The book is worth a read, but I disagree with the author on several points. To quote Sigmund Freud, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I think he's reading too much into it.
Rating:
Summary: I found it rather biased
Review: This book is not about what is similar between the two book series, but the differences. Ted Baehr is a Christian movie critic who has helped me choose quality, moral movies that I want to subject my mind and the minds of children I mentor to. If you want to know more about this book, go to www.movieguide.org, click on "Now Playing" and read what it's about. Then you'll truly know of it's contents.
Rating: 
Summary: Not about the similarities, but the differences
Review: This book is not about what is similar between the two book series, but the differences. Ted Baehr is a Christian movie critic who has helped me choose quality, moral movies that I want to subject my mind and the minds of children I mentor to. If you want to know more about this book, go to www.movieguide.org, click on "Now Playing" and read what it's about. Then you'll truly know of it's contents.
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