J. R. R. Tolkien

As you should know, Tolkien is the godfather of all fantasy stories. His way of describing things, places, people, creatures and the entire world is immense, and you cannot help being drawn into the world and the minds of creatues.

The Hobbit or There and Back Again

The first book about hobbits (to my knowledge). It's the story of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins and how he gained possession of the ring, which is the center of his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings. The story is about how Bilgo gets to know Gandalf and how (and why) he embarks on his journey with the dwarves.

It's a really good story which is suitable for children.

The Lord of the Rings

This marvelous book by Tolkien is the mother of all fantasy books. The universe with its creatures and atmosphere created by Tolkien is amazing. The characters are very well written, especially Gollum. The schizophrenic battle between his two personalities is really intriguing.

Read The Hobbit before reading this one, and read this one before watching the movies. They hardly do it justice.

The Silmarillion

This one is supposedly the mythology behind Tolkien's universe.