For many, fantasy books represent a form of escapism. They offer their audience abundant fictional worlds to get lost in and intricate characters one may identify themselves with. As opposed to adult audiences, the fantasy genre is popular among children and young adults. Some of the benefits observed in providing children with fantasy books is that they offer children a way of seeing the world differently, and making direct connections between fictional scenarios and their reality. Specifically, many young adult and children’s books heavily focus on the theme of coming of age. The plot strictly follows the life of the main character faced with various challenges, usually social and personal in nature. Some of the representative works of this genre are Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. All these books belong to the coming-of-age genre, also known as Bildungsroman. As a literary genre, Bildungsroman plays an important educational role since it helps children understand the world around them. Exploring your own identity, stepping outside of your comfort zone, and going through the process of maturing may prove challenging to many children. Therefore, The Hobbit, featuring all of these themes in a fictional and exciting setting, may aid many children who are, like the main character Bilbo Baggins, on their own quest of searching for their identity. This paper will focus on The Hobbit as a Bildungsroman and the coming-of-age journey of Bilbo Baggins.