LEGO book nooks compared, from The Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter
A trio of LEGO book nooks are just days away, starting a collection with The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes, but which is best?
The recent reveal of 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook rounds out a trio of the LEGO Group’s new book nooks, starting the concept with three diversely different models with similar foundations. There are some interesting comparisons to be made between the three sets, from their individual directions to their value for minifigure collectors.
Now that each of the June 2025 LEGO book nooks has been revealed, here’s how they stack up next to one another to help you decide which is best for you, and see what makes each of the trio unique.
LEGO 2025 book nooks: display value
All three 2025 LEGO book nooks are designed to be displayed between books, ideally matching their source material, offering a unique book nook experience when displayed in this way. When they’re folded up, but not between books, 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook comes out on top in terms of display value.
The side of the book nook is enclosed, but fitted with a panel featuring a silhouette of the iconic detective. In comparison, both 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook and 76450 Book Nook: Hogwarts Express are considerably more bare and much less impressive when displayed in this way.
The Sherlock Holmes model is designed to look like an alleyway, with a slight angle to the buildings that allows you to see their details without them being entirely perpendicular to the street.
10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook is much more open, with nothing covering the sides or back of the build aside from the wings and flames. Instead, it’s as open as possible to let light shine on the Balrog figure standing at the centre of the book nook. This works well when the model is between two books, but not as well when it’s folded and left on its own, unlike 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook.
76450 Book Nook: Hogwarts Express has an odd display when folded up. On the one hand, the mirrors at the back of the model help the illusion that the platform continues and the curved transparent roof is a familiar and elegant design. The brick wall stickers with references also add something additional to admire beyond the other two book nooks, but it’s not entirely accurate when folded up as a book nook.
When acting as a book nook, the Hogwarts Express is boarding on both sides of the platform, which it does not do in the films. This implies that there are two Hogwarts Express trains when there is only meant to be one. There’s a good reason for this inaccuracy, but it inevitably creates an unfortunately incorrect display for Harry Potter enthusiasts.
LEGO 2025 book nooks: versatility
Where 76450 Book Nook: Hogwarts Express stands out is in its versatility. Unlike the other two June 2025 book nooks, the two halves of the build are designed to split apart and be arranged into a pair of bookends, making the dual-platform loading more understandable, since the platform goes through the books.
The other two LEGO book nooks fold out similarly, but cannot be displayed as bookends without modifications. When 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook is unfolded, it becomes a stunning street scene to better show off the minifigures and access some secrets and play features that you simply cannot see when it is a book nook.
The Lord of the Rings book nook, by comparison, is arguably the most versatile for the fact that its Balrog figure can seemingly be removed from the main model. When it is unfolded, the wings of the Balrog also extend outward, suspended over the flames to create a unique The Lord of the Rings diorama (complete with a quote plaque). The bridge remains extended forward, keeping the display from being completely flat like 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook.
Each of the models has a different alternate method of display, but they are all versatile in some way.
LEGO 2025 book nooks: functionality
As mentioned, 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook has plenty of clues and secrets to discover through a few key play features when the book nook is unfolded. This, combined with the five minifigures, easily makes it the most functional and playable of the three book nooks, without any additional models.
10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook and the implication that the figure can be removed from the model is a close second, though the base build doesn’t have much else to interact with beyond the Balrog.
That puts 76450 Book Nook: Hogwarts Express in last place in terms of functionality. Aside from posing the two included minifigures with accessories, you can only access the interior of the train via some small holes at the back of the build. It’s just less playable and interactive than the other two book nooks, despite its high level of versatility in that it can be a book nook and bookends.
LEGO 2025 book nooks: minifigures
There’s no doubt that 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook wins out of the trio in terms of minifigures. The set has several exclusive parts, depicting characters never before seen in the LEGO portfolio. They are perfectly suited to interact with multiple parts of the model, too.
The two minifigures of Ron and Harry in 76450 Book Nook: Hogwarts Express aren’t quite as impressive, using mostly familiar elements.
While Gandalf in 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook is a rare variant of the minifigure, it’s also not new and is the only one in the set. Official images seem to confirm that this is the same Gandalf minifigure as 10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire.
LEGO 2025 book nooks: value
| LEGO set | Pieces | Minifigures | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook | 1,359 | 5 | £109.99 / $129.99 / €119.99 |
| 76450 Book Nook: Hogwarts Express | 832 | 2 | £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 |
| 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook | 1,201 | 1 | £109.99 / $129.99 / €119.99 |
With five minifigures and 1,359 pieces for £109.99 / $129.99 / €119.99, 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook offers the most value of any LEGO book nook from a price-per-piece perspective – but it’s not attached directly to a specific iteration of the character from films or other media, unlike both 76450 Book Nook: Hogwarts Express and 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Book.
76450 Book Nook: Hogwarts Express is the least expensive of the three LEGO books nooks by £20 / $30 / €30 and while 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook is the least notable in terms of value, it still has a decent price-to-piece ratio with 1,201 elements and only printed pieces.
Each of the three LEGO 2025 book nooks excels in a particular field, and there’s no definite best model out of the trio. Instead, the LEGO designers have kept things diverse to appeal to as many fans as possible at the start of this new collection, not just making 18+ models either, since 76450 Book Nook: Hogwarts Express is exempt from that category.
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