The Giver

The Giver
By: Lois Lowry
Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1993



Jonas and his family live the perfect life. They live in a perfect community. No one gets mad, no one is starving, there are two kids in each family, and everything is great. In his community, when you turn 12 years old you begin training to be integrated into society. When the Elders announce that Jonas is given a special job to be a Receiver of Memory things begin to change. First Jonas realizes that his friends treat him differently, just because he is a Receiver. As Jonas' relationship with The Giver deepens he learns the pain of the past. A pain so deep that he and the Giver realize it is only meant to be shared. Will Jonas and the Giver be able to help their community see how much it is missing and how much it needs to learn? Alone, abandoned, and left with little to no survival skills will Jonas and his baby brother Gabriel survive the journey that is the only hope left of their lives being spared?

Personal Review: This book was incredible. I know most kids read this book in like fourth grade, but my school must have skipped that. Set in a dystopian society this book teaches us about the importance of the past and significance of agency. I think this book is great for kids because it will make them think, though I agree that fourth grade is too young to really discuss the book. Warning: Parents are concerned about this book because it teaches kids to question authority. It may have that affect on some readers. The topics of this book may be too mature for the readers' ages it is recommended for.

180 pages