Book Review: The Giver

Genre: 
Dystopian Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 12 and up

Reading Level:
Lexile 760, grades 6 and up

Book Theme:
Importance of memory, importance of differences, growing up, self-discovery

Books with Similar Themes:  
Truesight by David Stahler, The Unnameables by Ellen Booraem

Bibliographic Information:
Lowry, L. (1993) The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Author's Website:
www.loislowry.com 

Plot:  
Jonas lives in a future dystopian society where people live in a community that appears to be happy and orderly. Everyone is polite and there are no arguments. Everyone has a role that is assigned to them. Birthmothers give birth to children, the children are cared for in the nurturing center until it is determined if they can function in the society, then they are given to a family. Families are only allowed two children. When people die, they pass through a special door and are "released" from the society. Each year there is a Ceremony of Twelve where the children who have been in the society are given their roles. Jonas is given the role Receiver of Memory, the person who holds the memories of the societies before their time. His role is a great honor. His is apprenticed to an old man he calls The Giver, the man who gives him memories. As Jonas receives the memories he starts to realize things in his society are not what they seem, and after a frightening discovery he realizes he has to escape.

Review:  
The Giver is a haunting story that tells the tale of tween who discovers his society is not the place he believes it to be. This discovery makes him realize he must escape, which is also a form of asserting independence, something many tweens relate to themselves. Through learning that the world is not what he believed it to be Jonas also sees the world with new eyes, something else tweens will relate to as they grow older and discover things about their worlds that they didn't see before. The Giver is a frightening book at point but also one that is hard to put down. The storyline is so intense that the reader will want to know what happens next. It's a story that will both captivate and haunt tweens, make them think about the world around them, and most importantly make them appreciate their individual identity. This book does contain some scenes that some find disturbing and graphic, so it may not be for everyone, but despite those scenes it is still a compelling story that will stay with you long after you have read it!