The Giver

Lowry, L. (1993). The Giver. New York, NY: Dell Laurel-Leaf.

Brief Annotation: The Giver is a thought provoking science fiction book where a young boy named Jonas lives in a controlled world. Everything and everyone in his life has been chosen for him. They all have assigned roles and jobs in their community, and even their spouses are matched. It is a “perfect” world where there is no pain, because they are all the same. Jonas is chosen to be the “Receiver of Memory” and he has meetings with the “Giver” who gives him memories of the world before theirs. Here Jonas feels pain, but also learns about Christmas and other wonderful parts of life. He is introduced to color, and even the concept of knowledge. He is able to “break the rules” and eventually realizes that he wants for his community to be able to share in that opportunity as well. He then leaves his society, where the ending is a bit unclear.

Genre: Science-Fiction

Grade Level: Grade 4-8

Readers who will like this: This is a thought provoking book and is really for more advanced readers. People who will enjoy this book would be students who are looking for a challenge, or even teachers who would like to discuss controversial subjects. This book is a challenging book, and also stirs up great conversations, it could be a good one to use at a young students book club.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4, This is one of my favorite books of all time! I first read it when I was in third grade, and I remember falling in love with reading. I have re-read it many times and each time I notice new things. The book is intricate, full of meaning and themes, but also an easy read and beautifully written. It flows well and you really fall in love with Jonas and feel his struggle. It's a wonderful piece of literature and is a Newbery Medal winner. I would recommend it to anyone.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: “How would you feel if you were not able to chose what you wanted to be when you grew up?” “Do you think you would like to live in a world with no color?”