The Giver (The Giver Quartet #1)

Reader reviewed by Dcoll

This book is amazing! First we begin when JOnas, the antagonist of the Book, is only one month away from having his work assignment given to him. However, in the ceremony of twelves, as he is an eleven becoming a Twelve, he is able to have his job. BUT, he is not chosen for a job, but is selected to become the Reciever of Memories of the Community and "back and back and back." Then, he has to overcome multiple things that come in the way of his being able to help the community in any way. Then, the book takes a turn for the worse. You will have to read the book to find out what it is. However, I can tell you this. The Giver is one of the VERY few books that I can enjoy again and again, even after reading, and even after knowing what will come next in the book.

Reader reviewed by Meeshee

I remember reading this book as a child. From the moment I picked it up I was whole heartedly engaged in the strange world that Lowry has created. The book has strange oddities of twists throughout, as well as an even stranger, cliff hanging ending that can be debated of for centuries. Read this book, no matter what age you are, I know you will love it.

Reader reviewed by EshInoBi

I'm not sure I fully appreciated this book for what it is. First of all, I would've never read this because: 1. I'm not a fan of sci-fi, and 2. It seems too short to give me the wonderful pleasure of reading. As I read this, I felt just as I had predicted. Well, it was actually quite a good book. The only problem is that we were reading it as a class (in grade 7), and reading in my mind is so much faster. So it was so slow, disappointing me. Otherwise, I think it was pretty good. It twists our world around to let me truly value my freedom. This was a well-written book. I would not, however, recommend it to younger children that are younger than thirteen years old because they won't understand some of it.

Reader reviewed by Lizzie

Jonas lives in a sort-of "gated community". Everything there is perfect. There is no fear or pain and families share their feelings each night after dinner. Each year a ceremony is held to celebrate birthdays of all the children up to age 12. At age 12 the children of the community receive their Assignments and are considered adults. Jonas is about to turn 12. His best friend Asher receives the job of Recreation Director, and his crush Fiona becomes a caretaker for the elderly. When Jonas' name is not called during the ceremony, he fears he has done something very wrong. He soon finds out the opposite though, as he has been chosen to be the new Giver, the most important job in the Community, but also the hardest.

The Giver is definitely worthy of being a classic. It is a post-apocalyptic story of hope and fear. I really enjoyed the length, it was not long but not too short. It is a book I think everyone should read, as there are many things to learn from it. It is a book I will keep thinking about for a long time.

Reader reviewed by Crab Cakes

I read The Giver as something for Quest class. I read ahead. Oh, come on! You know you've done it too!

Anyway, I was amazed at Lowry's insight into the ideal utopia. There's nothing bad at all in there, but they sacrificed much to achieve this. She makes us think about what we truly want in life. It's a sick, twisted world in the Giver, and the worst part is, only two people know the truth.

Lowry paints for us a beautiful and insightful picture of safety and security versus manipulation. I read the sequels and I must say that this is one of the best books I have ever read. I would reccomend it to everyone.

Reader reviewed by PJR

"The Giver" is a unique book that is very thought-inspiring. It gives us a rather scary look into the future. Needless to say, the future in this book is not as most of us would like it to be.

I taught this book to 7th graders a couple of years ago and their reactions were mixed. Many of them loved it and were intrigued by the strange rituals in the book. Many of the other students though, get confused and had to have several parts of the book explained to them.

I'd suggest this book for sci-fi lovers!

Reader reviewed by mearley

Jonas is living in a society with no sorrow, no pain, no anger--but also no real happiness or love. When he is chosen as the Receiver of Memory, Jonas realizes that emotions like this did exist in the past. He longs to share these memories with his community, but knows they won't be welcomed. Eventually, he must take action or the memories (and a young child) will be lost forever.

This is possible the best YA book ever written. Every time I read it, I discover something new, something more meaningful. If you're looking for a book that will be thought-provoking and discussion-prompting, this is the best!

Reader reviewed by Allyssa

I read this book in sixth grade, and I was told that it was really good. I must admit, it was pretty good. However, I didn't think that it was as good as others had perceived it to be. The storyline was interesting and very unique, but the ending kind of ruined it for me. Throughout the whole book I was like "Ohh, this is good", and then at the end I was left with "huh?".


It's a decent book, nonetheless.

Reader reviewed by abscae

different from gathering blue, this book is just as good. jonas lives in a world of organization, where no memories are found, no colors or sounds. there is one person who holds them all, the giver. it is so organized that you have no choices. 2 kids per family, extra infants are killed, the leaders don't know anything, nor do they want to. it is a world unexpected and makes you think. makes you wonder but most of all, makes you feel happy for what you have. it sheds light on the most unnoticed things in life, like love, sight, sound, color, and the choices you make. this book was and is a part of me always because it taught me an important lesson, to appreciate.

Reader reviewed by Jo

I read this while on vacation. It was great. Quick, and good. I enjoyed the characters and how it all turned out in the end. I like this author very much. The characters in this story are also represnted in other books by this author and they are all tied together in some way. This gives you a sense of mystery as you try and figure out how they are all connected. This is an interesting community in which life is very different than our own.