Skip to main content

The Giver by Lois Lowry (B reviewer)

By
Book name and author
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
Brief synopsis (no spoilers)
"The society has eliminated pain and strife by converting to 'Sameness,' a plan that has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives. Jonas is selected to inherit the position of Receiver of Memory, the person who stores all the past memories of the time before Sameness, in case they are ever needed to aid in decisions that others lack the experience to make. Jonas learns the truth about his dystopian society and struggles with its weight." (From Wikipedia)
Why I chose this book
It was recommended, on the library site
My personal opinion (the review)
The premise is profound, the story flows well, the writing is gripping, and the content is controversial. There are no old or feeble people anywhere. There are only a certain number of babies born each year. The people don't fear death- or anything, for that matter. But their relationship with death starts out "interesting" and progresses to "horrifying". My thought at the end was: do they not understand death, or do they understand it too well- almost worshipping it?
Warnings 
Language: mild
Violence: no physical violence, but emotional stress is common, and memories of violence are recounted
Adult situations: none
Death: frequent; they are not violent, but some might find them disturbing
Movie rating equivalent
PG-13
Protagonist description
Jonas and his ability are incredible, and he only gets more distinct with time.
Point of view of story
First person
Book length
Less than a week.
Story flow
Quite gripping, no slow parts
Grammar and spelling issues
None
Character connection (no spoilers)
None
For series:
Independent or integral (stand-alone or back story dependent)
Independent
Series review as a whole
Perplexing. I'm really not sure how or even if they'll tie together.
If you only have time for one, read: (which one)
Gathering Blue, if mind games disturb you

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

By
Summary: Every book needs you to turn the pages. But not every book needs you to tap it, shake it, jiggle it, or even blow it a kiss. Innovative and timeless, Tap the Magic Tree asks you to help one lonely tree change with the seasons. It begins with a bare brown tree. But tap that tree, turn the page, and one bright green leaf has sprouted! Tap again—one, two, three, four—and four more leaves have grown on the next page. Pat, clap, wiggle, jiggle, and see blossoms bloom, apples grow, and the leaves swirl away with the autumn breeze. (Amazon) Attention Span/reading level: Perfect for my three year old. I would say that ages 2-10 would really enjoy something like this. It really keeps kids engaged and makes them feel like part of the story. There is one word to one sentence per page. Good uses for book in teaching: Interaction, that the reader takes part in making the story, what a tree can do (leaves, blossoms, fruit) Favorite part:      Child: The fact that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Improbable Libraries Alex Johnson

By
Concept: " A visual journey to the world's most unusual libraries." Author : Alex Johnson, a journalist and consultant . Both parents were librarians.  Monologue score  (1-10) (how entertaining): 8 - Overall I found this book quite interesting. I loved seeing all the ways that people were working to bring books into the community and how many were trying to create a sense of community through books. The pictures did a great job of helping to visualize how these libraries are being used.  Difficulty level: 3- Not very hard. Each of the seven sections (Libraries on the Move, Animal Libraries,Tiny Libraries, Big Libraries, Home Libraries, Mobile Libraries, and Not Libraries) starts with a short introduction and then gives a picture (or three) of the library described.  What I Learned/Review:  I really found this to be an enlightening and uplifting book. Having been a librarian and having a love for books in general it warms my heart to see all the ways that ...
1 comment
Read more

Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie Holmberg

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Maire has a talent for baking. She can imbue her creations with emotion or even simple abilities. Peace, love, memory, strength, alertness, etc. She is forcibly taken away from her home, and spends the rest of her time trying to get back to the only family she knew. She also has help from a mysterious, ghostly person, who appears to know her well. Category YA Fiction Why I chose this book I've loved every other book the author has written My personal opinion (the review) I love the stories by Mrs H, and have come to expect some pretty fantastical things- she has an incredible, unstoppable imagination. But this one really stretched me; it was almost too weird, too "out there". I don't care, though, I'll keep buying everything she publishes. Happy ending, good love story, gripping plot line. Weird or not, it was a great read. Warnings Language: None Violence: Some. Not frequent, not very graphic, but heart-wrenching "Ad...
Post a Comment
Read more