Skip to main content

The Giver by Lois Lowry

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers)
Jonas is a looking forward to turning 12-years-old and getting his work assignment, but when he is singled out to be the new Receiver of Memory for the community he comes to see that that everything is not as perfect as it appears. 
Why I chose this book
The upcoming movie, memories of reading it in middle school, Newberry Award Winner status. 

My personal opinion (the review)
As most dysutopian books do, The Giver first makes you very comfortable with the way society runs in their community. Everything is in it's place and everything has it's time. For example, at 9 children can get their first bike, and at 12, after careful consideration by the Elders, each child get their work assignments in the community. But just as we are begin to get comfortable things change when Jonas becomes the new Receiver of Memory for the community. From his experiences with the Giver he comes to see that all emotion, pain, and even the ability to see colors have been taken from the community. As we learn more and more about this community the more and more horrified we become.

I enjoyed the book. It has some disturbing parts, but I like the questions the story makes us ask ourselves. 

Warnings (language, violence, "adult" situations, death, etc.)
Language: Mild
Violence: No physical violence, but emotional stress is common and memories of violence are recounted
Adult Situations: None, but there are very brief references to a teen's first sexual feelings. There is also brief references to nudity.
Death: Frequent;they are not violent but some may find them disturbing.
Movie rating equivalent 
PG-13

Protagonist description
Jonas is very happy with his life, albeit nervous for the upcoming changes he knows are coming. He is a determined youth who is able to feel things very deeply (a unique trait in his community). 

Point of view of story
First Person

Book length
A quick read -three days 

Story flow
I was never bored and got caught up into the emotion of the story. 

Grammar and spelling issues
None 

Character connection (no spoilers)
I started feeling sorry for The Giver the more we got to know about him. 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Game by Terry Schott

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers) What if this life is just a simulation? What if our bodies are in another world, plugged into a virtual reality game, and our entire life is just one play in that game? What would our real life be like, if we could experience several full simulated lifespans, in our teen years, and then enter adulthood? That is the premise of this story. Category Sci-Fi Why I chose this book It was either free or discounted on Amazon, and sounded interesting My personal opinion (the review) Too many inconsistencies. For example: The real world is able to view the players in the game in "real time", but time in the game is sped up, so that a week in real life is worth a decade in the virtual world. How do real world people have enough time to experience the virtual world, in real time, while still being accelerated? Danielle enters the game 3 days behind Trew, but she only ends up being 1 year younger. If a week is a decade in the game, then 3 days should have be...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mark of Fire by Richard Phillips

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Two main stories: Carol, the daughter of Lord Rafel, wants to be a magic wielder. As she learns magic and grows in strength, she is unaware that she is being hunted by the greatest wielder in the world. The second story is about a ward of Rafel's, named Blade, who becomes an infamous assassin and works for the king. The king sends Blade to kill Rafel and Carol, but he warns them to flee instead. Blade wanders, to escape the king's justice, but finds himself in his own adventure. Category : Fiction, fantasy, possibly YA Why I chose this book : Kindle First My personal opinion : I really enjoyed the story line, the world the author created, and the depth of the characters. It was easy to lose myself in the story. I also really appreciate that the story is "clean" - no bad language, no sexual situations, etc. I feel comfortable recommending this to my teenage children. Warnings Language: none Violence: fairly frequent fighting "Adult...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer

By
This is the fifth book in the Artemis Fowl series Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Artemis continues his adventures, leaning farther and farther away from the villain role, and closer to the hero role. He's quite the teenager, with all the hormones of that age. He has discovered another group of the People (demons), and they need saving. Artemis Fowl to the rescue! Category YA Fiction Why I chose this book Next in the series My personal opinion (the review) Artemis is typically flawless. His plans execute perfectly, and when they don't, coincidence saves him. This time, he fails a bit. He loses some time, his body is a little less perfect, and not all of his plans go through perfectly. I like that- it makes him more real, as a character. Warnings : Language - none Violence - mild "Adult" situations - none Death - yes, but temporary Movie rating equivalent PG Protagonist description Artemis is a genius beyond description. He tends to be prideful a...
Post a Comment
Read more