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

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

Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh

By
Summary: Two mice make a teeter totter. Soon a frog comes along and wants to join. Can the mice balance all the friends who want to play with them? Attention Span/reading level: 3-6 years old, usually 5 or less words on a page Good uses for book in teaching: Balance, science Favorite part:      Child: When the frog joins in     Mine: That the mice keep playing at the end  Least favorite part: None:   W arnings/negative feedback: None.  Review: This is a really simple but fun way to introduce the idea of balancing and weight to kids. It's fun to show them how it must be equal on each side to balance. Showing that size can affect weight is shown on the page where all the animals are on one side with the big bird on the other. This could be a fun activity to replicate with toys if doing a science lesson at home. 
Post a Comment
Read more

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Vin relies on her fighting skills, and a little extra "luck" to survive in the thief's world. Then comes Kelsier, a master thief and planner, showing her that what she calls luck is really much more. Kelsier and his crew plan to use a variety of special powers to free an entire population of slaves, including themselves, from tyranny. But, as always, there's far more to the story. Category Science Fiction or Fantasy Why I chose this book Rated highly on the library site My personal opinion (the review) Definitely the best story I've read in the past year. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series. Special abilities, fighting, romance, social justice - this has it all. And not a single bad word or uncomfortable situation. Warnings Language: None Violence: frequent, some mildly graphic "Adult" situations: None Death: Some, and of major characters Movie rating equivalent PG-13 Protagon...
Post a Comment
Read more