Skip to main content

Messenger by Lois Lowry (B reviewer)

Brief synopsis (no spoilers)
The Giver and Gathering Blue continue, involving the main characters from both. The village that accepted Jonas (previously the receiver, now the Leader), Christopher (the blind man), and Matty begins not to want to accept outsiders. Greed and selfishness enter the village, and they begin to build a wall to keep out newcomers. But some within are waiting for others to come (like Kira, Christopher's daughter)- will they make it in time?

Category
Young Adult Fiction?

Why I chose this book
Next in the series

My personal opinion (the review)
The Giver creeped me out, with the society's casual relationship with death (murder). And Gathering Blue left me frightened that those with a love of power would kill for it again- including Kira and Thomas. But Messenger resolved both of those nicely. Those two places were no longer so savage. Great book, great continuation to the story.

Warnings
Language: none
Violence: mild
Adult situations: none
Death: one main character, but it was noble

Movie rating equivalent
PG

Protagonist description
Matty is sincere and has pure intentions. He is almost naive because of his lack of understanding of greed and selfishness. He holds a secret- a good one- and even that causes him a bit of stress

Point of view of story
Third, focused on Matty

Book length
Short (only a few days)

Story flow
Excellent

Grammar and spelling issues
None

Character connection (no spoilers)
I wish more had been done with Thomas the carver and Jean, Matty's close friend

For series:
Independent or integral (stand-alone or back story dependent)
Integral

Series review as a whole
I'll admit that I was worried at first that I would get through the whole series and think, "well, that was creepy and not worth my time." But I feel like it's building to something great! Pieces are starting to snap together.

If you only have time for one, read: (which one)
Gathering Blue (see that review for details)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

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 ...

Improbable Libraries Alex Johnson

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 ...

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

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...