Author: Lois Lowry
Title: The Giver
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: 1993
Number of Pages: 240
Geographical Setting: An unnamed utopian community
Time Period: Future
Synopsis: Jonas
lives in a utopian society that has embraced sameness. There is no such thing
as strong emotions including love and pain, there is no color. Children are assigned their jobs
during their twelfth year. Jonas is made the Receiver of Memory. The Giver warns
Jonas that receiving the memories will not always be pleasant. The experience
changes Jonas and makes him question his society.
Characteristics of Young
Adult
- The main character is a young teen
- The story introduces some heavy concepts such as euthanasia
- Jonas must make tough decisions
- This is a coming of age story—Jonas grows up and matures throughout the story
- Jonas must overcome obstacles
- This utopian society is really a dystopia
- Adults make bad decisions and Jonas fights against them
- Fast paced, reads quickly
The Giver Read-a-likes
- Crewel by Gennifer Albin
- Truesight by David Stahler
- The Cure by Sonia Levitin
- Delirium by Lauren Oliver
- The One Safe Place by Tania Unsworth
- The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
- The Line by Teri Hall
- Among the Hidden by Margaret Haddix
- Suzanne Collins
- Veronica Roth
- Marie Lu
- Conor Kostick
- Lauren Oliver
Thoughts: The
Giver is one of my all-time favorite books. I first read it in elementary
school and it has stuck with me ever since. It is one of those books I try to
get teens to read. It’s not a huge book and I think it doesn’t look imposing. I
think it’s a good book for reluctant readers because it reads pretty quickly. A few years ago I learned that The Giver is actually
part of a quartet of books. Also, as much as I love the book, I didn’t
completely hate The Giver movie adaptation. It wasn’t as bad as I had imagined.
I hope it made more people read the book.
I feel like this is one of those books that everyone should have read during their youth, but somehow I never did. I did see the recent film adaptation though, and I got the feeling that the book was better. The book is still on my to-read list. To go along with this week's prompt response, I think 'The Giver' is a perfect example of a YA book that adults like to read and that they should be encouraged to check out and enjoy. It's a story that transcends age and experience, and its readership shouldn't be limited to just teenagers.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!!! This was one of my classroom novels when I taught Middle School. It was always very popular and made such an impact with my students. I did not like the adaptation! It is such a thoughtful book, I don't think it translates well to a movie. (I could go on and on with what I didn't like...) While I love movie adaptations, if only for the fact that it can bring a new audience to a book, I also see the flip side. A bad adaptation may turn away readers, so I am very torn about this particular title.
ReplyDeleteLove this book! I feel like every child should read The Giver. I know that I waited too long to enjoy this particular book as I only read it last year. I actually didn't mind the movie adaptation either!
ReplyDeleteLove this book! I feel like every child should read The Giver. I know that I waited too long to enjoy this particular book as I only read it last year. I actually didn't mind the movie adaptation either!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the Giver also. I read it in high school and while in college for my Chilren's Literature class. My granddaughter had to read it for school. She really thought that she was not going to like it but once she got through it she loved it. She actually read it 4 times to get the full understanding and to pass her test.
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