Rating: 
Summary: If You Are A Giver Fan, You Must Read Gathering Blue.
Review: If you enjoyed The Giver, then you must read Gathering Blue. Gathering Blue helped me to further understand the ending of The Giver.
This novel is about a girl named Kira who does not fit into her society because of her twisted leg. Her talent with a needle and thread saves her from death, though, and begins a new life for her.
Though Gathering Blue was not as exciting as The Giver and took awhile to get into the actual story after the depressing lead, you would definitely not be wasting your time by reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good!
Review: I have been a fan of Lowis Lowry's work since I've read Numbering the Stars when I was in fifth grade for a Literature circle. Now, as an eighth grader, I think Gathering Blue is WONDERFUL! I read The Giver, which is a good book to read first. But, Gathering Blue was better in my soul opinion. It's about a primitive community, where they shun people if they are not perfect(kind of like what Sparta did, leave you to die if you had a deformity). Unlike the Giver, these people had rain, sun, snow, etc...a normal (sort of) Earth. Kira, a young girl, was born with a twisted leg, and her mother protected her. But then she died of a sickness suddenly and Kira was orphaned, her father killed by Beasts. Vandara, a strong lady in the community wants to use the space that her house was (they burn the house down, if the deceased person was sick)for a pen to put Tykes (children) and chickens. (Mind you, this lady, is EVIL. But I root for the evil people)
The only weak part of the book was the ending, it was a little cliche, in a personal opinion it would have been better in First person, than third. Anyway, I think it is a great book for leisure read!
Rating: 
Summary: Gathering Blue
Review: Gathering Blue
Gathering Blue is about a girl named Kera. When Kera was born she didn't know her father and she was born with a twisted leg. Kera learns how to work with her twisted leg. She cleans up scraps at a local weaving shed. When Kera is about 12 years old her mother get an awful cold and she dies from it. Now Kera is all alone. A mean lady wants to send Kera to the field to be eaten by Beast. People who have no purpose will be taken to the field to where mean animals live that eat people. The lady thinks Kera is useless and eats allot. Kera is taken to The Council of Guardians. The Council of Guardians takes homeless children that have special gifts. Kera's gift is weaving. The Council of Guardians hire her to restore the singers robe. While she is there she meets a boy named Thomas the Carver. They become very good friends. The way Lois Lowry wrote the book made me want to keep on reading, to find out what happend next. I have read a few other books by her and I can recognize it was by Lois Lowry.
Rating:
Summary: "Sameness"
Review: I was very pleased by this book as I should...all of the pieces that I have read by Lois Lowry have been quite enjoyable. So far The Giver is my favorite, which is another reason why Gathering Blue appealed to me. It had very similar ideas of a decided upon way of life with few choices left to the unknown. It makes you think of how your life would be different if our society was run this way.
Rating:
Summary: Gathering Blue
Review: This book is definetly similar to Lois Lowry's other book, The Giver, and made me believe they could be set in the same future world, just in two different communities. Although good, I probably wouldn't have found this book very intresting if I hadn't read the Giver first; read after reading The Giver its much better. The storyline was quite simple, and more predictable then the Giver(I cant help comparing the two-they're so alike!) and although the future world described in Gathering Blue was harsh, the one in the Giver was far more chilling and therefore more intresting to read about. One thing I picked up on-its intresting how this book is based so much around colours, while the Giver is about a world with no colors at all, until Jonas learns to see them. (talking of him, did anyone pick up the reference at the end, about the boy with blue eyes? When an author puts in an insignifcant detail like that its got to be for a reason.) Anyway, I recommend reading the Giver first and then Gathering Blue, otherwise you might be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A fun read, though not as exciting as Lowry's other works
Review: I have been an avid fan of Lois Lowry's work for a few years now. Perhaps avid is an overstatement, but I lack the extra time to be avid about anything except reading in general.
Gathering Blue is a rather mediocre work of Lowry's, but that puts it in an arena next to such greats as The Giver, A Summer To Die, and Number the Stars. However, the story of Kira is rather intriguing, as we watch her cope with a social system that appears to have deteriorated to the Middle Ages from the 1900's. Though the society appears primitive compared to our own, the society's manner of dealing with people and problems is stunningly like the methods of the modern day.
Someone's hurt? Leave them as carrion for the beasts. This attitude is not unlike our own towards helping those in need. You need help? Well, I'm really busy right now. A crime I myself am often guilty of.
Gathering Blue is a simple read, though more than worth the small amount of time necessary. Though not as moving and deep as some other works, this is another well-constructed novel of Lowry's.
Rating: 
Summary: Julie
Review: Gathering Blue was an interesting book. It sarted out slow but gradually built up. I personally don't like that, I like a book that will grab you in with the first sentence. It was unclear what time period it was set in but it appeared as if the world had died and was reborn. I liked the basic idea but i thought the ending was horrible.
Rating:
Summary: Gathering Blue
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. I have read the Giver too. It is also a favorite of mine. There is no doubt that this book should have a sequal. It leaves you hanging and it is driving me crazy. I want to know what happened after Kira decided to stay with the community. I also want to know what ever happined to the dye maker that taught Kira to dye. I believe this is a great book for kids 10-15. It is a huge mystery to what the outcome will. The stoy is about a girl named Kira who is orphaned by her mother. Her mother was her only protection from being cast out of the community. To be cast out is a means of death once casted out the wild beast will get you.
I don't want to give the whole story away (...)
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: What can I say?
The Giver is my favorite book, so when I heard that Gathering Blue, a "companion book" was out, I immediately went out to borrow a copy. What I read disappointed me. It seemed that "Blue" was extremely similar to The Giver (a Utopian society, a special gift, a shocking secret of society that is hidden, a journey at the end) but lacking in character depth or description. In "Giver," I was able to understand how and what each character thought--also, these feelings and emotions are deep ones. "Blue" is exactly the opposite. My hypothesis is that Lois Lowry wanted to write a less controversial version of "Giver" to appease all those in favor of banning it. Unfortunately, however, this attempt simply didn't work. The Giver, and all books with the same idea, will be very controversial--anything less will not bring out any deeply-felt or strong emotions or opinions in us. Bottom line:
If you loved The Giver, you probably won't be kept from reading Gathering Blue.
If you hated The Giver, you will REALLY hate Gathering Blue.
If you haven't read either, read The Giver first and go from there.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: I have read both The Giver and Number the Stars and loved them both. They were both deep, well-written explorations of society, past future. Gathering Blue was very disappointing to me after that, and I could barely get through it. It seemed predictable, shallow, and I think tried to define things far too narrowly. The book seemed to me to be just about unfolding its fantastical plot, which was not particularly extroadinary.
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