Rating: 
Summary: Excellent novel - Worth all the praise & adoration it gets!
Review: After Lois Lowry produced the entrancing 'Number The Stars' it didn't seem possible that she could produce a work, for children, to top it. With 'The Giver' she easily met that goal.'The Giver' appears to be a rather simple story of a young boy (12 years old to be exact) named Jonas who lives in a seamingly perfect society. He is given the task of becoming the 'Receiver of Knowledge'; an apprentice to the 'Giver of Knowledge'. But that is where the simpleness ends. The 'knowledge' spoken of in Jonas' job title is all of the memories of pain and suffering that were collected to rid all citizens of uncomfort. The Giver telepathically has to give Jonas all of these memories so he can suffer the pain of famine, war, disease, and death - to spare the community. The themes in this novel are profound. The thought of a 'utopia' is considered extensively, but it is clearly shown that a perfect world can not exist -- therefore, 'distopia'. The novel also deals with life, death, indivuality, and more; an amazing amount of thought-provoking subjects for a book with a grade 4.5 reading level. This book, however, may not be suitable for younger readers. Death is a common theme and the murder of an infant is described. There are mild nods to sexuality, but many young readers will dismiss these as benign. A must read for students as well as adults! Excellent job, Ms. Lowry. You gave America another profound and excellent novel - one that will be on schools' required reading lists for many years to come!
Rating: 
Summary: Suspensfull and A All Round Good book!
Review: This is a really deep, interesting, and strange book about a society that has never experianced love, hate, or even color! This book moving, and I strongly recommend it. It will make you think!
Rating:
Summary: Could not put it down!
Review: I generally do not read entire books in one sitting. I could not put this one down. Each chapter left me wanting more. The maturing of Jonus in his understanding of his society is rivetting. I felt his sorrow as his understanding grew that he could not return to the perfect society he once knew. A gem of a book and a strong recommondation.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT
Review: This book is one of the best books I have ever read. I htink Jonas was very brave for leaving his community. It's a book you MUST read and I know you will love it!
Rating:
Summary: This is an AWESOME book!
Review: Hey! I'm in Seventh grade, we read this book for school. At first I thought it was going to be really boring, but it turned out to be an Awesome book. This book is set far into the Future. Jonas' world is Perfect, or so he thinks until be becomes the Reciever of Memory. When he is selected to be the Reciever, he recieves memories about the Worlds Past, Pain, Love, and Color. The thing is, Jonas' World has some good things: The weather is always sunny, you don't have to worry what your job will be when you get older (the Elders choose it for you), and their transportation is bicycles (So there would be no polution). A few Bad things are: Their world is Black and White, They are only allowed to have 2 children in each family (1 girl, 1 boy), They don't have their own children (someone is assigned to that job), they perform Release (I wont say what that is, because it kind of ruins the suspense), and No one has memories of how the World used to be. This is a very interesting book, I would recomend it to anyone. Also there are some movies that have the same sorta plot, they are: Soylent Green, Gattaca, and Plesentville.
Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT!
Review: When I read this the first time in grade school I loved every word in it! It really let my imagination fly as I pictured how life would be in a completely controlled "utopian" society. I found the ending extremely profound and even CRIED! When I read Brave New World in high school I couldn't help but make comparisons. Though it has been a while since I last read The Giver I can't help but to recommend this truly AWESOME book.
Rating:
Summary: Eye opener
Review: I read this novel as a required text in a childrens' literature class. I was completely absorbed. I can actually envision our society moving in that direction, the direction of "oneness". It seems that the more we strive to be individuals in this country, the more we are criticized for being different. One too many people think individual choices are bad, and that if others just did things "my way", the world would be a better place. I think this novel is an eye opener. It is a "must read".
Rating: 
Summary: Laziness Turns into Paradise
Review: Lois Lorry does not give us perfect society. She gives us a society of every day people who are very lazy. I read this book in eight grade and I really didn't understand it, but now that I have read it again I totally understand it. The book is about a perfect world. Everyone is happy. There are no feelings of any kind. No one has a name they have numbers. Lois Lowry has a strange imagination. I know I would have never thought of something of this sort. I think that this book will please a lot of people. I also like how the mood would change from happy, to sad, to exciting. I really liked when Jonas gets his memory about snow, and how he had so much fun. I also liked how he wanted everyone to have those memories that he had received. I thought that it was neat that they didn't have birth mothers. They didn't get their bikes till they were age 8. It was neat in the way that one person had all the memories and no one ever knew what happened in the past. However the end was really different. I never would have thought that The Giver would have ended like it did. I would give this book three stars, because it's good.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful book into our future...
Review: The people in this book are unaware of what things feellike. We know and take advantage of it but when Jonas is brought intothe world of feeling he is overwhelmed. He realizes now that his worldis wrong controlling peole and I agree with him.........
Rating:
Summary: The awesomest book
Review: This book is the coolest and i never would have guessed it was so good if a friend hadn't recomended it to me. SO read it! I wish there were more books just like it.
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