Rating: 
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: = Thought Provoking
Reviewer: H. D. from Quaboag Regional, VHS
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lois Lowry's novel, The Giver. The book details the life of a young boy named Jonas. He grows up in a safe, sheltered community of conformity where all his decisions are made for him, and enjoys the simple life of following orders without independent thinking. He has no idea what else the world has to offer, until he meets the Giver. He opens Jonas' eyes to the wonders and the pains of the world that had been kept from him. Then a big decision comes his way, and he looks to the Giver to help him shape the rest of his life and find out what living really is.
I was deeply engrossed in this book. Lois Lowry vividly created the Community and brought it to life. The morals presented are applicable to everyday life. The issues expressed are some that most of us never consider, taking the freedom of our lives for granted. This book explored questions like, where would we all be if we couldn't remember our pasts? What would the world be like if you couldn't understand love? Should any organization have the authority to demand conformity? As Jonas had to face crucial decisions, the reader was able to consider their feelings and learn some important life lessons.
My only complaint with the book was that because I was so interested in Jonas, I wanted to know if he was able to live the life he hoped for. The reader is able to draw inferences and assume what Jonas' life would be like, but I would have enjoyed a more concrete conclusion after such a thought-provoking novel. I think everyone should read The Giver and take part in Jonas' journey towards a life of freedom and individuality.
Rating:
Summary: All Hail The Giver
Review: I thought that this book was very good. It shows you how life would be like if you did not have to make life choices. It was also really sad. I really liked Jonas because I could really relate to him, when he talks about his nervousness due to him wanting to know how his life is going to turn out. This book is good for anyone who has time to read an easy fun book that you should enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Book
Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry, was and is an excellent book. I have since read it twice and about to begin my third time around and everytime it gets better. This book is enlighting, and makes a person really think about everyday things that society takes for granted. What if all people couldn't see color? What if you couldn't choose your own spouse, or job? If everything was choosen for you, life would be boring, and almost not worth living. This book is an eye opener. It really makes you think. I believe that every person out there should read this book and not just to say that you read it, but to say that you learned from it. Mary Gere Newport, NH
Rating:
Summary: My View
Review: This book gave me an new view about the idea of Utopia. Jonas a 12 year-old boy who lives in a Utopia-like world. Everything is the same. There are no colors just different shades of gray. There are no injuries, and the people know nothing of life and death. Jonas is chosen to become the Receiver of Memories. He is trained by a man known as the Giver. As he is trained he begins to learn that his world isn't quite what it should be. He begins to understand just what everyone is missing. As the year rolls on he decides that something must be done. He and the Giver hatch a plan to change their world. I definetly would suggest reading this book. It won the Newberry award and in my opinion is a good book. I give it 4 stars...
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary
Review: I normally only read novels that I know will have adventure in them, and only read The Giver because it was assigned to me in school. However, The Giver has surpassed everything I've ever read. It's now my favorite book because it compels you to think, particularly about aspects of life that I had always taken for granted. I won't tell you what they are for fear of becoming a spoiler, but I will tell you that The Giver is something I intend on reading again and again in the future. This brilliantly-written book deserves every one of those above five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: In less than two hundred pages, Lois Lowry's, The Giver, presents a chilling view of a future world whose citizens are lulled into the belief that a perfect world can be had with a happy pill. Order and success are the goals of the community that has accepted the philosophy for generations. In Lowry's world, everyone has a place and a function, and all lack the capacity to love, feel, or know pain. The perfect world is without color, shades of gray; all enjoy a sublime sameness. This is an exceptional book. Also recommended: THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the Best Book You Will Ever Read
Review: I read "The Giver" by Lois Lowry very recently and found it a very powerful and moving tale. Honored with the Newberry Medal, (which it truly deserved) this novel should be on every booklover's shelf. Lois Lowry is a remakable author. She never wastes a word in anything she writes. She takes her time with details and character development, making the story terrific and bore-free. The story follows an boy named Jonas, who lives in a society where there is no color, pain, war, divorce, or even love. Every person in this community has an assignment, which they receive at their 12th birthday. Jonas is honored with the assignment of Receiver of Memories, an assignment that only the bravest person can receive. Jonas is instructed about his assignment from the previous Receiver of Memories, or The Giver. From then on, Jonas experiences memories that no one else in his community remembers, except for The Giver such as love, sunshine, and color. But there are also other memories; painful memories such as physical pain, starvation, and warfare. "The Giver" is a remarkable book by a remarkable author. I'd say that kids 10 and up could read it. There are some dramatic and violent moments that could scare or upset children under that age. Make sure you read it!
Rating:
Summary: Powerful but be prepared for the ending
Review: I was unprepared for the depth of emotion that this lovely little book showed me. This book is not as famous in Australia and I bought it on the strength of the reviews here on Amazon, but I must say that whereas the reviews do it justice in terms of how strong it is and well written it is, I was not prepared for the tears I cried at the end, and how much the story has effected me. I find myself thinking of the central characters days after I have finished reading it. I need not relate the plot, that has been done very well here, but it is all too easy to think of the things that we so willingly give up for an easy life. Is this a prophetic book? This is certainly an interesting point of discussion. My copy has a commentary by Ms Lowry at the back, and I noted with interest (through my tears) that the book is well read in Germany, where students read it in conjunction with stories of their own modern history, and I thought that this was a really telling observation. I bought this book for my 12 year old daughter, but as she was half way through Harry Potter's fifth adventure, I thought I would read it first, and I'm pleased I did, as "The Giver" is a book that needs to be discussed and the reader almost de-briefed - it is such a powerful book. So a message to all you parents out there - if your children have read or are going to read this book, you need to read it too, and give them the opportunity to discuss the themes and issues raised within. This is not to suggest in any way that the book should be withheld from young readers - just that there will be value in your family to be able to discuss the characters and the future world in which they live. It is a wonderful book - witty at times, and as I said, I cried at the end. It is a truly powerful book that can make you laugh or cry, and this does both. But anyone who dismisses this as a simple "young adult" novel is sadly mistaken.
Rating:
Summary: The Giver
Review: The Giver is a funny and serious book it was written by Louis Lowery and I would give it two thmbs up! This book is based in a place with no color! In this book find a boy named Jonas. Jonas is a boy that will under go terriable hardships and pain that will change him forever. One of the most memoable moments is when Jonas gets a memory he is slideing down a icey hill and he can't control his sled. If you like Science Fiction books check this one out.
Rating:
Summary: The Great book of The Giver
Review: The Giver is a very interesting, suspencful, and meaningful story where it states many essential things in life we don't even give a second thought about. It is about Jonas who is just another normal kind hearted boy preparing for manhood until something very rare and unusual happens that gives him a completly new perspective on life. One of my favorite moments is when all the people going to adult hood are being assigned what to do in order of numbers. When it is Jonas's turn they skip him and go on. If you want to read a very interesting story about a brave boy get "The Giver soon".
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