Rating: 
Summary: Once you've started this,you can't put it down until the end
Review: 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry concerns a teenage boy growing up in a society where all emotions are repressed, births are
strictly controlled and those who don't fit in are
"released".
I won't say too much about it, because there are a couple of plot features which I could spoil.
What I will say is that it is brilliantly written - the
reader can instantly emphasise with the central character -
incredibly moving and altogether beleivable.
(N.B. This is a young adults title, but don't let that put any adult readers off)
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: I would recommend this book for people that like strange or out of the ordinary types of books. A twelve year old boy has the mission of becoming the new receiver. In the strange place that he lives in, he and the old receiver are the only ones that can see colors, hear music, have feelings and most important, have memories
Rating:
Summary: a look into the "perfect society"
Review: The unabridged tape version of the Lois Lowry book, The Giver, is beautifuly narrated and the meaning of the book is clear to even the most unsophisticated listener.The book is about a young boy who begins to detect flaws in a supposed perfect society-an updated and kinder,gentler but as completely brainwashed as in the classic 1984. Thought-provoking for adults and teenagers alike
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant dystopian novel
Review: This is a complex, beautiful book that offers a look into a futuristic dystopia in which there is no color, no aberation, no hot or cold, and no personal choices. Drugs are taken to repress sexual urges and even out temprament, and careers are chosen for children based on their aptitude. Children are raised in prearranged family units. There is no privacy and no personal choice, but is this really a bad thing if people have no concept of those things? There is no hunger, emotional pain, violence, crime, war, or sadness.Growing up in this world is Jonas, a bright 12 year old who is about to receive his career assignment. He is given the important but extremely rare job of "Reciever": the keeper of "memories" of what life was like before the creation of his utopian world. Slowly, he begins to see color, to learn what love, hate, death, and heartbreak are like. He begins to understand that some of the "happy" things around him maybe aren't so happy. The brilliance of this book is that the world unfolds gradually. Lowry does not hit us over the head with an up-front description: in fact, the place starts out sounding fairly normal if a bit Montesori. Slowly, though, the reader realizes quite how foreign this world is. Lowry is a deft writer with an excellent sense of subtlety. Ultimately, this book is about the importance of cultural memory. The idea of cultural memory is probably a new one for kids, and some of the concepts of death and destruction might be a little disturbing, so I recomend that parents read this book too so that they can discuss it with their children. This in no way means that I think that it is innapropriate for kids: I just think that it is an amazing starting point for discussion about what makes us human. Please read my review of "A Wrinkle in Time" (also made today) for my thoughts on how these two books are related. This is a moving, thought-provoking book that is a great read for adults as well as kids. Adults might find it interesting that the idea of a drugged-to-make-them-"normal" population where everyone is encouraged to analyze and discuss every aspect of their lives sounds eerily familiar...
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting point of view...
Review: I am a 30's something female just starting to read Lois Lowry again. This book gripped me and I could not put it down. It is so far fetched from society that I wanted to know what happened next. It is a neat story and I really enjoyed it. I did not like the way it ended, but you need to read her other book The Messenger when you are done.
Rating:
Summary: Very thought provoking and engrossing
Review: "The Giver" is an excellent book and really captures the reader. I greatly enjoyed the origional and creative plot, and I couldn't put the book down until I was done. "The Giver" makes you think quite a lot about your own life. It is wonderfully written and I hope you take the time to read this fasanating book.
Rating:
Summary: Good for younger crowd
Review: I have read this book many times in my schooling career and I believe it holds a great message that should be read by everyone. Unfortunatly i think the book was written for a younger crowd and there are other books out there that better exemplify the plot and meaning of the story. I would highly recommend this for an early reader around the eight grade.
Rating: 
Summary: read 1984
Review: I read this book in my 8th grade English class and I was thoroughly disgusted. I had recently read 1984 the summer before and found the elements of Lowry's community more than curiously similar to Orwell's. It seems to me as if Lowry watered down Oceania into a book suitable for children, forfeiting the intensity and powerful writing in the process. If you're going to teach children about what it is to live devoid of joy or pain, use a good book for once. I did like "Number the Stars" by Lowry and was dissappointed that she would stoop to this level of imitation.
Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorite Books
Review: When I first received this book, I thought it looked boring. But I am so glad that I gave it a chance! The back cover description really doesn't tell enough about the story. But that's why I'm writing this review. So you can know just what the story is about (free of spoilers), and my opinion on it.
Jonas is a boy who lives in a community where everything is structured and in control. Babies are birthed by birthwomen, named, and given to couples with only one girl and one boy in each family. Jobs, husbands, and wives are assigned by the leaders of the community. Children are not allowed to ride bicycles until they are "a nine". All of the people of the community have lives planned out for them, and they can have only as much knowledge as they are allowed. In this strange world that these people live in, there is only one person who knows of the beauty of originality and love: The Receiver. He must bear the weight of all the glorious memories of life and the painful ones of death for the entire community, even if it means that he will be the only one to realize how truly emotionless everything is. When Jonas is assigned this job, he must learn these memories from the past Receiver, who, since he is no longer receiving, refers to himself as "The Giver".
This unique and entertaining page-turner is unpredictable, and will keep you wondering. Just when you are content with all that's happening, a new twist makes you wonder and keeps you reading. This book was very detailed, though the ending was slightly foggy for me. And it actually pulls you in, and almost makes you feel what the characters are feeling. I recommend it to all readers!
Rating:
Summary: A must-read book!
Review: Have you ever wondered what the word "utopia" means? This book's about a utopia gone wrong. If you like those kinds of books, you will love this book because this is the kind of book that's for you. In this story you will find Jonas, a boy who lives in a place where everything seems right when it's really wrong. He discovers this after receiving a gift of memory of the past and present. Jonas fights to make his world right. We recommend this book to all. --Sterling Bradbury, Jesse Pho, Kelsey Jarrett and Heather Murrah in Ms. Marik's 6th grade class
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