Rating: 
Summary: Well-written, but disappointing!
Review: I had high hopes for this book, because I love Lois Lowry's Anastasia Krupnik series. Unfortunately, what started out a promising, fascinating read really fizzled at the end. The author did a great job creating a Utopian world that isn't all it seems to be, but I think she copped out towards the end. The resolution of the story is too ambigious for my liking. When I invest the time and effort into reading a challenging story like this one, I expect a payoff at the end, and this book disappointed me. It's one of those "Well, the ending is whatever you want it to be." If you don't mind that kind of story, then go ahead and read it. If you prefer your stories more neatly packaged and fleshed-out, skip it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Giver
Review: This book really made me think about the views on the future and how incredably imposible having a perfect world would be. The beginning of this book really opened my eyes to the exact set up Lois Lowry describes the future to be like. It made me think of how things would be if the world were completely orgagnized. But 12 year old Jonas had to take on the memory of the world, finding the real dirt at the core of this "perfect" society. Departure was out of the question in the role he was assigned, but with the help of his adviser, The Giver, he had an escape ahead.
Rating:
Summary: The Giver
Review: The Giver was an exciting fiction novel that holds on to the reader until the very end. I liked it because it really let my imagination run wild between the characters and the setting. Since the setting was in a world totally opposite our own, it was hard to forsee what would happen next, or how concrete things really are. The only thing that I disliked about this book was that at the end there was a cliffhanger and the reader doesn't know what happens to the characters. Aside from that The Giver is a great book that I would recommend to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: WEIRD!!!
Review: This book should be read by kids 11 and up. If you are an advanced reader with a strong stomach, though, as young as 8 1/2 would be fine.
It is set in the future. There is no pain or poverty, but there is also no choices or love. This is the story of a boy who had an amazing gift but was a child still. Despite this, he risked everything at the end of the book for liberty and safety for someone he loved. THis book leaves many questions unanswered. If you like this book, read Gathering Blue.
Rating:
Summary: My Review of The Giver
Review: I would like to start off by saying that I've never in my life read a book quite like this. I've read many kinds of books and this book is very unique.This story's main character is a boy names Jonas. Jonas is a smart boy and I liked his personality. Jonas lives in a community that is unlike any other; his community is under what they call Sameness. No color, no differences, no snow, etc. Such things would make it boring to live their. But, of course, no one knows of those things, so they're perfectly happy. There is one person though that knows about all the joyful and painful things of the normal world, the world they call Elsewhere. He is called The Giver and was chosen to hold all of the memories of the past that no longer exist in their community. Now, Jonas has been selected to become the next Giver, and he must face the difficulty and pain of receiving memories. The reason I only gave this book four stars instead of five was because of a weird and creepy ritual. You'll figure out what it is. If you're getting bored of normal fiction books, I would suggest to read The Giver.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding The Giver
Review: This book makes us wonder if anything is perfect. In this book, Lois Lowry eloquently describes Jonas in the search for truth within a seemingly utopian community. Everything in this amazing book means something. The name Jonas comes from the name Jonah, meaning peace. But why would Lois Lowry have a character search for peace in utopia? Lois Lowry's epic about the dystopia within a utopia will leave you shivering, yet wondering.
Rating: 
Summary: not what I want to read in my spare time
Review: When I read this book I was in sixth grade. First of all I had a horrible time figureing out what was going on in some parts of its twisted plot. This was certainly the most depressing book I have ever read. When I sit down to read I want to be enjoying myself and this book really did not do that. Finally it is long. It seemed like it took forever to get through this relatively short book.
Rating: 
Summary: THe Giver
Review: The Giver
This is a book that is colorfully written by Lois Lowry. This is a science fiction book that has a lot of ambition of what a perfect community would be like. I think that this one of the best books that I have read in a long time.
This science fiction book is focus around the main character (Jonas). Jonas a t Age 12 gets the privilege of the receiver of Memory. His teacher is an elderly man by the name of The Giver. The Giver is the Receiver of Memory before him. During his training he is given the memories of the past world. He alone knows what is to feel pain, fear, hunger, and many other emotions. When he se's his father do some thing of complete horror to him he decides that he can't stay in the community much longer. So he runs away with the help of The Giver.
This book is one book that you could read over and over again. It is even easy enough for a 10 year old to read. But in the end this is a good book.
Rating:
Summary: The Giver
Review: This book is about a young boy far in the future that gets assigned a very important job. He lives in a community where everbody is equal. Nobody can see color or have memories of their pasts. There is only one person in this community that has these memories; he is called the reciever of memories. The reciever's name is the Giver. The boy, Jonas, is assigned to be the next reciever. The giver has to transport all of his memories from the past to Jonas. When he gives Jonas the memories he loses them. He gives him memories like war, family, love, and hurt. All of these things are only understood by Jonas and the Giver. This is the best book I have read in a long time. I do not enjoy reading very much, but this book hooked me. I read it in three days. I recommend this book for people who like the idea of the future and have a curiousity about different lifestyles.
Rating:
Summary: A Vision of Utopia
Review: When I began The Giver there was a sense of longing. A world where there is no crime, hate, or fear sounds perfect. It describes utopia, 'a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions'. It is very similar to Sir Thomas More's book Utopia. And like Utopia, there are many contradictions in this world.
The community's purpose is to create uniformity throughout the society. This is seen in the indistinguishable clothing that is worn, the elimination of material possessions, and the identical family units consisting of a male and female parent and a son and daughter.
"Almost every citizen in the community had dark eyes. But there were a few exceptions. Jonas himself, and a female Five who he had noticed the different, lighter eyes. No one mentioned such things; it was not a rule, but was considered rude to call attention to things that were unsettling or different about individuals."(p. Lowry 20)
Using the word individual in this quote contradicts the message it is trying to convey because the goal of this community is to eradicate any form of uniqueness.
In a Utopian society everybody's work is considered equal and important. Yet the book includes undertones, which uncovers hierarchy within jobs. When Lily confesses her desire to 'get assigned to be a birthmother' she is immediately chastised and is told "There's very little honor in that Assignment."(Lowry. p21) This alone shows the societies unfavorable stance towards life when a job that is directly related to the giving of life is thought of as inferior.
Overall Lowry's Utopian society exemplifies a lack of trust in human nature. Decisions are left up to 'The Elders' therefore eliminating any free will.
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