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Summary: A Interesing thought provoking book.
Review: I would highly recommend you read The Giver. It is a very interesting book that will change your thoughts on how you look at the world today. It is about a twelve year old boy named Jonas who is chosen. He lives in a strict community which he thinks he likes. He finds out what the Community isn't what he thinks and that there are other places. What will he do now?
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Summary: give the Giver
Review: I found that the Giver was an excellent past time reader. I enjoyed it and would recomend it to any person who loves a little sci-fi.
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Summary: The Memories Never Die, Only Fade
Review: This is one of my favorite books, and I truly believe anyone who enjoys reading will enjoy this book, especially those who enjoy books such as 1984. The main character is Jonas who is chosen to be the new Receiver of Memory for his community. (The community is striving to be a "perfect" community and gives out life assignments to the children of the community when they turn twelve.) Jonas meets the Giver who is a truly remarkable old man who has all sorts of knowledge and memories which he passes slowly onto Jonas. No one else in the community has these memories of color, sleigh riding, feelings, etc. Jonas starts to hate the way his community is controlling the lives of those in it. He steals the child which his family was taking care of that was about to be destroyed and runs away. The ending of the book is very vague and ambiguous. It is up to the reader to determine Jonas's fate, and there is no right or wrong answer. Truthfully, I chose to go with a more positive ending. I believe he really did come across a town, not a memory, and that he will have the life that he so wanted, but others may chose to believe that it was just a memory he had before perishing. The ending is the only part of the book I believe may annoy the reader because it does leave the reader hanging and some people don't like that - some people need closure. Overall, what makes this book so interesting and intriguing is that it is very realistic. A situation like this could happen to us in the future. It's not too far-fetched and is a wonderful, non-boring read.
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Summary: The Giver, an awakening for me
Review: I don't know what it is about some books but I tend to fall asleep reading them. There have been only two books that I have not fallen asleep on and "The Giver" is the second one. I wish I would have heard of the book earlier. "The Giver" is an interesting book on life in the future. I liked it due to that I couldn't put the book down. There was that sense of "oh what is going to happen?" type deal. Got to love suspence. It kept me awake, which is hard to do, and left me on the edge of my seat.
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Summary: The Giver-
Review: Imagine a life void of color, of music, of emotion- a life without all elements that give beauty to the world. In The Giver, Lois Lowry creates such a life in a fictional utopian community. The plot follows the main character Jonas's coming-of-age as he realizes the possibilities of a life beyond his controlled world of black-and-white, of good and bad. Though the characters' lifestyle is so different from our own, the reader is able to sympathize with the confusion felt by this adolescent boy, who truly 'knows no better'. Lowry's style of writing draws the reader's attention, and as each chapter ends the reader is left yearning for more. Though initially seeming far-fetched, ultimately the plot has an eery possibilty. Could we really be lead to a life of Sameness? Lowry's novel is a must-read for all ages.
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Summary: No appropriate reading age
Review: The most recent time I read this book it only took a matter of hours. It was required reading in both seventh and eighth grades, and now again in tenth. The notion behind this book is sound, however it fails to have a target audience. Its brevity makes it appealling to younger children, however most ten year olds would miss the deeper meanings imbedded in this novel. Older children, or adults, would I believe not appreciate this book because of its length. It would be much better to read Zamyatin or Huxley, if you are of an age to understand the sociopolitical issues that are behind this story. As a book, it is only of value as a diverting read for younger children, with minimal deeper meaning.
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Summary: MJ Holliston The Giver Review
Review: The Giver is a quite possibly the best book that I have ever read, I could not put the book down. The whole concept for "sameness" is a great idea and the book is riveting. The ideas are so interesting and thoughtful that it made me appreciate what I have, choice. The rebellious Jonas was quite inspiring as he dynamically changed. From his once bored, predetermined life, he became human, showing real emotion.
The story has many intellectual concepts as well. "Seeing beyond" and "hearing beyond" are some of them. Jonas's first memory as the "Receiver of Memories" is he on a sled, atop a hill, while it is snowing. Ironically that is how the book ends. Could Jonas have the mental capacity to see his future? I thought this is a very interesting concept.
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Summary: What Are You Waiting For?
Review: Like thousands of other English classes around the country, mine has been reading The Giver. The Giver, in my opinion, is one of the most thought-provoking books of recent memory. The plot, which I won't give away as many other reviewers have, is very well crafted by Lowry. Though the book is intended for a younger audience, many adults will enjoy it as well. This book is a "must get" for any readers who truly understand and enjoy their books.
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Summary: You either like it or you don't, theres no inbetween
Review: If I told you what happened in this book, it would ruin it for you. You have to be totally clueless to enjoy this book to the fullest, and I was. Just think of a world with no color or music or joy in general, and that world is suddenly overwhelmed by all of that. That has something to do with it. It is more of an adult book, but advanced kid readers can also read it, I did anyway. It has characters so real you can compare them to your friends and a world so unreal you couldn't even dream about it. I can't say anymore, but this book has few flaws and my friends ans I liked it. You will to, I hope.
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Summary: Sometimes it is hard to receive
Review: We got turned on to this book through a teacher's recomendation. And I have found I tend to like the Newberry Award winners. This is a very good book for young people who are ready to start wrestling with stories that pose ethical dilemas. This is not a fairy tale, though, thank Ja, it is fiction. We got a copy when our eldest daughter was graduating into chapter books. Since then, each of our children has chosen to read this book on their own. And, even better, talked with us about the issues it presents to them - issues of free will, responsibility, self sacrifice, choice, determinism. It allowed us to discuss difficult, sometimes painful choices while holding them at arm's length as you can with fiction. Still, it is a somewhat dark, disturbing tale. Not in the almost prurient RL Stine (Stein?) Fear Street way. More the way a brooding storm slowly, inexonerably moves up on you. Younger readers may find it too dark. But I think it is very much worth reading.
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