Rating: 
Summary: An Instant Classic
Review: There were hundreds of reviews before mine, so I won't waste trying to describe the book and I'll get to the point. I had to read The Giver as a novel study in my class and it was my first venture into science fiction. I loved it so much I even bought my own paperback copy of it. It's a novel that is at first dark, but in the ambiguous end plants a seed of hope in Jonas' brainwashed society. It is a truly amazing story that made me question the way our world is today. Is the increasingly important role of technology slowly taking over the humans that created it? What are winning and what are we losing when taking away the ability to see color? These questions will leave you wondering for years after you read The Giver. Something that is very much argued about is the ambiguity of the ending. Sometimes, I do admit it was frustrating to be left with so many questions unanswered, but think about it this way; would you like a magician as much if he told the audience exactly how he did every trick? A true entertainer always leaves something to the mind of the audience. All in all, this book is either love-it-or hate-it. It all boils down to your own personal beliefs, morals, and upbringing. I think this is why the author didn't want to put in her own personal beliefs into the ending, and decided to leave it up to the reader's imagination. This book will never rust and will stand the test of time. Read it twenty-five years later and it will still be as relevant as it is today.
Rating: 
Summary: I advise you to read it - Ximena Alarco
Review: I read this book for my English lesson at school and although I thought it would be very difficult to understand and maybe boring, it wasn't. It was exactly the opposite of what I had thought. It is a very interesting book written with lots of fantasy without becoming a children's book. Well, maybe children would also like the book, but I'm actually 15 and I liked it very much. It is about a community that tries to be perfect, it is isolated and The Elders (the leaders)give many rules to make the community as perfect as possible. I won't tell you anything more about the plot, because I think you should read the book and see what it is about by your own. I rated the book with 4 stars, because although I find it very interesting and not difficult to understand, I think some things could be better, like the end, for example. I can tell you one thing for sure: Once you start to read it, you can't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: My comment (Lucero, Humboldt Schule)
Review: Well I don't know how to start, at first I must say that I'm writing this review for my English lesson. I did like the book .I think that "The Giver" is the kind of book where you don't know what will happen. The author describes the situation in a paticular way so that you want to read more and more.What I didn't like is that it has an open end. If I begin telling you the story it won't make any sense to you to read it .That's why I'm only telling you my opinon. I recommend this book hoping that you will read it. :):):):)
Rating:
Summary: One word - Incredible
Review: This book is of a boy that lives in a world without color, excitement, fun, or anything out of the ordinary. This one little boy from a bland world is one of the few of those people to experience the things of the real world.
Rating:
Summary: Get Hooked on The Giver
Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry takes place in a "perfect world." For kids of every age, something happens to them. At age 9, they can ride a bike. At age 10, their hair gets cut. There is a naming ceremony for newborn children. Every person has a role in this town. There is a house for the old, and if they get too old or are not the kind of person that should live in this town, they are sent away. This goes along with babies, too. This year, someone will be selected from the 12 year olds to work with "The Giver" who gives him facts and images from the past. But who will it be and what will he/she do with it, and how will he/she react? This book is a great novel. The story flowed easily and at the end of the story, you are left in suspense to what happens next. The only thing that I didn't like was that the story was fiction, this kind of community would not exist ever, or maybe it would sometime in the future. I recommend this book for anyone who likes suspense, because this book will have you hooked on it until you finish it.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent and Haunting
Review: Lois Lowry has created a marvelous novel in The Giver, one that received deserved attention at the time of its publishing (1994) and has only grown in reputation since. This book addresses both the pleasure and pain of having the freedom of choice in society and society's constant need to force people to conform. It has shades of 1984 and, especially, Brave New World but has much that feels new and potent. The main hero, Jonas, is a marvelous creation and captures the reader from the start and carries them through to the exciting climax of the book. This book will live on and will be endlessly debated by children for decades to come and will remain in the memory of every adult who ventured down this terrifying path in their childhood.
Rating:
Summary: Lois Lowry Gives the Best Any "Giver" of Literature Can Give
Review: Lois Lowry's "The Giver" is set in a time and place where almost all times and places are set. The characters wrapped up in this gripping novel live in a utopian-like society. Everything is planned. Certain rules must always be followed. Love does not exist to anyone but one solitary person, who still remembers. Every one has a role in the community. One person will be selected to receive the knowledge of the past. But what will the giver of the information do with it? I think that "The Giver" was an excellent novel. The plot was well-developed and flowed easily. However, the story did contain some suspense as to what would happen next. This made it very interesting to read. The characters in "The Giver" are characterized well and are easy for the reader to relate to, as well as the situations. However, the story is entirely fiction and completely imaginary...at least at this point in time. This gives the reader room for his or her own thoughts on every topic discussed. This is one novel that will keep a reader going, turning page after page, and not wanting to stop until they reach the back cover.
Rating:
Summary: Good social expository with bitter feminist aftertaste
Review: This book attempted to provide a narrative through a hypothetical future society( somewhat like Russian Commumism ) where many fundamental human modes of perception are abandoned in order to maintain "sameness" and alleviation of life's emotional and physical pain. This future society hinges on the "recievers" who bear the burden of humanities past and provide eithical consult to the societies crafters to maintain equilibrium. The main character is elected at age 12 to become the communities new "reciever", and in turn learns the horrible truths of man's raw existence. Although well written despite the intended audience, the book was enlightening and a good read. A rather annoying aspect was the littering of feminist thought that seemed rather artificial and contradictory to the other ideas presented. For instance the main characters father is a "nurturer", or someone whos job it is to care for infants( note here that instead of breastmilk, the babies are fed *formula* ). The mother, however, maintains a lucrative job at the "ministry of justice and law". Also a obnioxiously repeated theme is the "high dishonor" that birthmothers are given in this society( the babies are disowned from the mother after birth and reassigned to the community "pairs" ). I feel like these things were stuck into an otherwise interesting book as part of the authors more personal agenda. Reccomended to all people with a stomach for 60s feminism.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!!
Review: The Giver is a phenomenal book about finding your place in the world. Jonas, the main character, is living in a futuristic society and is unlike anyone else in his community. Many rules have changed since present day and the people of Jonas' community don't own as much control over their lives as we do. One of the major changes is that Elders choose your occupation when you become a "twelve." Since Jonas is not outstanding in any of his day to day tasks, he finds himself being placed in a job that is very remote from his society, yet is highly honored. This job allows Jonas to view and experience what our world today was like and even before today's world. These "memories" are transformed to Jonas through the Giver. This is the occupation that Jonas will someday fulfill. However the memories come in many different attitudes from sad, mad, hurtful, happy, fun and many other moods. These have a major effect on Jonas' way of thinking of and seeing his society. This makes Jonas very isolated from everyone in his community. As Jonas sets out to change the world he also finds and changes himself!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful story with deeper meaning
Review: After reading a few of the other reviews for this book, I realize how great this book really is because of the lessons it implies, but mostly because of the audience the book has the power to touch. Written for children, this Newberry award winner is a truly wonderful story. Similar to the classic "Brave New World," the story idea is quite original, but the themes are what make the book so important. A ten year old reader commented that the book is confusing, and although I do not agree, I would say that the short book packs a powerful punch! This would be a wonderful book for family discussion, class assigned reading, or even a bible study. Recommended to audiences of all ages and of my favorites!
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