Book Title: The Giver
Author(s) and Artist(s)--if applicable: Louis Lowry
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Copyright Date: 1993
Selection Choice: Newbery Medal
Brief Annotation: Jonas lives in a community of sameness, where there is no color, no difference, no choice, only perfection. His life is determined by the Elders and at the age of twelve, he is given his adult assignment, the Receiver of Memory. He immediately starts his training with the current Receiver, known as The Giver, and through his training he receives memories from The Giver; memories that bring knowledge about how things used to be, and can be. Jonas begins to experience feelings, color, happy memories, painful memories, and love. The Giver and Jonas develop a plan that will break the sameness in their community and will allow everyone to experience the memories, but the plan is dangerous and will require strength from Jonas.
Your Rating: 5/5 I enjoyed this book as it made me think of what life would be like if I had never known feelings, never experienced pain or love, and never experienced uniqueness. The story was excellently told and left me making my own conclusions about Jonas and his situation at the end.
Readers who will like this book: Possibly some 5th graders, but mostly 6th grade and up. Students who like to think, analyze, compare, and predict would enjoy reading this book because it is a book that encourages readers to think and apply knowledge as well as analyze how life would be different without choices.
Question to ask about this book before reading: What so you think life would be like if you lived in a world of sameness, where your life is determined for you and you never experience feelings or even color?
Question to ask about this book during reading: What do you think Jonas will do near the end of the book?
Question to ask about this book after reading: Examine Jonas’ actions throughout the book. Would you do anything different from Jonas? What would that be and why?
Optional, but noted as extra effort:
1. Interest Level (age): 11-13
2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 6-8
Use book wizard to help with the previous 2 areas
3. List awards
Newbery Medal
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
ALA Notable Children's Book
New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award
Virginia Young Readers Program Award
Arkansas Charlie May Simon Master List
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award
Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
Kansas William White Award
Kentucky Bluegrass Master List
Maine Student Book Award
Colorado Children's Book Award
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award
Massachusetts Children's Book Award
I'm glad that this class is giving you the opportunity to discover The Giver. I think every teacher should have to read this book before getting a teaching license (I have about 9 other books on that "must read" list, in case you're wondering--but this one is at the top). If you ever do get to teach this book, you'll love all the possibilities it presents for teaching about narrative, genre, character development, plot--the list goes on and on. It definitely deserved the Newbery medal.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious how you interpreted the ending of the book. What happened to Jonas and his little friend? Kids have very different opinions and their ideas usually provide some insight into their personalities. It's funny.
I told Trista this too--if you like Lowry's writing, you might want to check out a book called Gooney Bird Greene for your series choice. It's also by Lois Lowry and she creates an unforgettable character in Gooney. It's all school-based too, with lots of connection to writing, so it makes a wonderful read aloud. Just a suggestion!