The Giver
Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community.
When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.
Newbery Medal (1994); Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Children's Literature (1994); Horn Book Fanfare (1994); Grand Canyon Reader Award for Teen Book (1995); Garden State Book Award for Teen Fiction Grades 6-8 (1996); Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award (1996); Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award for Senior (1996); New Mexico Land of Enchantment Award (1997)
About the Giver Quartet Series
Books in series order
- 1.The Giver(1993)
- 2.Gathering Blue(2000)
- 3.Messenger(2004)
- 4.Son(2012)
Reading age: 10+ years
This series should be read in order.
In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his seemingly-utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of 'Brave New World,' in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.
This vibrant work of dystopian fiction has become a benchmark in the genre, and has been echoed by numerous authors in recent time, including Veronica Roth ('Divergent' series) and Scott Westerfeld ('Uglies' series). 'The Giver' is a good introduction to the dystopian genre, and one which examines issues of conformity and obedience to authority without the gratuitous violence of some other series aimed at older teens.