The Giver

I recently read the book The Giver by Lois Lowry. The book is a Newbery Medal winner, which is what caught my eye when perusing the book section on a monthly shopping trip to Sam's. Truthfully, I picked the book up to read because I was interested in experiencing the quality of a Newbury Medal book for early teens. The book was published by Dell Laurel-Leaf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books in 1993.

Here's the teaser from the back of the book: "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. It's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

Lois did a great job "painting a picture" with words to describe the community and way of life Jonas has grown up in. The book gave me the idea that it was almost a cult on a plot of land in the middle of nowhere. It would have been interesting to see black and white illustrations for the book if it had been an illustrated novel.

I thought the story started out slow, however my interested grew steadily as Jonas' life unfolded. As the story progressed, I was increasingly more interested in the story until I couldn't put the book down! I was just more curious than anything! As an adult reading the book, I personally was looking for something a little deeper in the storyline, however, I think it would be great for children the age it was intended.

Would I recommend it? YES!! I was thrilled at the outcome of the book which kept me guessing clear to the last page!