the giver

Title: The Giver

Author: Lois Lowry

Date Finished: December 18, 2011

Personal Book Count: 45 out of 75

Rating: 4 out of 5

Genre/ Subject: Middle Grade Fiction. Newbery Medal

Why did I pick this book?: recommended by a friend on line.

Summary and Review: taken from the author's website-

“"It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened."

Thus opens this haunting novel in which a boy inhabits a seemingly ideal world: a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality. It is a time in which family values are paramount, teenage rebellion is unheard of, and even good manners are a way of life.

December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve year old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation. But Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man -the man called only the Giver -he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world.

Told with deceptive simplicity, this is the provocative story of a boy who experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. In the telling it questions every value we have taken for granted and reexamines our most deeply held beliefs.”

I was pleasantly surprised when I read this and Ender's Game back to back (see previous review). I have not read many of these types of book, and normally would not have read 2 so close together. But because I did, I noticed a lot of similarities. I mean, the obvious. It's dystopian. It's more or less timeless. They live in a so-called 'perfect' world, that are now being threatened, and they must protect them. The future in both hinges on a child. Both are trilogies. This book was a powerful one, even for an adult. I like the way the author allowed the reader to feel what Jonas is going through along with him. The reader got a taste of the isolation and loneliness along with him. I like the way that the author slowly opened his eyes, but he took action, as opposed to passively sitting by, as people had done for generations. It was interesting to me to see how every detail is so controlled in the society to be made 'the same'. The author put a lot of work into the details, and it's these little bits that make it interesting. It was much less dark then Ender's Game. I look forward to reading the sequel.

Agree? Disagree? Recommendations? Any insights, suggestions, or comments on the book or format, or blog at all are most welcome. If you have read this and/ or review it yourself, please let me know. Can you think of any books like this? Give me a recommendation! =D