The Giver

Preface: This is the first post for my children's literature class, and I'm writing it with young people in mind, as I would write a description of the book for my own students. Although it is written with a middle school reader in mind, I encourage adults to read this book as well.

One of my favorite books that I recall reading as a young reader, is Lowis Lowry's, The Giver. I first read the book around the time that it won the Newbery Medal. 1994 probably sounds like a long time ago to young readers like you, especially since it was a decade before most of you were even born, but books are a way to step out of time. The Giver is not a book simply of or for the time when it was written. It, like many books, takes you to another place that is outside of our time, and challenges you through the conflicts of the main character.

The Giver could be seen as a coming of age story about the main character Jonas, and that's really how it begins, but it becomes more.

The back of my 1994 edition reads;
"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's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back."

What might life be like in this kind of utopia? Who, or what, is The Giver? What memories will Jonah become the keeper of, and how will this change him?

Can you imagine being assigned a job that you will do for your adult life, without having any say? And what if, like Jonah, you knew nothing about that job, what it was, or what you would have to do?

These are only some of the questions that struck me when I started reading this book for the first time. And though I've read it several times now, The Giver still makes me ask questions about the characters, humanity, and myself. I love a book that challenges readers to ask questions, that makes you think, and rethink. As you're growing up you'll find that there may be rules you don't agree with, or situations where you know a choice is wrong. Will you have the courage to stand up for what is right, or for what you believe?

Reading any appropriately leveled book helps to build reading fluency, but ones like this also provide the opportunity for critical thinking and reflection. One of the areas that middle school readers should focus on is understanding other perspectives and cultures. This isn't just fancy words from the state standards (okay, maybe a little bit) but also will help to give you some different ideas about the world, and how to get along with people from different backgrounds or places. Who knew reading books could do so much more than provide information or a simply fantasy world? You can.