The Giver

Lowry, L. (2002). The giver. New York: Bantam Doubleday.

ISBN: 978-0440237686

Annotation: 12 year old Jonas lives innocently in his Utopian community until he meets The Giver and realizes that not everything is as perfect as it seems.

Summary: Jonas lives in a community in which every child, once they reach the age of 12 is assigned a role for the rest of their lives. Jonas is assigned the role of Receiver in which he receives memories from The Giver from another time and place. Jonas learns the dark side of his seemingly perfect community and has to learn to cope with the truth.

Evaluation: A Newbury Award winner (1994), this book is a great example of how communities work. It's easy to read and teens will love the simplicity of the text. However, the book is a good one for reluctant readers.

Age level: 10+

Reviews: Publisher's Weekly: "Lowry is once again in top form... unwinding a tale fit for the most adventurous readers."