book review the giver

• Search for: Search OK

Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver (The Giver Quartet #1) Lois Lowry Clarion Books Published April 26, 1993

Amazon | bookshop | goodreads, about the giver.

In Lois Lowry’s Newbery Medal–winning classic, twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind his fragile community.

Life in the community where Jonas lives is idyllic. Designated birthmothers produce newchildren, who are assigned to appropriate family units. Citizens are assigned their partners and their jobs. No one thinks to ask questions. Everyone obeys. Everyone is the same. Except Jonas.

Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Gradually Jonas learns that power lies in feelings. But when his own power is put to the test—when he must try to save someone he loves—he may not be ready. Is it too soon? Or too late?

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.

The Giver  has become one of the most influential novels of our time. Don’t miss the powerful companion novels in Lois Lowry’s Giver Quartet:  Gathering Blue, Messenger,  and  Son .

I think this is the third or fourth time I’ve read this book, but definitely the first since I’ve been blogging. I would like to read and review all four books in the quartet. The second book, GATHERING BLUE , is one I’ve read before, but I haven’t read the other two.

One of the things that stood out to me this time reading the book is the way that Jonas’s role in the pivotal moment in the book is to ride his bike for scene after scene. Whereas back at home, the community members are reeling from the presence of Jonas’s memories, and the Giver is busy helping them process the new feelings.

Reading the book again as an adult, I find it an interesting choice that we follow Jonas out of the community and don’t witness the other community members experiencing those memories. Jonas really wanted his family and Fiona to experience the emotions and memories he experienced.

I love the book, though. Jonas journeys from passively following instructions and believing that the rules of the community are all for the best. As he learns about pain and loneliness (both from the Giver’s memories and his new role which mandates that he not speak about his training to anyone) he begins to question the way the community operates. He begins to wonder if the “sameness” which forbids anyone experiencing color, emotions, or individuality actually robs the community of something precious and valuable.

It’s an important idea, especially in the current conversations about book banning and restrictions on conversations about identity. Is there a point at which we harm ourselves by so completely sanitizing books and conversations? Do we diminish or lose the ability to empathize with others or process the existence of pain in the world this way?

Anyway. All that to say that I’m glad I reread THE GIVER. It’s been thirty years since the book was first published, and it still clearly has some important things to say.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages  12 up.

Representation Jonas and the Giver both have light eyes. That appears to be a marker for the ability to receive memories. No other race details given.

Profanity/Crude Language Content None.

Romance/Sexual Content Jonas feels attraction toward his friend Fiona.

Spiritual Content The community celebrate the life of members when they reach a certain age, before a “ceremony of release” in which a community worker euthanizes the member with an injection.

Violent Content Jonas watches a ceremony of release in which an adult injects and euthanizes a small child. Jonas experiences memories of war in which a soldier on a battlefield dies, crying out for water. He also experiences starvation and grief in memories.

Drug Content Community leaders instruct Jonas to take a daily medication to stop any feelings of attraction/arousal.

Note:  This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

About Kasey

2 responses to review: the giver by lois lowry.

It has been a very long time since I’ve read The Giver. I think I need to read it again. Thanks for reminding me.

Thanks, Rosi. I started out with the intention of reading the whole series. I thought I’d read the first two books before, but it had been so long, I wanted to reread them before moving onto books three and four. I will probably listen to those as audiobooks this year.

Never Miss a Story

Get reviews and book recommendations in your email inbox!

your email here

Donate Your New or Used Books

Follow For More Stories

Search stories reviewed, stories coming soon.

My Book for Authors

Subscribe by Email

Get reviews and book recommendations in your inbox.

Email Address

Follow The Story Sanctuary

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers:

Discover more from The Story Sanctuary

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

• Member Login
• Library Patron Login
• Get a Free Issue of our Ezine! Claim

Summary and Reviews of The Giver by Lois Lowry

Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio

• Critics' Consensus:
• Readers' Rating:
• First Published:
• Apr 26, 1993, 192 pages
• May 1999, 192 pages
• Speculative, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Alt. History
• Young Adults
• Imaginary Locations
• Magical or Supernatural
• Publication Information
• Write a Review
• Buy This Book

About This Book

• Book Club Questions

Book Summary

Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind this fragile community.

1994 Newbery Medal winner. Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind this fragile community.

It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep, sickening feeling of something terrible about to happen. Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice. He had seen it both times. Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet, almost a blur at its high speed, go past, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. Then one more time, a moment later, from the opposite direction, the same plane. At first, he had been only fascinated. He had never seen aircraft so close, for it was against the rules for Pilots to fly over the community. Occasionally, when supplies were delivered by cargo planes to the landing field across the river, the children rode their bicycles to the river bank and watched, intrigued, the unloading and then the takeoff directed to the west, always away from the community. But the aircraft a ...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

• In The Giver, each family has two parents, a son, and a daughter. The relationships are not biological but are developed through observation and a careful handling of personality. In our own society, the makeup of family is under discussion. How are families defined? Are families the foundations of a society, or are they continually open for new definitions?
• In Jonas’s community, every person and his or her experience are precisely the same. The climate is controlled, and competition has been eliminated in favor of a community in which everyone works only for the common good. What advantages might “Sameness” yield for contemporary communities? Is the loss of diversity worthwhile?
• Underneath the placid calm of Jonas’...
• "Beyond the Book" articles
• Free books to read and review (US only)
• Find books by time period, setting & theme
• Read-alike suggestions by book and author
• Book club discussions
• and much more!
• Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
• More about membership!

Media Reviews

Reader reviews.

Write your own review!

Read-Alikes

• Genres & Themes

If you liked The Giver, try these:

Hokey Pokey

by Jerry Spinelli

Published 2014

About this book

More by this author

Master storyteller Jerry Spinelli has written a dizzingly inventive fable of growing up and letting go, of leaving childhood and its imagination play behind for the more dazzling adventures of adolescence, and of learning to accept not only the sunny part of day, but the unwelcome arrival of night, as well.

The Chosen One

by Carol Lynch Williams

Published 2010

Kyra has grown up in an isolated fundamentalist community never questioning that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters. But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle - who already has six wives - she must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her ...

Books with similar themes

BookBrowse Book Club

Members Recommend

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

Discover the bestselling Japanese novel celebrating the healing power of cats.

Solve this clue:

K U with T J

and be entered to win..

Book Club Giveaway!

Before the Mango Ripens by Afabwaje Kurian

Both epic and intimate, this debut announces a brilliant new talent for readers of Imbolo Mbue and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Free Weekly Newsletters

Discover what's happening in the world of books: reviews, previews, interviews, giveaways, and more plus when you subscribe, we'll send you a free issue of our member's only ezine..

Spam Free : Your email is never shared with anyone; opt out any time.

Book Reviews

The Giver by Lois Lowry: Book Review

I have an affiliate relationship with  Bookshop.org  and  Malaprop's Bookstore  in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site. Read more on my  affiliate page .

My Synopsis:

Jonas is twelve years old, which means that it’s almost time for his community’s elders to announce which career he and each of his peers will begin training for in earnest. He ponders which tasks best suit him as he goes to classes, volunteers, and while he and his family discuss their feelings every evening after dinner.

Finally, the day of the Ceremony of Twelve arrives. Jonas realizes something is amiss when the announcer skips him and moves on to the next boy. He’s nervous and confused until the Chief Elder finally calls his name last and gives him the Assignment of the Receiver of Memories. He doesn’t even know what this Assignment entails because there can only be one Receiver and that person remains aloof. He quickly learns that the Receiver holds memories going back generations to a time when the world was quite different, everyone was more unique, and everyone felt both greater pain and greater pleasure.

This was published in 1993, when I was 15 years old, and I must have just barely missed having it as assigned reading in school. While it’s probably a classic to many of you, this was the first time I’ve read it. I was surprised by how unsettling it is.

Jonas’s world seems almost perfect at first. Everyone apologizes, no one has temper tantrums, and no one is treated differently than anyone else. Every child receives the same number of toys at the same time. No one is hungry and no one is sick. But what happens when someone does get sick or old or just doesn’t fit in? That’s where the unease creeps in.

As I read this, I could only think of Camazotz in A Wrinkle in Time . I’ve re-read that book fairly recently and I still remember the fear I felt for the boy who drops his ball. It’s a dropped ball–what’s the big deal? But he stands out as different and that is never a good thing in Camazotz. Jonas’s community has the same feel.

This is a short book, at almost five hours, and I wasn’t ready for it to end. The ending is ambiguous and I’ll be honest–I want closure.

I listened to this as read by Ron Rifkin. It was okay on audio but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this narrator. There was something about the high voice he used for children and the breathless way he ran phrases together that didn’t quite work for me. Also, when I listened through my ear buds instead of on my speaker phone, I could hear his lips smacking and that always freaks me out. I really didn’t care for the synthesizer music that was in the background at seemingly random moments. Others might not feel the same though.

I highly recommend this for a thought-provoking look at how narrow the differences are between a utopia and a dystopia. Sameness sounds comforting until you’re the one who’s just a little bit different.

Banned Books Week:

The Giver has been banned and challenged many, many times since its publication. It was number 11 on the list of the 100 most challenged books in the ’90s . It stayed on the list in the ’00s and the ’10s although it didn’t rank quite as high.

As I listened, I knew exactly when I got to a scene that would outrage some parents. Jonas is twelve, which means that he’s feeling some “stirrings,” as his parents call them. He has one dream that I thought was actually fairly innocent. These are feelings that the target age group can relate to and they’re a natural part of growing up. There’s also the infanticide, euthanasia, and some complaints referred to suicide but I must have missed that. I didn’t feel that any of these scenes are graphic or gratuitous. They aren’t easy things to read about or discuss. I get it. Parents are within their rights to ask for a different book for their own children. But making decisions for an entire community is just not cool. Ironically enough, that’s exactly the kind of thinking that probably led to Jonas’s dystopia.

Similar Books:

If you liked The Giver , you might also like my reviews of these other banned/challenged books:

• Blankets by Craig Thompson
• Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Reading Challenges:

Buy The Giver from Malaprop’s Bookstore in beautiful Asheville, NC or

Related Posts (Automatically Generated):

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf: Book Review

Moon Women by Pamela Duncan: Book Review

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende: Book Review

I definitely prefer books that leave you with some closure too! I was in school at the right age to read this, but was homeschooled during the years that it was assigned, so I still haven’t gotten to it.

I read this sometime in the late 90s (pre-blogging days), as an adult, and thought it was fantastic. I have a copy in my TBRR (To Be Re-Read) stack/list and should get to it soon. Thanks for the heads-up about the audio. I hate it when a narrator makes audible noises.

I read this one as an adult also, and really enjoyed it. (Hearing your thoughts on the audiobook, I’m glad I read it for myself, though.) It’s creepy and thought-provoking. It’s been a little while, but I think the suicide reference was about a kind of voluntary euthanasia? Maybe the person who had Jonas’ position before him? I’m not positive, though. It didn’t stand out to me as something needing a separate content warning, at any rate.

I think the Giver is an excellent book and provides so much for students/readers to think and talk about.

I read this years ago, and I’m so glad it’s still capturing readers. I agree that it’s up to the individual what they read or will allow their children to read, not some panel of “judges”.

I missed this as well when it came out. I read it for the first time about 8-10 years ago. It was interesting but it didn’t hit me like I thought it would. I think my son will be reading it this year in his English class. I may re-read it with him and see how he views it. Did you see the movie they did a few years ago?

I love to hear from you! Please contact me (menu bar, above) if you're having trouble commenting. Cancel reply

• Bookreporter
• ReadingGroupGuides
• AuthorsOnTheWeb

The Book Report Network

Sign up for our newsletters!

Regular Features

Author spotlights, "bookreporter talks to" videos & podcasts, "bookaccino live: a lively talk about books", favorite monthly lists & picks, seasonal features, book festivals, sports features, bookshelves.

• Coming Soon

Newsletters

• Weekly Update
• On Sale This Week

Fall Reading

• Summer Reading
• Spring Preview
• Winter Reading
• Holiday Cheer

Word of Mouth

Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:.

In her Newbery Award-winning science fiction novel, THE GIVER, Lois Lowry imagines a future without conflict, where everything, even fear and pain, are nonexistent. Utopian-like in feel, this future world offers its inhabitants no choices, and even assigns them roles in the community --- roles to which they are consigned for a lifetime. When Jonas, Lowry's main protagonist, reaches the age of 12, he is chosen by the Committee of Elders to receive special training. In his role as The Receiver, he is to take on all the memories of his society, past and present. In his sessions with The Giver, a man he grows to love, Jonas soon learns his society's horrible secrets and must make one of the most important decisions of his young life. A gripping exploration of the meaning of life, THE GIVER is convincingly plotted and rich with contemplation.

Reviewed by Tammy L. Currier on September 10, 2002

The Giver by Lois Lowry

• Publication Date: October 2, 2018
• Genres: Dystopian , Fiction , Science Fiction , Young Adult 12+
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
• ISBN-10: 1328471225
• ISBN-13: 9781328471222

• ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

From the Giver Quartet series , Vol. 1

by Lois Lowry ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1993

Wrought with admirable skill—the emptiness and menace underlying this Utopia emerge step by inexorable step: a richly...

In a radical departure from her realistic fiction and comic chronicles of Anastasia, Lowry creates a chilling, tightly controlled future society where all controversy, pain, and choice have been expunged, each childhood year has its privileges and responsibilities, and family members are selected for compatibility.

As Jonas approaches the "Ceremony of Twelve," he wonders what his adult "Assignment" will be. Father, a "Nurturer," cares for "newchildren"; Mother works in the "Department of Justice"; but Jonas's admitted talents suggest no particular calling. In the event, he is named "Receiver," to replace an Elder with a unique function: holding the community's memories—painful, troubling, or prone to lead (like love) to disorder; the Elder ("The Giver") now begins to transfer these memories to Jonas. The process is deeply disturbing; for the first time, Jonas learns about ordinary things like color, the sun, snow, and mountains, as well as love, war, and death: the ceremony known as "release" is revealed to be murder. Horrified, Jonas plots escape to "Elsewhere," a step he believes will return the memories to all the people, but his timing is upset by a decision to release a newchild he has come to love. Ill-equipped, Jonas sets out with the baby on a desperate journey whose enigmatic conclusion resonates with allegory: Jonas may be a Christ figure, but the contrasts here with Christian symbols are also intriguing.

Pub Date: April 1, 1993

ISBN: 978-0-395-64566-6

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1993

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | GENERAL GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMICS | SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

Share your opinion of this book

More In The Series

BOOK REVIEW

by Lois Lowry ; illustrated by P. Craig Russell

by Lois Lowry

More by Lois Lowry

by Lois Lowry ; illustrated by Jonathan Stroh

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS

From the girl of fire and thorns series , vol. 1.

by Rae Carson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2011

Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...

Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.

Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra , but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra —can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4

Page Count: 432

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION

by Rae Carson

More by Rae Carson

From the Legend series , Vol. 1

by Marie Lu ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 29, 2011

This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes

A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.

Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.

Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE

by Marie Lu

More by Marie Lu

More About This Book

BOOK TO SCREEN

• Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
• News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
• Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
• Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
• Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
• More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
• About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

• Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Contact us: 1-800-316-9361 or email [email protected].

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

• _Featured Posts
• _Post Layouts
• __Left Sidebar
• __Full Width
• __Right Sidebar
• _Contact Page
• _Error Page
• _Simple Page

• BOOK REVIEW: THE GIVER BY LOIS LOWRY

Posted by: The Honest Bookclub

Related posts, post a comment, social icons.

• Reviewed Books
• Review Policy
• In My Mailbox
• Writing Corner
• Tags and Challenges

Popular Posts

Blog Archive

• ►  June (1)
• ►  July (2)
• ►  June (2)
• ►  March (1)
• ►  February (4)
• ►  January (5)
• ►  December (3)
• ►  November (4)
• ►  October (6)
• ►  September (1)
• ►  August (8)
• ►  July (6)
• ►  June (7)
• ►  May (7)
• ►  April (5)
• ►  March (13)
• ►  February (12)
• ►  January (13)
• ►  December (11)
• ►  November (9)
• ►  October (13)
• ►  September (11)
• ►  August (9)
• ►  July (12)
• ►  June (9)
• ►  May (13)
• ►  April (14)
• ►  March (17)
• ►  February (16)
• BOOK REVIEW: MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME BY AWESOME AU...
• TOP 10 BOOKISH WEBSITES WE LOVE
• BOOK REVIEW: TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE BY ...
• 2015 BOOKISH RESOLUTIONS
• TOP 14 BOOKS OF 2014
• TOP 10 PLACES TO READ
• TOP 10 BOOKS WE DIDN'T THINK WE'D ENJOY (BUT DID!)
• BOOK REVIEW: THRONE OF GLASS BY SARAH J. MAAS
• BOOK REVIEW: NEVER NEVER BY COLLEEN HOOVER AND TAR...
• BOOK REVIEW: UNRAVEL ME BY TAHEREH MAFI
• BOOK REVIEW: FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND TH...
• BOOK REVIEW: DESTROY ME BY TAHEREH MAFI
• TOP 10 AUTO-BUY AUTHORS
• 'TIS THE SEASON BOOK TAG
• ►  December (12)
• ►  November (13)
• ►  October (17)
• ►  September (20)
• ►  August (17)
• ►  July (22)
• ►  June (28)
• ►  May (2)

BOOK REVIEW: UGLY LOVE BY COLLEEN HOOVER

THE BLOG DIALOGUE: WHO DO WE COMMENT FOR?

TOP 10 BOOKS FOR A NON-ROMANTIC READER

UGLY LOVE MOVIE TEASER

TOP 10 FUNNIEST BOOK CHARACTERS

TOP 10 BOOKS WITH A MALE POINT-OF-VIEW

TOP 10 BOOKS WITH MULTIPLE POINTS OF VIEW

TOP 10 FICTIONAL OBJECTS

Contact form.

The Giver book review

Posted April 3, 2019 by Jordann @thebookbloglife in 4 star , book reviews / 0 Comments

Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind this fragile community.

The Giver was a book that actually took me by surprise. I’ve given it four stars but I wouldn’t be lying if I didn’t say I have no clue what this book was actually about. I struggled to understand what was happening and what the purpose of some of the things that took place within the story and the plot. I definitely enjoyed reading it but I just felt a little bit of disconnect to the actual storyline and characters.

I will say I loved the premise of the story and the world, the idea that humanity in an attempt to rid of all the bad things that we have happen on a daily basis got rid of everything that makes us unique as a specie. I thought it was really well executed and I thought that it was really profound thought that in order to have peace and order that we had to give up everything that made us human. That we as humans are incapable of anything other than destruction unless we become shells of what we are. I loved this concept, and it really made me think of what we were as a human race.

The reason why this book only got four stars instead of the five would purely be because I got a little confused with the ending and what exactly was happening with the plan and how everything changed. I wanted to learn more about the Giver and what that entire process meant and looked like. I just thought that this part of the book felt a little underdeveloped and I would have loved for there to be more about the after effects of this. I know there are sequels so I will maybe have to pick those up and see whether they have what I’m looking for.

I really loved the way this book was told with the different sections and life stages based on age and their interests. I loved reading about the kids finding their calling in life with volunteer hours. It was kind of a nice easing into adult life without all the anxiety! I suppose the point is that they’re too young to know how anxious they should be about everything. So it’s swings and roundabouts whether that’s a good thing.

I definitely recommend The Giver, it’s a good book with a really good premise. I will be picking up the sequel at my next opportunity and reading it to see whether it has everything that this book was missing.

Have you ever read a book that not only had a great premise but also fantastic execution? Let me know in the comments!

Share this:

Leave a reply cancel reply.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Books of Brilliance

The latest book reviews and book news.

Book Talk , Classic Novel , News

The Giver Book Review

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Today, we will be reviewing the classic novel The Giver by Lois Lowry, a classic dystopian novel that changed the genre as we know it. Keep reading to find out what we thought of the novel and if you should add it to your to-read list!

The Giver Summary

12-year-old Jonas lives in a community that is isolated and everyone is assigned a role. The annual Ceremony of Twelve is going to take place soon and has Jonas worried. He will be assigned a job for the rest of his career by the elders and is nervous about it. But things take an unexpected turn and changes the course of Jonas’ life and everything he knew about the Community he grew up in.

Normally, the book summaries are often longer but I feel like what makes The Giver a fun read is all the surprises the novel is filled with. I don’t want to spoil any of them because they were a big reason why I enjoyed the book as much as I did and want anyone reading the book for the first time to experience the same feelings I did.

The novel was first released in 1993 and went on to win the 1994 Newbery Medal and has gone on to sell over 12 million copies since publication. I was surprised to find out that this novel was part of a book series . And after looking into the other books, I found out that they follow different characters in the same world.

Dystopian Novels

The dystopian genre wasn’t always targeted towards young adults. They often were written for adults as they tackled heavy themes such as war and political unrest. The first dystopian novels written in the early 1900’s on the heels of World War I. Fears of totalitarianism and global anxiety were prevalent in early dystopian novels.

In 1993, Lowry’s The Giver flipped the script as it was one of the first dystopian novels written for young adults. Even after that, the genre was still mostly targeted towards adults but that changed with Suzanne’ Collins’ The Hunger Games . Without The Giver , there wouldn’t have The Hunger Games or the influx of dystopian novels written in the 2010’s that were written for young adults.

I enjoyed reading The Giver and will be giving the other book in the series a chance. The world that Lowry creates is fascinating and we don’t learn too much about it in this one book. After reading The Giver, I can see why it resonated with millions of readers and how it was different than your typical dystopian novel. This is a novel I recommend everyone to read. Happy reading!

Follow us on  Instagram  and  Facebook  

Share this:, leave a reply cancel reply.

Plot Summary

By lois lowry.

'The Giver' is a Newbery Prize-winning novel by Lois Lowry and tells the story of Jonas, a young, eleven-year-old boy raised in a futuristic walled community.

Article written by Emma Baldwin

B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.

The novel presents a dystopian community from the perspective of an eleven-year-old boy who is more perceptive, emotional, and thoughtful than any of the other community members. 

‘Spoiler Free’ Summary 

The Giver by Lois Lowry tells the story of Jonas, a young, eleven-year-old boy raised in a futuristic walled community. The community has eliminated pain, war, fear, and all negative and positive emotions. Everyone who lives there is content with the way things are and yet completely in the dark in regard to what life used to be like and the emotions, colors, and experiences they have all been stripped of.

When the novel begins, Jonas’s career is chosen for him. This sets him on a complicated path that leads to a series of horrifying revelations about his community, his family, and the parts of human history that have been removed from collective memory. Jonas’s relationship with his mentor, The Giver, helps him come to terms with the choices set out before him —either live with the knowledge he has or run and try to escape for a better life. 

The Giver Summary 

Spoiler alert – important details of the novel are revealed below. 

The Giver is told from the point of view of Jonas, a young boy who has lived his whole life in a walled, futuristic community, in which everything is controlled by “The Committee of Elders”. He lives with his father, who works with children as a nurturer, his mother, who works at the Department of Justice, and his younger sister, Lily, who is only seven years old.

A the beginning of the novel, he’s considering the upcoming Ceremony of the Twelve. There, his career path will be laid out for him. He’ll be given a job that perfectly suits him and that he’ll keep for the rest of his life. But unlike his friends Asher and Fiona, Jonas is unsure what he’s going to be given, considering that he has no great passion for any of the many jobs he’s tried. 

Citizens in the community apply to receive spouses, are assigned two children each, and upon adulthood, family units are dissolved. Citizens are eventually housed in the House of the Old when they reach a certain age. Then, they are “released” or killed in order not to place an additional burden on the community. The citizens believe that the process of being “released” means that one enters Elsewhere, the area surrounding the community, and into a new life. Death is not something that they have a firm grasp on. The old, ill, and nonconformists are all released. 

Jonas’s appearance is described in these pages as well. He has pale eyes, rather than the dark eyes many in the community have. He is also far more perceptive than others. As the novel progresses, it becomes clear that he has a deeper insight into others’ lives and a connection to his emotions that others do not. Objects appear different when he looks at them as if they’re in the process of change. It soon becomes clear that this world is devoid of color, something he’s initially unaware of. 

The New Receiver of Memory

The Chief Elder reveals Jonas’s job at the Ceremony. He’s been chosen for his ability to see beyond to be the new Receiver of Memory, the highest position in the community. This means that he’s going to be the receptacle for the community’s collective memories before the Sameness, the painless and warless state they now live in. The memories might be partially gone, but they have to be kept somewhere. Someone has to keep track of them so that the community does not repeat the mistakes of the past, and that job is to be passed on to Jonas. 

Jonas meets with The Giver, an old man who demonstrates how the memories are passed on. Jonas’s first memory received is that of sledding down a hill in the snow at Christmas time. He also gives Jonas good memories of sunshine, warmth, excitement, and love, as well as painful memories such as loneliness, starvation, and fear. Jonas longs to share those experiences with others and realizes that no one in the community cares for one another as they should. 

During this period, his family elects to take care of a sickly Newchild, a baby named Gabriel. It’s revealed that Jonas’s father, whose career involves caring for new babies, is actually in charge of “releasing them”, or killing them by way of lethal injection if they prove to be sick or different in some way. Jonas’ father tells Jonas that Gabriel will have to be released the next day. Jonas is horrified by this revelation and is inspired to change things. 

The Giver helps Jonas plan to leave the community, saving Gabriel, who’s been chosen to be released, and starting a new life. But it’s not quite so simple. The Giver tells Jonas what happened to the last Receiver of Memory, his own daughter. This young girl was given the same memories of war, loss, love, color, and the past that Jonas was, but she couldn’t handle them. She was asked to be released, and her memories were set loose back to the public.

The community members, who had lived their whole lives without any strong emotions, were suddenly inundated with new ones. This caused a major issue that the Giver knows needs to be avoided. 

Leaving the Community

The two come up with a plan to get Jonas out of the community and to Elsewhere, the area outside their walls. There, his memories will disperse, and the Giver will help the remaining community members understand the truth of their existence and their new memories of the human past.

 Jonas eventually flees the community in somewhat of a panic, desperate to save Gabriel. He steals his father’s bicycle and heads toward Elsewhere pursued by search planes. At the end of the novel, he enters into a striking landscape of color, which readers will recognize as their own world. There, he feels hunger and fear.

The novel ends with Jonas and Gabriel climbing into a sled at the top of a hill, featured in Jonas’s very first received memory. They ride down it towards a village in which they can hear music. Without stating it outright, the end of the novel alludes to a happy conclusion of events for Jonas. He believes someone in the village is waiting for him and/or willing to help him. 

What is the main message of The Giver ?

The main message is the importance of memory to human experience–collective and individual. Without knowledge of the past, including mistakes and triumphs, humans cannot grow or learn.

Why is The Giver famous?

The Giver is famous for its unique characters, dystopian society, and the ways in which it makes adult themes understandable within a young adult novel. It also leaves readers with a cliffhanger ending.

What happened at the end of The Giver ?

At the end of the novel, Jonas rejects what his community has been asking of him (“the Sameness”) and runs from home. He takes Gabriel, his young brother, and they travel out into the winter landscape. It’s unclear how or if they survive.

What is the moral of The Giver ?

The moral is that memory and collective (as well as individual) human experience is necessary. Additionally, the suppression of identity in favor of collective morality and “sameness” is inherently damaging.

Who dies in The Giver ?

Depending on the reader, some believe that Jonas and Gabriel die at the end of the novel. (Seen through Jonas’ belief they are going to “Elsewhere.”) Others believe that Jonas and Gabriel live and find a life of peace and happiness in a new community outside the walls of their home.

Why was The Giver a banned book?

The Giver has been banned due to its adult themes. The book is intended for young readers, and some believe the discussions of suicide, murder, and euthanasia are too difficult for young adults to handle.

Join Book Analysis for Free!

Exclusive to Members

Save Your Favorites

Free newsletter, comment with literary experts.

About Emma Baldwin

Emma Baldwin, a graduate of East Carolina University, has a deep-rooted passion for literature. She serves as a key contributor to the Book Analysis team with years of experience.

About the Book

Discover the secrets to learning and enjoying literature.

Join Book Analysis

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

Book Review

The giver — “the giver quartet” series.

• Drama , Dystopian , Fantasy

Readability Age Range

• Delacorte Books for Young Readers as a paperback and Dell Laurel-Leaf as a mass market book. Both are imprints of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc. The hardback book is printed by Walter Lorraine Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin.
• Boston Globe-Horn Honor Book, 1993; Newbery Medal Winner, 1994; Margaret A. Edwards Award, 2007

Year Published

The Giver by Lois Lowry has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine . It is the first book in “The Giver Quartet” series.

Plot Summary

Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a nearly perfect community. Every family has two children, one boy and one girl. They share their feelings together each morning and each night. When the old tire of life, infants fail to thrive or someone doesn’t fit in, they’re simply “released” to a place known as Elsewhere. Rarely does anyone suffer or die.

The community Elders spend years observing the children to ensure each receives a vocation matching his or her aptitude. At an annual ceremony, 12-year-olds are assigned their careers. When the officiating Elder fails to call Jonas’ name at his ceremony, he fears he’s done something wrong. The Elders have saved his assignment for last because of its significance. He will be trained for a rare, honored and secretive position called the Receiver of Memory. He’s unnerved to learn the position will involve pain and isolation, and troubled to hear that the last person selected for the position 10 years earlier “failed” at her task and mysteriously disappeared.

Jonas meets with his new mentor, a man he calls The Giver. Jonas will take all of the older man’s memories — some of which were given to him by a predecessor — and preserve these truths and experiences about which the rest of the community is oblivious. The Giver transfers his memories to Jonas by touching the boy’s bare back. Jonas is thrilled to discover feelings and objects he’s never known. The Giver allows him to feel snow as he speeds downhill on a sled and the warmth of sunlight on his face. Jonas also begins to “see beyond” what his community has been genetically engineered not to see. He discovers color and begins to question why his neighbors aren’t given the choice to see color. He convinces himself that, given too many choices, people would make the wrong ones and disaster would follow.

The more Jonas understands about objects and ideas others can’t see, the more isolated he feels from his community. He begins to understand why The Giver is so tired, weighed down with difficult concepts he’s forbidden to share. When Jonas asks why they must retain these painful memories, The Giver explains that memories are the key to wisdom. The Elders don’t consult The Giver as often as he feels they should, but when they do, he’s able to recall tragedies of the past and steer the leaders in the right direction.

Jonas’ father, a Nurturer who works with newborns, brings home a failure-to-thrive baby named Gabriel. He hopes the extra attention will help the infant. If Gabriel doesn’t improve, he will be released. Gabriel continues to sleep poorly, so Jonas offers to keep him in his room. When the baby fusses at night, Jonas secretly shares comforting memories that The Giver has passed on to him. These memories help Gabriel sleep soundly and begin to improve.

The Giver continues to share memories, both of intense pain — like war — and amazing warmth, which The Giver calls “love.” Jonas tries to convince himself a world with love would be dangerous, but he begins to believe it might be worth the risk. Jonas learns more about the previous failed Receiver of Memory. The Giver, who deeply loved his protégée, says she could not handle all of the painful memories, and she requested release. She even asked to perform the release herself. The memories she had already assimilated re-entered the community, causing chaos.

Jonas asks what happens when someone is released. The Giver allows him to watch a tape of the release Jonas’s father performed earlier that day. Jonas is stunned as he watches his father euthanize an infant and throw away the body. Jonas tells The Giver he wants to leave the community. The Giver agrees to help him, believing it may be good for the sheltered citizens to have Jonas’ feelings and memories thrust into their world. He refuses to escape with Jonas, saying he should stay behind to help people deal with their newfound emotions.

Jonas’s father says Gabriel is failing to sleep back at the nurturing facility, so he will soon be released. Jonas kidnaps Gabriel and leaves the community, sleeping and hiding by day and biking briskly by night. Eventually, people stop searching for them. He and Gabriel find themselves in a new landscape, which includes hills and animals and snow. But their food has run out, and their bodies are cold. Jonas no longer cares about himself. He believes his power is gone, as he can no longer call up warm memories to give the baby. In a cryptic conclusion, Jonas and Gabriel slide downhill on a sled, seeing lights and hearing music. It is unclear whether they survive or die of hypothermia.

Christian Beliefs

Other belief systems.

Jonas’s society is founded on the belief that a community will be happy, functioning and fulfilled if it is able to jettison deep emotions, such as love and pain. Rules, rituals and order reign supreme, creating a “Sameness.” In this way, no one has to experience prejudice, injustice or insecurity.

Families are required to share their feelings with one another each night and their dreams each morning. Otherwise, people keep their thoughts to themselves, lest they say anything that makes someone else feel uncomfortable or different.

The entire community attends an annual two-day ceremony where children in each age group are promoted. For example, becoming a Seven (year-old) means getting a front-buttoning jacket so the child can learn independence. Eights relinquish their stuffed animal (called a “comfort object”) to be recycled to younger children. Nines are further allowed to demonstrate and develop their maturity by getting their first bikes. Twelves, which was Jonas’ group, receive their vocational assignments.

The community creates the family. People apply for spouses and are matched based on a number of attributes. Those who fail to demonstrate the appropriate ability to connect are not given spouses. After three years of marriage, a couple can apply for children. Each family may receive one girl and one boy. When children are Ones, they are given to families at the community ceremony.

The vocation of Birthmother is viewed as vital but not prestigious. Birthmothers are given excellent food and care until they’ve borne three children. Then they spend the remainder of their adult life as laborers. When a couple’s children are grown and the parents are no longer needed to create family units, they go to live with the Childless Adults. When they’ve aged further, they’re well cared for and respected as they finish out their lives at the House of the Old. Once children become adults with families of their own, they cease to have contact with their parents altogether because that bond is no longer necessary.

Jonas’ friend Asher used to mix up his words as a 3-year-old. He was subject to increasingly intense lashings until he finally stopped talking altogether. An Elder speaks of this situation fondly at the community ceremony, beaming because Asher now speaks and is a productive member of society. She indicates the punishment had obviously been effective. When Fiona begins her formal training with the elderly, she notes off-handedly that the old, similar to the children, are punished with a disciplinary wand. Each home has a speaker box that conveys community news and can also monitor the activity inside each dwelling.

Except in the rare event of an accident, no one in the community dies. They are “released” into “Elsewhere.” After more than a year with The Giver, Jonas learns that to “release” someone is to kill the person through lethal injection. Most people never learn this. The elderly are given a celebration of life ceremony before they are led through a door leading to Elsewhere. When a set of twins is placed in the care of Jonas’s father, his father decides by their birth weights which will be allowed to join the community and which will be released. (Jonas’s family notes that they certainly can’t have two people who look alike running around. How confusing would that be?) Those who fail to follow community rules are sent Elsewhere in disgrace. One family whose child drowns is presented a new one. The new child receives the same name, so it is “as though the first child were returning.” Names are chanted in ceremonies both to release and to welcome new community members.

Authority Roles

Elders oversee Jonas’s community, maintaining a strict system of rules and discipline while allowing for friendliness and levity among the people. The rules aren’t particularly difficult to enforce because people have been genetically stripped of memories and abilities to see color, hear music or feel emotion.

The Giver loves Jonas. He tries to temper the painful memories he must convey with joyful ones. His memories and wisdom have taught him about intense feeling, and he wants to share these things with the community even if it comes at a price. Jonas’ parents are kind and pleasant, effectively carrying out their vocational and parenting responsibilities. Even as Jonas’ father lethally injects a child and prepares to do the same to Gabriel, his tone is gentle and playful. Because he is “programmed” not to know love or emotion, his actions are not calloused or cold-blooded. He feels he is just doing his job.

The creators of Jonas’ community implemented a climate control system and revised the landscape to optimize it. As such, those in the community have never seen animals (those depicted in their “comfort objects”) or hills, snow or sunshine. Jonas is shocked to see books in The Giver’s home. The only books Jonas knew existed were dictionaries and books about the community’s rules and offices.

Profanity & Violence

The Giver conveys a memory of an elephant being shot by poachers. A second elephant hovers over the mutilated body, trumpeting its grief. In another memory, Jonas bleeds and vomits on a scary sled ride, and in another, he sees bloodshed and death as men and boys suffer on a battlefield. Jonas’ father punctures a newborn in the top of the forehead with a syringe full of lethal fluid. He talks to the crying baby, gently saying he knows it hurts. Then he nonchalantly wraps up the dead child and puts him in a trash bin.

Sexual Content

Jonas tells his family about a dream where he longs to have his classmate, Fiona, take her clothes off so he can bathe her. His mother calmly explains that these Stirrings are normal. Now he will begin taking pills that make the Stirrings go away as the other adults in the community do. After The Giver helps him know what love feels like, Jonas stops taking the pills.

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, The Giver was one of the most frequently challenged books from 1990-2000. Some parents have expressed concerns about age-inappropriate content for middle school students, including occultist themes and violence, sexually explicit material and the ideas of drug use, suicide and euthanasia.

Nudity: Jonas and other young volunteers bathe the elderly in the House of the Old. People are forbidden to look at others naked, but this rule doesn’t apply with infants or the elderly.

Lying: When Jonas receives his vocational instructions, he’s shocked to learn he has permission to lie. He wonders if others have the same permission. Later, when he sees his father euthanize a baby, he realizes his father has lied by telling Jonas that babies are sent Elsewhere. Jonas lies to his parents as he prepares to leave the community.

Suicide: When Rosemary, the failed Receiver of Memory before Jonas, seeks release, she asks to inject the needle into herself.

Movie tie-in: Producers often use a book as a springboard for a movie idea or to earn a specific rating. Because of this, a movie may differ from the novel. To better understand how this book and the movie differ, compare the book review with Plugged In’s movie review for The Giver .

You can request a review of a title you can’t find at [email protected] .

Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

Latest Book Reviews

The Book of Bill

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

Grief in the Fourth Dimension

The First State of Being

The Campaign

Weekly reviews straight to your inbox.

Want to stay Plugged In?

Our weekly newsletter will keep you in the loop on the biggest things happening in entertainment and technology. Sign up today, and we’ll send you a chapter from the new Plugged In book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family , that focuses on how to implement a “screentime reset” in your family!

• Discussions
• Reading Challenge
• Kindle Notes & Highlights
• Favorite genres
• Friends’ recommendations
• Account settings

The Giver Series

Shelve The Giver

• Want to Read
• Currently Reading
• Add New Shelf

Shelve Gathering Blue

Shelve Messenger

Shelve The Worlds of Lois Lowry

Shelve The Giver Quartet

Shelve The Giver: Graphic Novel

Related series.

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

How to Help Kids Build Character Strengths with Quality Media

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

The giver: the graphic novel.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 4 Reviews
• Kids Say 50 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Dazzling graphic adaptation captures power of original.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this graphic novel adaptation of Lois Lowry's The Give r by illustrator P. Craig Russell tells the story of 12-year-old Jonas, who lives in a community of unquestioning conformity and learns to give his neighbors a share of the pain and genuine happiness that can be experienced by…

Why Age 12+?

Jonas experiences the aftermath of a bloody battle and learns about the horrors

Jonas has mildly erotic dreams about a female classmate, which he tries to suppr

Any Positive Content?

Set in a world seemingly without conflict, The Giver shows the dangers of unthin

Twelve-year-old Jonas initially works hard to follow the rules of his community.

It is better to be free and in charge of your own destiny than to live in comfor

Violence & Scariness

Jonas experiences the aftermath of a bloody battle and learns about the horrors of war. A supporting character kills an infant by fatal injection.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Jonas has mildly erotic dreams about a female classmate, which he tries to suppress. He bathes an elderly woman in a matter-of-fact fashion. The illustrations do not include nudity.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Educational Value

Set in a world seemingly without conflict, The Giver shows the dangers of unthinking conformity.

Positive Role Models

Twelve-year-old Jonas initially works hard to follow the rules of his community. After he's assigned to be a Receiver of Memories, he becomes more independent. When he sees the flaws embedded in his society, he takes action and rescues a child in danger.

Positive Messages

It is better to be free and in charge of your own destiny than to live in comfortable ignorance. To be fully human, people need to experience unpleasant circumstances and emotions.

Parents need to know that this graphic novel adaptation of Lois Lowry 's The Give r by illustrator P. Craig Russell tells the story of 12-year-old Jonas, who lives in a community of unquestioning conformity and learns to give his neighbors a share of the pain and genuine happiness that can be experienced by humankind. Violent scenes are infrequent, but they include the aftermath of a bloody battle and a scene in which an infant is killed by lethal injection. Sexual content is limited to a mildly erotic dream about a classmate. There's no swearing or substance use.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

• Parents say (4)
• Kids say (50)

Based on 4 parent reviews

You’re in the future where citizens are given a job and partner. This is the premise of The Giver.

An interesting introduction to dystopian literature, what's the story.

As THE GIVER opens, 12-year-old Jonas lives in a community where everyone avoids anything unpleasant and color has been stripped from their sight. Jonas looks forward to the day when he will be assigned to the job he'll hold for the rest of his life. But when he's selected to be a Receiver of Memory, he meets the Giver, the secretive figure who teaches him about life outside the community. Jonas gradually comes to see the magnificent colors of the world and learns that life is filled with both joy and pain. Eventually, he must decide whether he should stay and finish his often traumatic mission.

Is It Any Good?

Some science fiction classics seem destined for adaptation to comics, and this dazzlingly illustrated graphic version captures the elements of the novel that make it so relevant and admired. P. Craig Russell uses a blue/silver palette for the opening chapters, and it's a wonderful choice, more lively than plain black-and-white, hinting at the hues waiting to be unveiled. Even though they look and act very much alike, the individual characters pop off the pages. Russell composes that pages with a sharp and sensitive eye, always clear on the flow of the narrative.

Lois Lowry's classic novel smoothly makes its transition to comics, and fans of and newcomers to the book will be captivated by the visual storytelling.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how The Giver depicts a supposedly utopian society. Would it be nice to live in a society where everyone gets along and believes the same things? What are the dangers?

Jonas feels anxious and embarrassed when he dreams about a girl taking a bath. Are such feelings normal? Should family members be able to talk about them without shame?

Why is it important for people to experience the painful and unsettling parts of life? Should discomfort be avoided altogether? Is such a situation even possible?

Book Details

• Author : Lois Lowry
• Illustrator : P. Craig Russell
• Genre : Graphic Novel
• Topics : Brothers and Sisters , Great Girl Role Models , History , Middle School
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date : February 5, 2019
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 18
• Number of pages : 192
• Available on : Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Award : Newbery Medal and Honors
• Last updated : February 11, 2020

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to read next.

Uglies: Uglies Quartet, Book 1

Unwind: Unwind Dystology, Book 1

Messenger: The Giver, Book 3

Science fiction books, graphic novels and memoirs, related topics.

• Brothers and Sisters
• Great Girl Role Models
• Middle School

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

• Kindle Store
• Kindle eBooks
• Teen & Young Adult

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Buy for others

Buying and sending ebooks to others.

• Select quantity
• Buy and send eBooks
• Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

The Giver (Giver Quartet, Book 1) Kindle Edition

In Lois Lowry’s Newbery Medal–winning classic, twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind his fragile community.

Life in the community where Jonas lives is idyllic. Designated birthmothers produce newchildren, who are assigned to appropriate family units. Citizens are assigned their partners and their jobs. No one thinks to ask questions. Everyone obeys. Everyone is the same. Except Jonas.

Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Gradually Jonas learns that power lies in feelings. But when his own power is put to the test—when he must try to save someone he loves—he may not be ready. Is it too soon? Or too late?

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.

The Giver has become one of the most influential novels of our time. Don't miss the powerful companion novels in Lois Lowry's Giver Quartet: Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son .

• Print length 239 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 7 - 9
• Lexile measure 760L
• Publisher Clarion Books
• Publication date April 26, 1993
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• ISBN-10 9780547345901
• ISBN-13 978-0544336261
• See all details

Customers who bought this item also bought

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com review, from publishers weekly, from school library journal, from kirkus reviews, from the inside flap, from the back cover, about the author.

Lois Lowry is the author of more than forty books for children and young adults, including the New York Times bestselling Giver Quartet and popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader’s Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, Number the Stars and The Giver . Her first novel,  A Summer to Die , was awarded the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award. Ms. Lowry lives in Maine. www. loislowry.com   Twitter @LoisLowryWriter

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From audiofile, product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003MC5N28
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Clarion Books; Reprint, Media Tie In edition (April 26, 1993)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 26, 1993
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 27124 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 239 pages
• Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0544336267
• #2 in Children's Dystopian Sci-Fi Books
• #2 in Teen & Young Adult Alternative Family Fiction
• #6 in Teen & Young Adult Emotions & Feelings Fiction eBooks

About the author

Lois Lowry is known for her versatility and invention as a writer. She was born in Hawaii and grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and Japan. After studying at Brown University, she married, started a family, and turned her attention to writing. She is the author of more than forty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader's Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER. Her first novel, A SUMMER TO DIE, was awarded the International Reading Association's Children's Book Award. Several books have been adapted to film and stage, and THE GIVER has become an opera. Her newest book, ON THE HORIZON, is a collection of memories and images from Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, and post-war Japan. A mother and grandmother, Ms. Lowry divides her time between Maine and Florida. To learn more about Lois Lowry, see her website at www.loislowry.com

author interview

A CONVERSATION WITH LOIS LOWRY ABOUT THE GIVER

Q. When did you know you wanted to become a writer?

A. I cannot remember ever not wanting to be a writer.

Q. What inspired you to write The Giver?

A. Kids always ask what inspired me to write a particular book or how did I get an idea for a particular book, and often it’s very easy to answer that because books like the Anastasia books come from a specific thing; some little event triggers an idea. And some, like Number the Stars, rely on real history. But a book like The Giver is a much more complicated book, and therefore it comes from much more complicated places—and many of them are probably things that I don’t even recognize myself anymore, if I ever did. So it’s not an easy question to answer.

I will say that the whole concept of memory is one that interests me a great deal. I’m not sure why that is, but I’ve always been fascinated by the thought of what memory is and what it does and how it works and what we learn from it. And so I think probably that interest of my own and that particular subject was the origin, one of many, of The Giver.

Q. How did you decide what Jonas should take on his journey?

A. Why does Jonas take what he does on his journey? He doesn’t have much time when he sets out. He originally plans to make the trip farther along in time, and he plans to prepare for it better. But then, because of circumstances, he has to set out in a very hasty fashion. So what he chooses is out of necessity. He takes food because he needs to survive. He takes the bicycle because he needs to hurry and the bike is faster than legs. And he takes the baby because he is going out to create a future. Babies—and children—always represent the future. Jonas takes the baby, Gabriel, because he loves him and wants to save him, but he takes the baby also in order to begin again with a new life.

Q. When you wrote the ending, were you afraid some readers would want more details or did you want to leave the ending open to individual interpretation?

A. Many kids want a more specific ending to The Giver. Some write, or ask me when they see me, to spell it out exactly. And I don’t do that. And the reason is because The Giver is many things to many different people. People bring to it their own complicated beliefs and hopes and dreams and fears and all of that. So I don’t want to put my own feelings into it, my own beliefs, and ruin that for people who create their own endings in their minds.

Q. Is it an optimistic ending? Does Jonas survive?

A. I will say that I find it an optimistic ending. How could it not be an optimistic ending, a happy ending, when that house is there with its lights on and music is playing? So I’m always kind of surprised and disappointed when some people tell me that they think the boy and the baby just die. I don’t think they die. What form their new life takes is something I like people to figure out for themselves. And each person will give it a different ending. I think they’re out there somewhere and I think that their life has changed and their life is happy, and I would like to think that’s true for the people they left behind as well.

Q. In what way is your book Gathering Blue a companion to The Giver?

A. Gathering Blue postulates a world of the future, as The Giver does. I simply created a different kind of world, one that had regressed instead of leaping forward technologically as the world of The Giver has. It was fascinating to explore the savagery of such a world. I began to feel that maybe it coexisted with Jonas’s world . . . and that therefore Jonas could be a part of it in a tangential way. So there is a reference to a boy with light eyes at the end of Gathering Blue. Originally I thought he could be either Jonas or not, as the reader chose. But since then I have published two more books—Messenger, and Son—which complete The Giver Quartet and make clear that the light-eyed boy is, indeed. Jonas. In the book Son readers will find out what became of all their favorite characters: Jonas, Gabe, and Kira as well, from Gathering Blue. And there are some new characters—most especially Claire, who is fourteen at the beginning of Son— whom I hope they will grow to love.

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 74% 17% 6% 2% 2% 74%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 74% 17% 6% 2% 2% 17%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 74% 17% 6% 2% 2% 6%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 74% 17% 6% 2% 2% 2%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 74% 17% 6% 2% 2% 2%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the narrative thought-provoking and mysterious. They also praise the writing quality as extremely well written and simple. Customers describe the book as fantastic for all ages and an all-around great story. They find the writing style fast, easy, and clean. Readers say the themes are incredible, kind, and provide for all their needs. Opinions are mixed on the plot, with some finding it satisfying and gentle, while others find it morose and unclear. Customers disagree on the emotional content, with others finding it very emotional and vivid, while other find it distressing and annoying. Reader opinions are mixed also on the length, with customers finding the chapters short enough and the print large enough, while still others say the book is too short for a concept as broad as the Giver.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the narrative thought-provoking, providing an abundance of conversational topics appropriate in multiple settings. They also say the story is intense, surprising, and sad. Readers also appreciate the good descriptions and subtle yet powerful questioning of free will. They mention that the book can be enjoyed at different levels and has a rendition upon perspective of reality.

"...It is a truly impactful story that makes me feel oddly grateful and appreciative of even the most god awful and horrific parts of life." Read more

"...What is missing in the people’s lives? The Giver is a very thought-provoking book .Jonas lives in this community...." Read more

"Very well written and thought provoking " Read more

"...While a very good book for adults, it is also a true masterpiece for its intended audience , children...." Read more

Customers find the writing quality of the book extremely well written, easily descriptive, and quick to read. They also appreciate the simplicity of the story conveyed through the chapters, and the author's choice of powerful subject. Readers also mention that the book is imaginative, creative, and poetic at times.

"...The story truly stands on its own but her speech made it feel all the more important...." Read more

" Very well written and thought provoking" Read more

"...We should be concerned about what our children read. Reading is an intimate experience ...." Read more

"...It is a book that is, in a way, simple in its complexity ...." Read more

Customers like the adult content in the book. They say it's a fantastic book for all ages, and children would identify with the plot. They also say it’s wholesome and a good story about friendship.

"...While a very good book for adults , it is also a true masterpiece for its intended audience, children...." Read more

"This was an easy read with a very interesting story line . Couldn't put it down! Highly recommend... it will make you think!" Read more

"... An all-around great story ! I'll probably download the next books in the series for our next road-trip to take "Nana" home after the holidays." Read more

"This story is great for children and adults as I think it can relate to their lives, while also giving people a fantasy world that everyone dreams..." Read more

Customers find the writing style fresh, flowing well, and clean. They also say it's a quick read that carries them along.

"...It can be read in a few hours , but that does not decrease its impact, which is something like that of a sledgehammer...." Read more

" Came very quickly . 100% satisfied. Thank you" Read more

"...Her writing is fresh, flows well, and carries the reader along at an amazing pace that builds tension well and guide the reader at the same time...." Read more

"...In some parts, the story skips forwardl months, skipping very valuable time that could be used to fill out the story, and flesh out the characters..." Read more

Customers find the messages in the story incredible, poignant, and relevant. They also say the book teaches the importance of love, family, friends, color, and change. Readers say the novel leaves a lasting impression and brings up themes of freedom, uniqueness, and individuality.

"...from the Giver, he experiences pain and suffering but also love and freedom of choice . He also begins to see the world in color...." Read more

"...The Giver is an amazing book ...." Read more

"...of the story conveyed through the chapters; a positive message for everyone to read 2. The Giver!..." Read more

Customers are mixed about the plot. Some find it satisfying, surprising, and a great cautionary tale. They also say it's well written and intense. However, others find the entire story very morose and unfinished. They mention that the book does not describe it clearly and that there are many questions it does not answer.

"...Nevertheless, this classic bested me. It makes the reader question their wants , their desires, their hopes...." Read more

"...With that said, I found the entirety of this story very morose , which I suppose coincides with its topic of a society void of feelings and..." Read more

"...The plot is at times shocking and encouraged a lot of great dinner table conversation at our house." Read more

"...There is a sense of ambiguity about the ending when you get to it...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the emotional content. Some find the book very emotional, sad, touching, and shocking. Others say that the dystopian novel is too grim for them, lacking extreme emotions, and having a strong feeling of deja vu.

"...The story begins in a utopia. No one feels pain , no one is unhappy...." Read more

"...What a captivating, albeit bleak , fictional world Ms. Lowry has created! I was absolutely spellbound by her storytelling...." Read more

"...I can't explain it, but there is a strong feeling of deja vu for me throughout the novel...." Read more

"... Heartbreaking , moving, and thought provoking. Well done" Read more

Customers are mixed about the length of the book. Some find the chapters short enough that students, even those who are initially resistant, can read them. They also like the simplicity of the story, and the print is large enough for their less than perfect vision. However, some customers feel the book is too short for a concept as broad as the giver.

"...than that there was not many real foibles in this book, and the chapters were short and easy to read." Read more

"...The way Lois Lowry wrote these stories is breathtaking. They are not long books . The language is simple and straightforward...." Read more

"...3. Not enough chapters! Way too short ! Give me 400 pages worth of reading! XDMy Favorite Quotes:' “..." Read more

"...i think this book is kind of short though and read it in less than 12 hours...." Read more

Reviews with images

Faith, Hope, and Love...the greatest of these is Love

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

Report an issue

• About Amazon
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell products on Amazon
• Sell on Amazon Business
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Become an Affiliate
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Host an Amazon Hub
• › See More Make Money with Us
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Amazon and COVID-19
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices

• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices