The Giver by Lois Lowry

       The book, The Giver, by Lois Lowry is a science fiction story that takes place in a futuristic and utopian society that is controlled by the government. The Giver begins by introducing the twelve-year-old main character, Jonas. Jonas has been living in a regulated city for his whole life. When a child turns 13 in the community, they are given a job for the rest of their life. The jobs are assigned at the Ceremony of the Twelves. Jonas is very unsure of what he wants to do or what job he wants to receive. He talks to his parents and siblings, but they are not much of a help. When the Ceremony of the Twelves finally arrives, Jonas is the last child to be chosen for a job. It is announced that he will become the Receiver of Memory. The Receiver of Memory is a job where one is chosen to receive good, sad, happy, and bad memories from a wise old man. The old man asks Jonas to refer to him as The Giver. One term used throughout the story is "released". When receiving memories from The Giver, Jonas finally finds out the true meaning of the word. It means "killed". When citizens become old in the community, they are released. Once Jonas finds out the true meaning of the word, he is horrified. Since Jonas's baby brother, Gabe, is very ill, Jonas is terrified that he will be released. He figures out a plan that will keep his baby brother safe. The story ends with Jonas and Gabe playing far away from home in the snow.

       In my opinion, The Giver is a fantastic and very well written story. The Giver was my favorite book because it used challenging vocabulary that made me think about the text on a whole other level. An example of good vocabulary is used on page 34 when the texts states, "...a disquieting scene where she had been chastised for a rule of infraction she didn't understand." This sentence used a ton of great vocabulary words that are great for any middle schooler to use on their papers. Another reason I loved The Giver is because it had well developed characters such as Jonas. In the beginning of the story, Jonas is a shy, quiet boy. He eventually turns into a brave, caring, Receiver of Memory. He changes a lot throughout the story. The final reason I liked The Giver is because it was told in third person. This made the story very easy to follow. This was nice because it already used challenging vocab. An example of third person is on page 82 when the text states, "He was free to enjoy the breathless glee that overwhelmed him." All in all, I would recommend The Giver to any middle schooler who enjoys a classic, short read. I guarantee that this book will always be on your mind. You will constantly be thinking about what happens next!
Blake H. Spicer 1/3