The Giver, Posted by Mrs. Schauer

THE GIVER, by Lois Lowry
AR: Yes
Vocabulary Quiz Available
Literacy Skills Quiz Available
Audiobook Available in HS Library

This is the tale of a boy named Jonas. It is set in a futuristic community that is completely monitored and streamlined so that everything has sameness. Individuality is not only a thing of the past, it’s a thing that no one can even comprehend. People are biogenetically engineered, and there are no such things as color, love, hatred, wildlife, or climate. Jonas, when he reaches the age of twelve, receives his life assignment. At the assigning ceremony, he is given the job of “Receiver of Memories,” which is the most honored position in the community. Only one person from each generation is given this role—and it is his job to gain wisdom from the memories of a time when there was freedom of choice and emotion. The current Receiver, who gives him these memories, Jonas calls “The Giver.” Throughout a year of memory transfer, Jonas realizes, as The Giver has long known, that there is something terribly wrong with their society. You'll have to read the rest to find out what happens, but this is one of my favorite books--very deep and thought-provoking.