The Giver

The Giver is written by Lois Lowry.

Young Adult Novel

5th - 8th Grade

5 out of 5

The Giver is about a dystopian society in which the citizens complete lives are chosen for them. Jonas is given the job of the receiver of memory. The job seems great in the beginning but quickly he learns the truth of his community.

I love The Giver. I like the plot because I like the idea of a dystopian society in which the citizens have no clue of their corrupt community. I also liked it because it is interesting to think about what it would be like if our world was actually run like the community in the book. Although, some of the parts were sad, for example, when the baby was killed, I think that this gruesome factor just adds to the not-so-perfect community. I feel like I am really able to get to know and understand Jonas because the story is told from his point of view, had the book been narrated by someone else, the entire story would have been different. I could not put the book down because I continually wanted to know what was going to happen next. I think that the book did a great job using detail in the memories Jonas received; I could feel the pain, joy, and excitement that he was feeling. One aspect about the book that I wish was different was the end because I would really like to know what happened to Jonas. Although, I can make my own assumptions, I still wish I knew for sure.

I think The Giver would be a great book to use in the classroom even though it can be very controversial. There are many literary elements that could be taught along with this book, character, plot, time, point of view, setting, etc. I think that you could teach about character and point of view because Jonas is the narrator and the reader is able to connect with this. You could have students tell chapters of the story from different points of view and compare what they wrote and how the story changes when you change this element. You could have students design their own dystopian society and make up the rules for this society. Another activity that you could use in the classroom, which we did in class, is to assign chapters to students and have them draw a visualization of the chapter they were assigned. Another great activity you could have students do is to have them make up and write their own ending to the story because the book is ended with no definite answer.