The Giver

Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Age Level: 5th grade and up
Rating: 4 out of 5

I remember reading The Giver in high school but never really got into the book.  When we were assigned to read this in class this year, not much came to mind about the book.  I guess you can say that my first time reading this didn't make that much of an impact in my literary life.  Now that I have read this book again, I am able to see the depth and uniqueness that this book has to offer.  What I liked about this book that I never really took into account when I read it previously was how different the lifestyle Jonas and his neighbors where living.  When reading this book now, I found myself trying to put myself into the shoes of the people living in that "utopian" society and seeing what a life like that would really be like.  I couldn't imagine living in a society that valued "sameness" and definitly wouldn't like it.  I think that this book really makes the reader think and challenges the views that the reader has about societal beliefs and values.  I also liked how the book was left open for interpretation.  Having the ending not be specifically layed out encourages group discussions about what may or may not have happened and I think that these types of discussions are essential to have in order to develop a greater understanding of the novel.  I think that this book would be a great book to read in school because the literature is so rich and allows for great discussion and interpretation by the reader.  In my opinion, students will enjoy reading about a world that is different from their own and conversing about their opinions and interpretations of the novel.