The Giver (1993)

by Lois Lowry

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: The Giver Quartet (1)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
18,614	766	81	(4.22)	258

Add to your library

Add to wishlist

all members

▾Members

Recently added by

imcguire, ferrisscottr, kellybecker113, lesliewright34, trile1000, lightningsky, Gonzalo8046, MsCrawford, toniamber7

numbers

show all

▾Tags

children (120) children's (245) children's literature (195) classic (125) classics (78) coming of age (144) dystopia (820) dystopian (257) euthanasia (81) family (105) fantasy (577) fiction (1,407) future (164) futuristic (118) juvenile (72) Lois Lowry (70) memories (145) memory (96) Newbery (319) Newbery Medal (429) novel (154) own (90) read (320) science fiction (1,145) society (82) teen (61) to-read (97) utopia (254) young adult (1,149) young adult fiction (100)

▾LibraryThing recommendations

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (2000)
Same series: Messenger, Son (The Giver Quartet)
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1989)
Holes by Louis Sachar (1998)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (1962)
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1977)

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (1960)
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (1997)
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (1975)
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton (1967)
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (2003)

see more recommendations for this work

refresh

▾Member recommendations

172
1984 by George Orwell (cflorente)
130
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (chrisharpe, afyfe)
chrisharpe: I see I am in a minority but, although the idea behind the book is a good one, The Giver struck me as quite clumsy. A much more effective exploration of similar themes is Huxley's "Brave New World".
141
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (writecathy)
122
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (cflorente)
100
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (FFortuna)
FFortuna: The Giver is much darker, but are similar in premise.
144
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (_Zoe_)
_Zoe_: Another children's book that manages both to entertain and to make you think. These are two of my favourites.
60
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (KamTonnes)
KamTonnes: Uglies and The Giver both portray societies that limit conflict by having very specific rules, roles, and expectations for everyone. Also, in both stories, the main characters slowly start to question the values of their respective communities.
60
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (jessicastatzer)
50
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (sturlington)
30
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (chrisharpe)
chrisharpe: Similar themes, We is a lot better written.
30
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (jbarry)
jbarry: futuristic take on biomedical ethics and mindbendingly complicated relationships
41
Matched by Ally Condie (Trojanprincess)
Trojanprincess: The two worlds seem similar in the way that every aspect of their livee are controlled.
20
This Perfect Day by Ira Levin (sturlington)
20
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (mcenroeucsb)
22
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (ubcsfs)
00
The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman (foggidawn)
11
The Story Box by Monica Hughes (infiniteletters)
01
Truesight by David Stahler Jr. (TheDivineOomba)
TheDivineOomba: Very Similar Plot
01
Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey (infiniteletters)
01
The Dubious Hills by Pamela Dean (infiniteletters)

(see all 24 recommendations)

▾Will you like it?

▾Member reviews

English (759) Portuguese (1) German (1) Italian (1) French (1) All languages (763)

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 759 (next | show all)

Surprising. Wonderful. (

)

Snukes | Jun 14, 2013 |

seemed like more of a morality story or thought experiment than anything. Short read. Probably I was expecting something much different than I got because of just coming off the Hunger Games.
[b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293504845s/2767052.jpg|2792775] (

)

annodoom | Jun 12, 2013 |

I really liked this book. It was a fun read.

Ashabani | Jun 11, 2013 |

This is a great book about a young person growing up in a strongly controlled world. As he learns more about the extent of the control, he begins to explore freedoms and experiences that he never knew existed. This is a great story about growing up, taking responsibility for yourself and being okay with your actions and their consequenses.

athomp2 | Jun 11, 2013 |

The story of a young boy who is given an extraordinary amount of responsibility. Jonas is becoming an adult, and his community has chosen him to be the Receiver of Memories. As the story unfolds, the reader and Jonas come to understand the burden of being the Receiver. Joans and the Giver of Memories devise a plan to change the world and release the memories to the masses. This book is an instant classic. I pushes the imagination, and invites readers into a futuristic world that isn't pleasant. I like that this book pushes the boundaries as far as what is appropriate for children. I would recommend this book for an older audience, 5th grade and up.

tierney2 | Jun 11, 2013 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 759 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

1 review

add a review

thingScore 75

Despite occasional logical lapses, "The Giver," a powerful and provocative novel, is sure to keep older children reading. And thinking.

added by Aerrin99 | editNew York Times, Karen Ray (Oct 31, 1993)

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (1 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Lois Lowry	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Ibatoulline, Bagram	Illustrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Rifkin, Ron	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Work-to-work relationships

Has as a student's study guide

The Giver - Lois Lowry (Sparknotes) by Caolan Madden

view history

▾Common Knowledge

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.

For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Series (with order)

The Giver Quartet (1)

Canonical title

The Giver

Original title

The Giver

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

Important events

Jonah is Chosen as the receiver

Ceremony of Twelve

Related movies

Awards and honors

Newbery Medal (1994)

ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1994)

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (1994)

Booklist Editors' Choice

(show all 20 items)

Epigraph

Dedication

For all the children
To whom we entrust the future

First words

It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened.

Quotations

His mind reeled. Now, empowered to ask questions of utmost rudeness- and promised answers- he could, conceivably (though it was almost unimaginable), ask someone, some adult, his father perhaps: "Do you lie?" But he had no way of knowing if the answer he received were true.

We really have to protect people from wrong choices.

But everyone would be burdened and pained. They don't want that. And that's the real reason The Receiver is so vital to them, and so honored. They selected me-- and you--to lift that burden from themselves.

Jonas did not want to go back. He didn't want the memories, didn't want the honor, didn't want the wisdom, didn't want the pain. He wanted his childhood again, his scraped knees and ball games.

Sometimes I wish they'd ask for my wisdom more often-there are so many things I could tell them; things I wish they would change. But they don't want change. Life here is so orderly, so predictable-so painless. It's what they've chosen.

(show all 6 items)

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Publisher series

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

The Giver

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Haiku summary

A black and white world

One boy holds the memories

Of colorful past

(Sundancer)

▾Book descriptions

Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0440237688, Mass Market Paperback)

In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.

(retrieved from Amazon Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:24:15 -0500)

(see all 10 descriptions)

▾Library descriptions

Lowry's unforgettable tale introduces 12-year-old Jonas, who is singled out by the Community to be trained by The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of true pain and pleasure. Now it's time for Jonas to receiver the truth.

» see all 10 descriptions