Lois Lowry
Author of The Giver
About the Author
Lois Lowry (nee Lois Ann Hammersberg) was born on March 20, 1937, in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was educated at both Brown University and the University of Southern Maine. Before becoming an author, she worked as a photographer and a freelance journalist. Her first book, A Summer to Die, was published show more in 1977. Since then she has written over 30 books for young adults including Gathering Blue, Messenger, the Anastasia Krupnik series, and Son. She has received numerous awards including: The New York Times Best Seller,the International Reading Association's Children's Literature Award, the American Library Association Notable Book Award Citation and two Newberry Medals for Number the Stars in 1990, and The Giver in 1993. She was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by Brown University in 2014. The Giver is part of a Quartet of books; it is the first book, followed by Gathering Blue, messenger and Son. The Giver has been met with a diversity of reactions from schools in America, some of which have adopted it as a part of the mandatory curriculum, while others have prohibited the book's inclusion in classroom studies. It was also made into a feature film of the same name released in 2014. Lois Lowry also made the Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2016 finalists in the author category. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Lois Lowry
Rhinos & Raspberries: Tolerance Tales For The Early Grades (2006) — Foreword — 345 copies, 7 reviews
The Worlds of Lois Lowry 3 Copy Boxed Set (The Giver, Gathering Blue, The Messenger) (2006) 143 copies, 1 review
Gooney Bird Greene Three Books in One!: (Gooney Bird Greene, Gooney Bird and the Room Mother, Gooney the Fabulous) (2016) 61 copies
Rhinos & Raspberries: Tolerance Tales For The Early Grades (Teacher's Edition) (PreK-6th Grade) (2006) 31 copies
The Gooney Bird Collection: Gooney Bird Greene; Gooney Bird and the Room Mother; Gooney the Fabulous; Gooney Bird Is So Absurd (2009) 21 copies, 3 reviews
Anastasia: "Anastasia Krupnik", "Anastasia Again!", "Anastasia at Your Service" (Three-in-one) (1993) 15 copies, 1 review
Anastasia - Three of the Best: Anastasia on Her Own / Anastasia Has the Answers / Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst (1996) 10 copies
The Sam Krupnik Series: All About Sam; Attaboy, Sam!; See You Around, Sam!; Zooman Sam (2010) 6 copies
Willoughby Ailesi 2 copies
Yildizlari Saymak 2 copies
misc 1 copy
A Fearful Symmetry 1 copy
The Giver Study Guide 1 copy
Elliot's House 1 copy
Davac 1 copy
Čuvar sećanja 1 copy
Associated Works
The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales (2011) — Contributor — 982 copies, 48 reviews
Shining On: 11 Star Authors' Illuminating Stories (2006) — Contributor, some editions; Foreword, some editions — 51 copies, 1 review
Open Your Eyes: Extraordinary Experiences in Faraway Places (2003) — Contributor — 46 copies, 2 reviews
The Good Book: Writers Reflect on Favorite Bible Passages (2015) — Contributor — 44 copies, 3 reviews
Totally Middle School: Tales of Friends, Family, and Fitting In (2018) — Contributor — 22 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Hammersberg, Lois Ann
- Birthdate
- 1937-03-20
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Brown University
University of Southern Maine (B.A., English Literature, 1972) - Occupations
- children's book author
- Awards and honors
- Margaret A. Edwards Award (2007)
Regina Medal (1994) - Agent
- Emily van Beek (Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management)
- Short biography
- Lois Lowry is known for her versatility and invention as a writer. She was born in Hawaii and grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and Japan. After studying at Brown University, she married, started a family, and turned her attention to writing. She is the author of more than forty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader's Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER. Her first novel, A SUMMER TO DIE, was awarded the International Reading Association's Children's Book Award. Several books have been adapted to film and stage, and THE GIVER has become an opera. Her newest book, ON THE HORIZON, is a collection of memories and images from Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, and post-war Japan. A mother and grandmother, Ms. Lowry divides her time between Maine and Florida. To learn more about Lois Lowry, see her website at www.loislowry.com
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- Places of residence
- Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Brooklyn, New York, New York, USA
Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA
Tokyo, Japan
Governors Island, New York, New York, USA
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (show all 7)
Portland, Maine, USA - Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Discussions
Found: Middle-grade book where MC dies at end in Name that Book (April 2023)
What Are You Reading the Week of 14 March 2015? in What Are You Reading Now? (March 2015)
YA/Children's Book - Sister with Leukemia in Name that Book (May 2011)
Reviews
It’s amazing to me that the same author that wrote The Giver wrote the book I'm reviewing today because they couldn’t be more different. The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry is a nontraditional fairytale about a princess who’d rather live among the people than follow any ridiculous royal decrees. (Roman Holiday, anyone?) Now that she’s turning 16 years old, Princess Patricia Priscilla's expected to marry one of the three suitors who are courting for her hand. Each man is more ghastly than show more the last. A lot of time is spent describing these hateful men (and the illustrations by Jules Feiffer really drive it home how disgusting and despicable her choices truly are. As in much of middle grade fiction, her parents are blind to her discomfort and unhappiness as they are caught up in their own lives and interests. (Dad is obsessed with butterflies and Mom is preoccupied with her wardrobe and appearance.) So neither takes any notice of her switching places with her maid and escaping out into the village to go to the local school. Dark humor coupled with the somewhat realistic portrayal of what it's like to be a village peasant plus the fantastic illustrations make this a quick, fun read. 7/10 show less
Jonas was the same as everyone else. He looked the same, thought the same, spoke the same. Until his twelfth birthday. On that day he was chosen. Chosen to be different, set apart for a specific task that eventually causes him to see his world in a different light. In world where choices don't exist, and the people are governed by a strict code of conduct and rules, Jonas will see the truth. The truth will force him to do something no one else in his world has done before - to choose.
This show more book is a gem. As a huge fan of dystopian fiction, The Giver delivers a world so possible, it's scary. Despite being a short book, every page, every word is purposeful, packing a creepy punch that leaves me wondering if we aren't just one bomb away from living in a world not unlike the Community. My only critique would be I wished there was more. More history behind the Community. More on what happens to Jonas. More. Regardless, it was a great read, worth every award and accolade it has received. show less
This show more book is a gem. As a huge fan of dystopian fiction, The Giver delivers a world so possible, it's scary. Despite being a short book, every page, every word is purposeful, packing a creepy punch that leaves me wondering if we aren't just one bomb away from living in a world not unlike the Community. My only critique would be I wished there was more. More history behind the Community. More on what happens to Jonas. More. Regardless, it was a great read, worth every award and accolade it has received. show less
This was the funniest book in the Anastasia series since the first one, so I'm going with 4.5 stars. It's a funny, lighthearted book. But there is a major caveat... this was originally published in 1991, in the days before the internet and world wide web were in every household. In the days before social media, and online dating, etc. From today's perspective, I expect many people will find a disturbing element to the plot, even though all is resolved happily and humorously in the end.
There show more are two plot lines. There is a wedding, in which Anastasia and her friends will all be junior bridesmaids. But they have all sworn off chasing boys, because all 7th grade boys are jerks. Anastasia decides that since 7th grade boys are jerks, she will pursue an older man, and she answers a personals ad in the paper from a 28 year old man. (This is the disturbing part, obviously.) Her intent isn't to actually date a man 14 years older than her, but to try to woo him, so that when she herself is finished with college, she'll have him hooked. Each chapter ends with either a letter Anastasia writes to SWM-28, or a letter he writes to her, believing her to be much older. In each of Anastasia's letters, she stretches the truth as far as she can without outright lying. (For example, when Septimuis, yes, that's his name, asks her to send a photo, she knows he will not be attracted by a photo of a 14 year old girl. But she notes, he didn't specify a photo ~of her~... so she sends him a picture of her mother when she was about 28.)
The first half of the book is mainly set-up for the second half, which works like a situation comedy. I laughed out loud many times in the second half. In fact, the biggest laugh of all came when Anastasia unexpectedly meets her "pen pal," Septimus. show less
There show more are two plot lines. There is a wedding, in which Anastasia and her friends will all be junior bridesmaids. But they have all sworn off chasing boys, because all 7th grade boys are jerks. Anastasia decides that since 7th grade boys are jerks, she will pursue an older man, and she answers a personals ad in the paper from a 28 year old man. (This is the disturbing part, obviously.) Her intent isn't to actually date a man 14 years older than her, but to try to woo him, so that when she herself is finished with college, she'll have him hooked. Each chapter ends with either a letter Anastasia writes to SWM-28, or a letter he writes to her, believing her to be much older. In each of Anastasia's letters, she stretches the truth as far as she can without outright lying. (For example, when Septimuis, yes, that's his name, asks her to send a photo, she knows he will not be attracted by a photo of a 14 year old girl. But she notes, he didn't specify a photo ~of her~... so she sends him a picture of her mother when she was about 28.)
The first half of the book is mainly set-up for the second half, which works like a situation comedy. I laughed out loud many times in the second half. In fact, the biggest laugh of all came when Anastasia unexpectedly meets her "pen pal," Septimus. show less
The Giver tells a very good story about a world where there is no pain, no hunger, no crime, and - no choice. Very apt for our time. The powers that be definitely want us to live in a perfectly sane, perfectly safe world. It's distressing to me and I felt this book was able to tell a dystopian story about the world as it could be if "perfectly sane, perfectly safe" was carried out to its logical conclusion. It's not a world I'd want to live in, even if it meant I'd be pain free. There is no show more growth without pain and without love and that's what the main character, Jonas, begins to learn in this story.
In this world without choices, Jonas is given the job of Receiver of Memories. All the knowledge of the previous generations will be passed onto him. I definitely have some questions about the book - how this world came to be, what happens next. Maybe the following volumes will address that, I'm not sure. The ending is open and subject to personal interpretation - unless, of course, subsequent books reveal more of the story.
Recommended! show less
In this world without choices, Jonas is given the job of Receiver of Memories. All the knowledge of the previous generations will be passed onto him. I definitely have some questions about the book - how this world came to be, what happens next. Maybe the following volumes will address that, I'm not sure. The ending is open and subject to personal interpretation - unless, of course, subsequent books reveal more of the story.
Recommended! show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 99
- Also by
- 19
- Members
- 118,773
- Popularity
- #67
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
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- ISBNs
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