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Reviewer: Sarah A. '12

The Giver is about a boy named Jonas who lives in a town where there is no color, no pain, and no sadness. The rules keep everything organized, and no one knows about life with happiness, hurt, and uniqueness. When Jonas turns twelve, he is given the job of the Receiver. Jonas's job has a lot of significance, and it is a great honor. He meets with the Giver every day after school for training, and the Giver gives Jonas the memories of life with happiness, hurt, and uniqueness. Jonas decides to leave his home to be in this life and finds the place of this life. This book is spirited, makes you think, and doesn't lie.

Spring 2005

Winter 2003

The Giver is about a boy, Jonas, who lives in a perfect world until he becomes 'the receiver of memory'. The perfect world is a place where people's decisions are made for them. For instance decisions about their jobs, where they live and how they live.

Jonas is selected to become the receiver of memory. He experiences the past, or the non-perfect world. He sees its good side and its bad side. In the end Jonas realizes that the perfect world isn't so perfect after all. He then turns his back on the perfect world and walks away from it and his family.

I highly recommend this book because it made me realize how lucky we are to be individuals with free choices.

Summer 2002

Jonas is an eleven, getting ready for the ceremony of becoming a twelve.  This is the day every eleven dreads: the day they find out what their job will going to be until they retire and live in the house of the old. All Jonas's father can talk about is how he knew what his future job would be even before the ceremony. Jonas is scared because he has no idea what job he will receive. The ceremony takes two days and with every age group the11's become more and more restless. Finally it is the 11's turn. The children are called up one at a time. Jonas's friend Asher is called up and Jonas is next. Fiona, Jonas's other friend, is on the other side of him. Jonas gets ready to go up on the big stage, but they don't call him.  Fiona goes next. Every child is called up. Jonas doesn't understand. At the very end, they call Jonas up and apologize. He is called last because he is to become the next Receiver. There is a gasp from the audience. Jonas finds out that the Receiver is the most respected job in the community, but he also finds out that lots of pain is coming his way.

Winter 2001

The Giver is a great book in my opinion. It is suspenseful, challenging and confusing. It is about a boy, Jonas, who is very smart and has the talent to see beyond. He is chosen to be a receiver, a person who receives special memories. He receives memories of pain and pleasure. If he dies, or runs away, the forgotten memories will return to the people of his community. He must run away to make the people remember the memories, but as he is going, he is being hunted down by tracking planes and everyone is looking for him. Will he make it?

I would recommend this book to readers who like a challenge or anyone who likes suspense.

2/2/00