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The Giver
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Read The Giver
The Giver Trilogy: Book 1

The Giver (1993) (edit title/settings)

by Lois Lowry (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Jonas' world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true... read more

Summary edit see section history

Setting-
The family unit- where Jonas and his family live.
The House of the Old- where the old go to live when they are not needed any more.
Nurturing Center- where new children are taken care of.
Recreation Center- a playground.
The Releasing Room- where people are... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Setting-
The family unit- where Jonas and his family live.
The House of the Old- where the old go to live when they are not needed any more.
Nurturing Center- where new children are taken care of.
Recreation Center- a playground.
The Releasing Room- where people are released to a "new world".
Elsewhere- a place beyond the community.

Conflict/Problem-
The conflict is that once Jonas starts receiving the memories he starts to realize that his community isn't perfect.

Plot-
The plot of the story is that Jonas needs to realize that his world isn't perfect. Three important events are when Jonas is selected to be the new Receiver, when Jonas sees his first release, and when Jonas makes it to Elsewhere.

Characters/People edit see section history

  • Jonas: Jonas is the main character in this book who goes through lots of changes.
  • Jonas' Father: Jonas' father is a Nurturer. This means that he works with the newborns until the ceremony in December. He is very tenderhearted and loves children.
  • Jonas' Mother: Works in the Department of Justice, very strong worker and gives her son advice when he is struggling.
  • The Giver: The Giver is a person who gives memories to the receiver.
  • Gabriel (Gabe): The baby that Jonas' family takes care of because he can't sleep at night.
  • Lily: Jonas's younger sister. She is a seven/eight for most of the story. She looks up to her older brother.
  • Roberto: Roberto is an elder in the home of the old, who is released early in the book.
  • Fiona: A girl that is Jonas' age. Very compassionate girl. Jonas likes her
  • Larissa: An elder in the Home of the Old that Jonas takes care of for community service.
  • Rosemary: Girl in the community
  • Jonas: a boy who finds out his community isn't so pefect after all
  • Asher: Asher is Jonas' best friend. He is a little slow and is kind of a goof. Asher becomes not so accepting of Jonas, when one day Jonas gets in the way of a schoolyard game and angers Asher. Then their friendship is mixed up.
  • Giver: The person who has taken Jonas to be his successor. He gives Jonas memories of the past (even the horrible memories).
Show all 13 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine, and did away with difference. We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others.”
    The Giver
  • “Memories are forever.”
    The Giver
  • “He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo.”
  • “They were satisfied with their lives which had none of the vibrancy his own was taking on. And Jonas was angry at himself, that he could not change that for them.”
  • “Things could change. Things could be different. I don't know how, but there must be some way for things to be different. There could be grandparents. And colors. And everybody would have memories.”
    Jonas
  • “If you can't feel the pain in life, you won't feel the pleasure of living.”
  • “No one mentioned such things; it was not a rule, but was considered rude to call attention to things that were unsettling or different about individuals.”
  • “They Know Nothing”
    The Giver
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • 'The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.'
    Highlighted by 161 Kindle customers
  • 5. From this moment you are prohibited from dream-telling. 6. Except for illness or injury unrelated to your training, do not apply for any medication. 7. You are not permitted to apply for release. 8. You may lie.
    Highlighted by 102 Kindle customers
  • He had seen a birthday party, with one child singled out and celebrated on his day, so that now he understood the joy of being an individual, special and unique and proud.
    Highlighted by 94 Kindle customers
  • JONAS RECEIVER OF MEMORY 1. Go immediately at the end of school hours
    Highlighted by 87 Kindle customers
  • Two children—one male, one female—to each family unit. It was written very clearly in the rules.
    Highlighted by 83 Kindle customers
  • How could you describe a sled without describing a hill and snow; and how could you describe a hill and snow to someone who had never felt height or wind or that feathery, magical cold?
    Highlighted by 82 Kindle customers
  • For a contributing citizen to be released from the community was a final decision, a terrible punishment, an overwhelming statement of failure.
    Highlighted by 81 Kindle customers
  • 'I'm right, then,' The Giver said. 'You're beginning to see the color red.'
    Highlighted by 65 Kindle customers
  • Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice.
    Highlighted by 65 Kindle customers
  • The children all received their bicycles at Nine; they were not allowed to ride bicycles before then.
    Highlighted by 57 Kindle customers
Show all 18 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

First Sentence edit see section history

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

Glossary edit see section history

  • Ceremony of Loss: When a child dies unexpectedly, the citizens of the community repeat the dead person's name over and over — and more and more softly — during the day.
  • Birthmother: A female who is assigned to give birth to three children within three years, after which she becomes a Laborer. This job is very unrespected throughout the community.
  • Stirrings: Emotions of attraction of the opposite sex, and is taken away by using pills
  • Comfort Object: A stuffed animal given to small children to comfort them. It is taken away when they become a nine.
  • Newchild: A baby
  • The Elders: The high authority in the community, makes all the rules
  • Release: What happens after you are old, have committed a crime, or just choose to be released. This is really murder.
  • Nurturer: Someone whose assignment is to take care of newchildren
  • Ceremony of Twelve: When everyone in that group becomes twelve and is assigned to their jobs.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 3 in The Giver Trilogy. (standard series)

Followed by Gathering Blue.

This is book 28 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)

Preceded by My Sister's Keeper, and followed by The Great Gatsby.

This is book 23 of 98 in ALA's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009. (authoritative list)

Preceded by Gossip Girl, and followed by In the Night Kitchen.

This is book 670 of 986 in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. (authoritative list)

Followed by Manolito Gafotas (Manolito Four-Eyes).

This is book 26 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)

Preceded by 1984, and followed by Water for Elephants.

This is book 22 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)

Preceded by A Thousand Splendid Suns, and followed by Water for Elephants.

This is book 25 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)

Preceded by 1984, and followed by Life of Pi.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Lois Lowry (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Mª Luisa Balseiro (Translator) - Spanish translation (Mª meaning María)
  2. Mathew Todd Borgens - (Spanish edition credits) Coordinación Editorial (Editorial Coordination)
  3. Ana María García Alonso - (Spanish edition credits) Maquetación (layout)
  4. Jesús Cruz (Designer) - (Spanish edition credits) Diseñode de Cubierta (cover design, but the cover looks the same as the original...)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Country: United States
Publication Date: 1993
ISBN: 0440219078
Page Count: 192

Awards edit see section history

Show all 24 awards

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PZ7.L9673Gi
  • Dewey: 813'.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

At times, this book may be a little inappropriate for young children (Jonas is washing elderly in the bathtub) but the suggested reading level should be between 5th and 9th grade, depending on lexile. This book may be hard for younger folk to truly understand.

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Gathering Blue
  • Messenger
  • Uglies
  • Matched
  • Crossed
  • The Guardians
  • Brave New World
  • The Midwife's Apprentice
  • Summer of My German Soldier
  • Dicey's Song
  • Winter of Fire
  • Tuck Everlasting
  • Feed

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • A Guide for Using The Giver in the Classroom
  • A Reading Guide to The Giver (Scholastic Bookfiles)
  • The Giver: A Teaching Guide (Discovering Literature Series)
  • The Giver Study Guide

Books That Influenced This Book edit see section history

   
  • 1984
  • Brave New World

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history

   
  • The Worlds of Lois Lowry
  • Gathering Blue
  • Messenger

Books That Cite This Book edit see section history

   
  • Connecting Young Adults And Libraries: A How-to-Do-It Manual For Librarians (How-to-Do-It Manuals for Libraries, No. 133) (How-to-Do-It Manuals for Libraries, No. 133.)

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