The Giver

Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Genre: Science Fiction

In a community where there is no color, love, war, or even individuality, Jonas is about to turn twelve. When you turn twelve, you become an adult; you get a job, and start training. Jonas is assigned to the mysterious position of Giver. Along with being told of his position, he gets a list of instructions. When he starts training he finds out he has to receive memories from very long ago, and up till the recent past. He encounters memories of love, color, snow, war, and pain. When his father, a Caregiver, takes home a struggling baby, Gabe, Jonas starts transmitting memories of sleep and comfort to help him sleep. When his father takes the child back to the center, he ends up being too tiny. Jonas’s father also tells him of a twin that will have to be “released”. For Jonas, “release” is a part of life. They release the old, any too small children, and anyone who applies for it. But because of the instructions Jonas received, he is able to request anything he likes. He asked to watch the release of the small twin. In horror as Jonas watched, he finds out they actually kill them. Jonas, along with the Giver, come up with a plan to fake his death and escape. I won’t give away the ending, but it’s very good.

This is the first book in a trilogy about children living in these kind of communities. The second book is called Gathering Blue, and the last book is called Messenger. I’d recommend these to anyone who loves a cliffhanger, books that leave you unable to wait to read the next one.