A twelve year old is chosen to hold the memories of a perfectly calm community, and discovers what the peace costs.
Short, sharp and still a conversation starter, with an open ending that stays with you, held back by a slow first third and a tidy world. Four and a half out of five.
Every guide comes as a video and a full written article. Pick the one you need: the review is spoiler-free, the ending explained is not.
The Giver in four acts, after a chart of the community's rules built from the text, with chapter numbers: Jonas, the Giver, Rosemary, Gabriel and what release means. Full spoilers.
Is The Giver by Lois Lowry still worth reading? A spoiler-free review: the community, Jonas, what works, what drags and my score.
The Giver ending explained: the release, Jonas's escape with Gabriel, the sled ride and what the open ending means. Full spoilers.
Discussion questions for The Giver by Lois Lowry: the community, Jonas, memory and the ending. Spoilers are kept to the last section.
Loved The Giver? Six spoiler-free books to read next: Brave New World, Never Let Me Go, Fahrenheit 451, The Hunger Games and more.
The Giver (1993) is a young adult novel by Lois Lowry, and it won the Newbery Medal in 1994. It follows Jonas, who is about to take part in the Ceremony of Twelve, where every child is given a lifelong job.
Below you’ll find a spoiler-free review, the ending explained, six books to read next, and a set of book club questions.
The Giver was written by Lois Lowry and published in nineteen ninety three. It won the Newbery Medal the next year, and it became a staple of school reading lists.
The story is set in a community that looks peaceful. Everyone has a job assigned by the Committee of Elders. Everyone lives with a family unit that was chosen for them. There is no war, no hunger, and no pain. There is also no color, no music, and no memory of what came before.
Our narrator is Jonas, a twelve year old who is about to take part in the Ceremony of Twelve, where every child is given a lifelong assignment. Jonas is chosen for something rare and secret. He becomes the Receiver of Memory, the one person who holds the past so that the community can make wise decisions without it.
The Giver was written by Lois Lowry and published in nineteen ninety three. It won the Newbery Medal the next year, and it became a staple of school reading lists.
Short, sharp and still a conversation starter, with an open ending that stays with you, held back by a slow first third and a tidy world. Four and a half out of five. Read it if: you want a short book that asks big questions; you liked brave new world or fahrenheit 451; you want a book club pick with real discussion. Skip it if: you want fast action and a thriller plot; you need every side character fully developed; you need a clear, neat ending. Review: The Giver →
Our ending explained covers the final chapters in full, with spoilers. The Giver ending explained: the release, Jonas's escape with Gabriel, the sled ride and what the open ending means. Full spoilers. Ending explained: The Giver →
The Giver in four acts, after a chart of the community's rules built from the text, with chapter numbers: Jonas, the Giver, Rosemary, Gabriel and what release means. Full spoilers. Summary: The Giver →
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, Animal Farm by George Orwell. Books like it: The Giver →
It is written for readers around twelve and up. It deals with death, release and a child's fear, so younger or sensitive readers may want a grown-up nearby. That age is the reviewer's opinion, not an official rating.
Yes. It is the first book of The Giver Quartet, followed by Gathering Blue, Messenger and Son. Each is a separate story in the same world.
It does, but it is open. The final scene leaves Jonas and Gabriel on the sled, and the book does not say whether they arrive.
It is a young adult dystopian novel, and it is often taught as a classic. Lois Lowry published it in 1993 and it won the Newbery Medal in 1994.
It is a short book of about two hundred pages that most readers finish in an evening or two.
Amazon links. We may earn a commission if you buy through them.
