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A Reading Guide to the Giver (Scholastic Bookfiles Series) |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
 Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0439463564 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Review
In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
In the "ideal" world into which Jonas was... |
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Messenger |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0440239125 |
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From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up-Matty, who has lived in Village with the blind Seer since running away from an abusive childhood, is looking forward to receiving his true name, which he hopes will be Messenger. But he is deeply unsettled by what is going on. He has discovered his own power to heal others and learned of disturbing changes within his community. Under the gentle guidance of Leader, who arrived in Village on a red sled as a young boy and who has the power of Seeing Beyond, the citizens have always welcomed newcomers, especially those who are disabled. But a sinister force is at work, which has prompted them to close admission to outsiders. Also, it seems that Matty's beloved Mentor has been trading away parts of his inner self in order to become more attractive to Stocktender's widow. When the date for the close of... |
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Number the Stars |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Mass Market Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0440227534 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Review
The evacuation of Jews from Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold stories of World War II. On September 29, 1943, word got out in Denmark that Jews were to be detained and then sent to the death camps. Within hours the Danish resistance, population and police arranged a small flotilla to herd 7,000 Jews to Sweden. Lois Lowry fictionalizes a true-story account to bring this courageous tale to life. She brings the experience to life through the eyes of 10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen, whose family harbors her best friend, Ellen Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggles Ellen's family out of the country. Number the Stars won the 1990 Newbery Medal.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark in... |
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Gooney Bird Greene |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0440419603 |
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| Availability: |
Usually ships within 24 hours. |
From Publishers Weekly
Two-time Newbery Medalist Lowry (The Giver; Number the Stars) introduces a feisty, friendly heroine in this light novel. Readers know immediately that red-haired, freckle-face Gooney Bird Greene is as unorthodox as her name: wearing pajamas and cowboy boots, she arrives at the door of her new second-grade classroom all alone, "without even a mother to introduce her." She announces she has just moved from China (which turns out to be the name of a town, not the country) and demands "a desk right smack in the middle of the room, because I like to be right smack in the middle of everything." Dressed each day in another eccentric outfit, she relays to the class a series of stories that are "absolutely true" even though they initially seem anything but. Stretching the facts creatively through some wily wordplay,... |
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Gossamer |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0618685502 |
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From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7 Readers first meet the dream-givers as they creep around a dark house in the middle of the night where an old woman and a dog named Toby are sleeping. Littlest was very small, new to the work, energetic and curious. Fastidious was tired, impatient, and had a headache. Littlest is soon paired with a new partner, Thin Elderly, who is a much better guide and teacher than Fastidious was. They are benevolent beings who visit humans (and pets, too) at night. They handle objects, gather memories, and give them back in the form of happy dreams that comfort and help those they're assigned to. The dream-givers' counterparts are the strong and wicked Sinisteeds, who inflict nightmares and sometimes travel in frightening Hordes. And the humans that Littlest and Thin Elderly care for do need help and protection... |
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Giver |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Mass Market Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0440237688 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Review
In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
In the "ideal" world into which Jonas was... |
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The Messenger |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0618404414 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up-Matty, who has lived in Village with the blind Seer since running away from an abusive childhood, is looking forward to receiving his true name, which he hopes will be Messenger. But he is deeply unsettled by what is going on. He has discovered his own power to heal others and learned of disturbing changes within his community. Under the gentle guidance of Leader, who arrived in Village on a red sled as a young boy and who has the power of Seeing Beyond, the citizens have always welcomed newcomers, especially those who are disabled. But a sinister force is at work, which has prompted them to close admission to outsiders. Also, it seems that Matty's beloved Mentor has been trading away parts of his inner self in order to become more attractive to Stocktender's widow. When the date for the close of... |
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Gathering Blue |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Mass Market Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0440229499 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Review
Lois Lowry's magnificent novel of the distant future, The Giver, is set in a highly technical and emotionally repressed society. This eagerly awaited companion volume, by contrast, takes place in a village with only the most rudimentary technology, where anger, greed, envy, and casual cruelty make ordinary people's lives short and brutish. This society, like the one portrayed in The Giver, is controlled by merciless authorities with their own complex agendas and secrets. And at the center of both stories there is a young person who is given the responsibility of preserving the memory of the culture--and who finds the vision to transform it. Kira, newly orphaned and lame from birth, is taken from the turmoil of the village to live in the grand Council Edifice because of her skill at embroidery. There she is... |
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A Summer to Die |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0440219175 |
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| Availability: |
Usually ships within 24 hours. |
Review
"Not simply another story on a subject currently in vogue, this book is memorable as a well-crafted reaffirmation of universal values."
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Book Description
Meg isn't thrilled when she gets stuck sharing a bedroom with her older sister Molly. The two of them couldn't be more different, and it's hard for Meg to hide her resentment of Molly's beauty and easy popularity. But now that the family has moved to a small house in the country, Meg has a lot to accept.
Just as the sisters begin to adjust to their new home, Meg feels that Molly is starting up again by being a real nuisance. But Molly's constant grouchiness, changing appearance, and other complaints are not just part of a new mood. And the day Molly is rushed to the... |
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The Silent Boy |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0618282319 |
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| Availability: |
Usually ships within 24 hours. |
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-Katy is a doctor's daughter in the early 20th century, and her curiosity is tolerated, even encouraged. This explains her relationship with the 14-year-old brother of her family's hired girl, Peggy. Jacob is "the silent boy" of the book's title who somehow communicates with animals, but only makes humming and clicking sounds when he is with people. Nevertheless, Katy and Jacob develop an unusual and treasured friendship. As befits a child growing up at this time, Katy is a true innocent and is puzzled by some of the things that happen around her, such as the seemingly sudden appearance of a new baby in her family. The most dramatic incident occurs almost at the end of the book on the night of Katy's 10th birthday, when Jacob disappears along with his sister Nellie's unwanted and unnamed baby.... |
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Number the Stars |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0440403278 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Review
The evacuation of Jews from Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold stories of World War II. On September 29, 1943, word got out in Denmark that Jews were to be detained and then sent to the death camps. Within hours the Danish resistance, population and police arranged a small flotilla to herd 7,000 Jews to Sweden. Lois Lowry fictionalizes a true-story account to bring this courageous tale to life. She brings the experience to life through the eyes of 10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen, whose family harbors her best friend, Ellen Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggles Ellen's family out of the country. Number the Stars won the 1990 Newbery Medal.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark in... |
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The Giver |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Audio Compact Disc - Unabridged |
| ISBN: |
080726203X |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
Book Review
In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
In the "ideal" world into which Jonas was... |
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The Giver |
|
| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
|
| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0395645662 |
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| Availability: |
|
Book Review
In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.
From Publishers Weekly
In the "ideal" world into which Jonas was born, everybody has sensibly agreed that well-matched... |
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Silent Boy |
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| Author: |
Lois Lowry |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Mass Market Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0440419808 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-The Silent Boy (HM, 2003) by Lois Lowry (The Giver, Number the Stars) recounts the early 20th century childhood of Katy Thatcher and her special relationship with an autistic boy. Lowry subtly recreates the lifestyle, customs, and attitudes of the time period, weaving well-researched details seamlessly into the narrative. Told as a flashback by an elderly Katy, this poignant work of historical fiction is read superbly by actress Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Perfect Storm). Her gravelly yet soothing voice perfectly suits the elderly Katy Thatcher. Allen captures the playful innocence of young Katy, the patience of her deep-voiced father, and the quiet strength of her mother, while her voice is weighted by years of sorrow. There are a handful of awkward moments in the flow of the... |
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