The Giver

First things first: there are still a few days left to vote on the poll! Right now 'They rock!' is winning, and I'm pleasantly surprised. And very glad that no one thinks they suck. :)
If 'They rock!' ends up winning, I'll just keep writing in both. Obviously.

Anyway, onto the post! The last time I reviewed a book on paper (or with ink, if you prefer that terminology) was for a sixth grade book report. But... I'm going to give it another shot.

My wonderful friend Anna (I don't know how to tag people, but her blog is the Adventures of a Quadropus) told me to read the Giver by Lois Lowry, and I'm in love. As I told her: "I'm not reading that book. I'm inhaling it."

Without giving too much away, its basic premise is that Jonas, the twelve year old main character, is chosen to be the Receiver of Memory in his community. It is the most prestigious position, but also the hardest. (This is so much harder to explain than I thought it would be!) He has never lied, never thought of lying, never skipped school, never made a bad decision... you get the picture. His life so far has been perfect, because the ones who designed his community made it that way.

Jonas quickly learns that to reach 'perfection', everyone had to lose many things. The most obvious gap is that no one makes their own decisions- before he became the Receiver, he didn't even know he had that capability. The Elders chose his name, his parents, his everything. They even picked him to be the Receiver.

There is no color in his world. No music, no animals, no hills, no snow, no rain, no love, no pain.

To reach perfection, everyone had to lose the ability to chose wrong, which meant taking away any options. The Giver, Jonas' mentor and the previous Receiver, has held all memories of everything they lost.

The setting is stunning and original. Hands down.

The plot is engaging, because Jonas struggles with moral duties and the question of the welfare of his community.

The characters made me laugh and cry; each was obviously unique and developed individually.

I won't say anymore because I don't want to give to much away, but all in all, a great read. And it's relatively short too, so if you have a free afternoon, you can finish it in one sitting.

Not much of a book report, but who cares? You've heard my opinion- what's yours?