The book "The Giver"...what age is it for? - Page 2

[Dar]

There are two "companion books" - she doesn't call them sequels, but they take place in the same world. The first is Gathering Blue, and the second is Messenger. You don't really find out what happened to Jonas until Messenger, but there are clues in Gathering Blue.

IMO, the quality goes downhill with each book - The Seeker was great, Gathering Blue is pretty good, Messenger is eh, but at least you know what happened.

Rain was about 10, I think... maybe 11. She read it in a book club, and one of the moms wasn't comfortable with her daughter reading it... her daughter was slightly older than Rain. Rain thought it was intense and sad but not disturbing, if that helps.

Dar

[Meg Murry.]

I thought it was a wonderful book, as others have mentioned. My dd loved both The Giver and Gathering Blue (and REALLY loved Holes, especially because of its absurdity and humor), but I truly think that every potentially problematic book needs to be evaluated individually with the knowledge of how the child will perceive it and react to it: there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Some children who are sensitive to issues such as death will find it too intense, most likely; others will not.

The thing is, rough subjects make good literature.

[ammipie]

[QUOTE There's a sequel (Gathering Blue) that is also a deep read, but satisfies what happened to Jonah at the end of The Giver, which kids might find comforting.[/QUOTE]


theres actually a third book too although i can't remember what it's called at the moment. I loved these books! I recently gave all three to my 38 yr. old mother to borrow and she really liked them too. They really make you think. I think i was 10 or 11 when i read it.

[MomOBrien]

My DD is ten and she loved it! I didn't know about the other two books....maybe i will add them to her Christmas list.

[vloky]

we read it in 5th grade and did well with it, I think most kids are 10-11 in 5th grade? I can't even remember! I love that book!

[WeasleyMum]

I'd agree with the median here-- 12 or so. I know I was 12, in 7th grade, although I could have read it at an earlier age if I'd discovered it sooner. I was surprised by the depth and darkness of the book because until then I'd mainly associated Lois Lowry with the Anastasia books, which I loved.

It really depends on the emotional and intellectual maturity of the reader in question.

[klosmom]

I read it with my advanced 9yo daughter. We had lots of discussions all through the book. We enjoyed it. Though I think she could have had a better, more in depth understanding if we waited. I too think it helped her look at our society in a bit of a different way.....

[kathymuggle]

OP here. My Ds is about 3/4 of the way through. He keeps asking questions, so I am going to have to reread it to discuss it with him, lol. It is amazing the details you can forget in a year or two.....

I am really curious...what does happen to Jonas? I have no gauruntee i can get the spoiler, so please enlighten me!

TIA

kathy

[Ruthla]

Oh, I'll have to look for that sequel. I found that book to be deeply disturbing, especially because the ending was so vague. Did they find help? Did they die out in the wilderness?

I don't think any of my kids have read it yet. It would provoke a LOT of discussions with my 11yo if she read it now- I do plan to have her read it sometime this year, but it just hasn't happened yet.

I honestly can't imagine this book for 4th graders. Sure, the reading level is easy enough but the concepts seem much too mature for 9yos to grasp. I think that if I'd read this at age 9 I'd have to re-read it a few years later to fully comprehend it.

[Ruthla]

OK, I just checked out Wikipedia's summaries of Gathering Blue and another book who's title just escaped me (but it's linked in the Wikipedia article) that make a trilogy.

Not sure if I should give this information away or not, so I'll put it in spoiler tags. Just double-click on the black spaces to read what's there, or dont' click if you don't want to be spoiled. If you quote this message, though, you'll see what's written inside the spoiler tags.

Warning :: Spoiler Ahead! Highlight to read message!

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Both Jonas (the 12yo boy) and Gabriel (the baby) from The Giver are alive and well in both of the sequels. I'm so relieved!!! It makes the first book seem so much less sinister!

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[kathymuggle]

Thanks Ruthla.....

I will let Ds read the spoiler if he feels the need, and am glad I know

Kathy

[HikeYosemite]

My son read it at age 11, and he still considers it the best book he's ever read. I asked him about age appropriateness, and he said it was very sad and not for most kids under age 12, but that he was "more mature" and could handle it (LOL).

Originally Posted by kathymuggle

What age do you think "the Giver", Lois Lowry, is appropriate for????