Anticipating The Giver

I have read The Giver a few times. My grandmother, who was a kindergarden teacher for 25 years, first introduced me to the book when I was about 10 or 11. I read it again for school in sixth grade. And then I think I read it for a third time in early high school.

When I finished it for the first time, I was at my grandmother's house and I remember being very disturbed by a lot of what was discussed in the book. After my grandmother was a teacher, she became a consultant and would do conferences on different ways to teach. She wanted me to read The Giver so that she could know my opinion as a student of that age group. And being the available grandchild, I was chosen to be her guinea pig. She helped talk me through a lot of the harder issues and explained a lot to me. Despite the fact that I was a little freaked out, I really enjoyed the book. When I read it again in sixth grade, we had to write a paper on it. I remember feeling a little special because I had already read the book and was a little ahead of all my classmates. The third time I read it was for pleasure again. My sister and brother also had to read it in sixth grade.

I think Lois Lowry does a good job of writing for the preteen audience. I also read another of Lois Lowry's books in sixth grade that was very similar to The Giver called Gathering Blue.

I really like this book. I love the way it address some controversial issues for young kids: big ones such as dealing with authority and minor ones such as first loves. I am curious to see what discussions will come out of this book.