The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is often viewed as a controversial book. It tells the story of Jonas whose life is turned upside down when he given the assignment of Receiver of Memory. Jonas lives in a seemingly perfect world free of pain and suffering, but of course there is a price to pay. In exchange for a perfect world the community has given up any real feelings, pleasure, love, color, individuality, memories, and choices. When training under The Giver for his newfound assignment Jonas learns many secrets about the community and becomes increasingly frustrated with the life he lives and those around him. Jonas's final straw with his "perfect" world is when he learns the community is planning to release or kill the newchild Gabriel. With the help of The Giver Jonas takes Gabriel and embarks on a journey to elsewhere in order to save Gabriel's life. In the process of saving Gabriel life Jonas also creates a new identity for himself along the way. I would use this book in a 5th or 6th grade classroom to teach students that just because something appears to be perfect doesn't mean it actually is. We are often to quick to judge a book by its cover, and children need to understand why it is so important to be open minded and accepting of others. Through Jonas's story the class can see the importance of not only things, but also how important it is to make the right choices and just how valuable our memories and experiences are in shaping us into the person we are today.
2
