The Giver facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Giver

First edition (1993)
Author	Lois Lowry
Cover artist	Cliff Nielsen
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	The Giver Quartet
Genre	Young adult fiction, Dystopian novel, Science fiction
Publisher	Houghton Mifflin
Publication date	1993
ISBN	0-553-57133-8 (hardback and paperback edition)
LC Class	PS 3562 O923 G58 1993
Followed by	Gathering Blue

The Giver is a famous young adult novel written by Lois Lowry in 1993. It tells the story of a society that seems perfect at first, like a utopia. But as the story goes on, it becomes clear that it's actually a dystopia, a place where things are not as good as they seem.

The book follows a 12-year-old boy named Jonas. In his community, people have removed all pain and sadness by creating "Sameness." This means they also got rid of deep emotions. Jonas is chosen for a special job: the Receiver of Memory. He is the only person who holds all the memories from the past, from before "Sameness." This is important because sometimes the community needs wisdom from history to make big decisions.

Jonas struggles with all the new feelings and ideas he learns. He wonders if things are good, bad, or somewhere in between. He also questions if you can have good things without also having bad things. His community has no color, no memories, no different weather, and no varied land. This is all to keep things organized and make everyone feel truly equal, without personal differences.

The Giver won the 1994 Newbery Medal, a big award for children's books. By 2014, it had sold over 10 million copies around the world. Many middle schools in Australia, Canada, and the United States include it on their reading lists. However, it has also been challenged often. It was ranked as the 11th most challenged book of the 1990s by the American Library Association. In 2012, a survey in the U.S. called it the fourth-best children's novel ever.

In 2014, a movie based on the book was released. It starred famous actors like Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, and Brenton Thwaites. The Giver is part of a series called The Giver Quartet. The other books are Gathering Blue (2000), Messenger (2004), and Son (2012).

Plot Summary

Jonas is a 12-year-old boy who lives in a community that is cut off from most other places. Everyone in his town, from babies to the oldest leaders, has a specific job. Jonas is nervous because the annual Ceremony of Twelve is coming. This is where he will be given his life's work. He asks his father, a Nurturer (who cares for new babies), and his mother, a justice official, for comfort. They tell him that the Elders, who choose everyone's jobs, are always right.

The day of the ceremony arrives. Jonas and his classmates gather in order of their birth. The whole community is there, and the Chief Elder leads the event. Jonas is shocked when his turn is skipped. He feels more and more alone and worried. Finally, the Chief Elder explains that Jonas has not been given a normal job. Instead, he has been chosen to be the next Receiver of Memory. He will be trained by the current Receiver, who has unusual pale eyes, just like Jonas. This job is very important and has a lot of responsibility.

Jonas quickly feels distant from his friends, Asher and Fiona. The rules for his new job also separate him. He can't play with his friends and must keep his training a secret. He is also allowed to lie and hide his feelings from his family. These things are usually not allowed in his strict community.

Jonas's Training

When Jonas starts his training, he realizes how special he is. The Receiver of Memory holds all the memories from history. He is the only one allowed to read books other than schoolbooks and the community rulebook. The current Receiver, who asks Jonas to call him the Giver, starts sharing these memories with Jonas. Ordinary people in the community know nothing about the past. These memories help the Receiver advise the Council of Elders.

The first memory Jonas receives is of sliding down a snowy hill on a sled. This is shocking because Jonas has never seen a sled, snow, or a hill. These things were given up for "Sameness" to ensure safety and conformity. Even colors were removed from their world. The Giver shows Jonas a rainbow. Not all memories are pleasant. The Giver also gives Jonas memories of hunger and war, which are completely new and frightening to the boy.

Jonas learns that the Giver once had another apprentice named Rosemary. But his parents and the Giver don't want to talk about what happened to her.

Gabriel and "Release"

Jonas's father is worried about a baby at the Nurturing Center who isn't growing well. He gets special permission to bring the baby, named Gabriel, home at night. Gabriel also has pale eyes, like Jonas and the Giver. Jonas becomes very attached to him. He even finds he can share memories with Gabriel. If Gabriel doesn't get stronger, he will be "released from the Community." This means he will be taken "Elsewhere." This has happened to others, like rule-breakers, elderly people, and Rosemary.

Jonas casually wonders about life in "Elsewhere." The Giver then shows him a hidden video. Jonas sees his father "release" one of two identical twin newborns. Because two identical people are not allowed, his father ends the baby's life. Jonas learns that there is no "Elsewhere" for those the community doesn't want. Those who are "released" are actually killed.

The Plan for Change

Jonas is horrified and at first refuses to go home, seeing his father as a murderer. But the Giver explains that without memories, the people of the community don't know that what they are doing is wrong. He also reveals that Rosemary couldn't handle the dark memories and chose to end her own life.

Jonas and the Giver realize it's time for change. The community has lost its way and needs its memories back. The only way for this to happen is for Jonas to leave the community. If he leaves, the memories he has been given will flood back into the people, just like the few memories Rosemary had. Jonas wants the Giver to escape with him. But the Giver insists he must stay to help the people manage the memories, or they might destroy themselves. Once the community is set up differently, the Giver plans to join his daughter, Rosemary, in death.

The Giver creates a plan for Jonas to escape beyond the community's borders. The Giver will make it look like Jonas drowned in the river so the search for him will be limited. However, the plan changes when Jonas learns that Gabriel will be "released" the next morning. Jonas feels he has no choice but to escape with the baby.

Their escape is very dangerous. They are close to dying from cold and hunger when they reach what Jonas believes is "Elsewhere." Using his special ability to "see beyond," Jonas finds a sled at the top of a snowy hill. He and Gabriel ride the sled down toward a house filled with colored lights, warmth, and a Christmas tree. For the first time, Jonas hears something he believes must be music. The ending is a bit unclear, as Jonas is shown experiencing signs of being very cold. This leaves his and Gabriel's future uncertain. However, their fate is revealed in the later companion novels, Gathering Blue and Messenger.

In 2009, Lois Lowry joked at a book festival, "Jonas is alive, by the way. You don't need to ask that question."

About the Author and Inspiration

Lois Lowry was born on March 20, 1937. She has said that her books are different in style and content. However, they all share a common theme: "the importance of human connection." She believes it's vital for people to understand how much they depend on each other and the world around them. The Giver fits this idea by showing how characters change as they grow up.

In her speech when she accepted the Newbery Medal in 1993, Lowry explained where the idea for The Giver came from. She said her father, who was losing his memory, inspired the book. In The Giver, people are kept from memories of suffering, sadness, and pain. Lowry also said she started writing by creating an imaginary world that readers would feel comfortable in. She mentioned that it's tempting to live in a safe, walled-off world where violence and unfairness don't seem to exist. But if we do that, we forget about people who are truly suffering. Lowry said that the people in The Giver have lived in such a controlled world for so long that they are in danger of losing the real emotions that make them human.

Awards and Recognition

Lois Lowry received many awards for The Giver, including:

• The 1994 Newbery Medal: This award is given for the most important contribution to American literature for children.
• The 1994 Regina Medal
• The 1996 William Allen White Award
• It was listed by the American Library Association as a "Best Book for Young Adults" and a "ALA Notable Children's Book". It was also on the list of "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000."
• A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
• Booklist Editors' Choice
• A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

A study in 2004 found that The Giver was often read aloud to sixth-graders in schools in San Diego County, California. In 2007, an online poll by the National Education Association listed it as one of "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." In 2012, a survey by School Library Journal ranked it as the fourth-best children's novel of all time.

Adaptations

The Giver has been adapted into different forms of entertainment.

• Oregon Children's Theatre in Portland, Oregon, first performed a stage play of The Giver by Eric Coble in March 2006. Other theaters in America have also performed this one-hour play.
• Diana Basmajian also adapted the novel into a full-length play, which Prime Stage Theatre produced in 2006.
• Actor Ron Rifkin reads the story for the audiobook version.
• An opera based on the novel was created by Susan Kander. It was performed in Kansas City in January 2012 and in Minneapolis in April 2012.
• A stage musical version is currently being developed.

Film Adaptation

For many years, people tried to make a movie version of The Giver. Actor Bill Cosby's film company first made an agreement to adapt the book in 1994. Over the years, different production companies and screenwriters were involved, but the movie didn't move forward quickly.

Jeff Bridges said he wanted to make the film for almost 20 years. He originally hoped to direct it himself, with his father Lloyd Bridges playing the Giver. But his father passed away in 1998, and the film project was delayed for another 15 years. Warner Bros. bought the rights in 2007. Finally, the film adaptation was approved in December 2012.

Jeff Bridges plays the Giver, and Brenton Thwaites plays Jonas. Other main actors include Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, Odeya Rush, Cameron Monaghan, Alexander Skarsgård, and Taylor Swift. The movie was released in North America on August 15, 2014.

See also

In Spanish: El dador para niños