The Giver

Title: The Giver

Author: Lois Lowry

Genre: Science Fiction Novel

Age group: Middle School

Rating: 5 Stars

         When first assigned a science fiction novel, I was all but excited.  I had always pictured science fiction to involve aliens and scientists- an ignorant and incorrect original idea.  As I dove into The Giver, I soon realized that the genre I had originally steered clear of could in fact be a new favorite.  The Giver had real-life, relatable situations in them, however was set in a fictional “utopia” land where the world of its inhabitants differed greatly from our world today.  Throughout the novel, I found myself constantly asking, “what if this really happened?”  Although it is clear this is a fictional story in a fictional setting, it was fun to imagine a community that seemed so unbelievable.  Although there are powers and rules and a completely different way of life where Jonas lives, the character goes through relatable life happenings such as the burden of responsibility.  Although I, clearly, wasn’t dubbed a “receiver” of memories, I have bared the burden of painful secrets or the responsibility of holding another’s weight on my shoulders so-to-speak.  It is real-life emotions such as this that brought this interesting and original story to life.  Far from the aliens and scientists that I had originally imagined, The Giver included an interesting take on life that involved the discarding of the elderly and those considered to be less-than-satisfactory, along with the monitored lives and roles in the community that each character was trained to play. 

         I think that this book is perfect for students in middle school, or even lower levels of high school.  In particular, I think that this novel is an excellent example of creativity, and would thus serve as a guiding piece of writing in a writing lesson.  If I were to teach the targeted age group, I would definitely have this book assigned to the class, and then work on writing individual science fiction books after we were through.  I think that there are other students who have the same perception of science fiction as I do, and by giving them this novel as an example to show the broadness of this genre, they could maybe find a new interest in it as I did.  In addition, it is not often that students are asked to write in the form of science fiction, so it could be a great activity that promotes creativity and stretches the mind.