Lois Lowry establishes a setting without conflict, strife, or other forms of unpleasantness. It is also a setting of sameness, one in which everything from the weather to collective memories are completely controlled and predictable. Young Jonas, age 12, is about to receive his life assignment from the Elders in the community. This ritual bestows a duty to each child based on the skills they have demonstrated, and Jonas unexpectedly receives the rare and prestigious job of being the Receiver of Memory. Though an important honor, the proclamation terrifies Jonas.
Jonas trades playing games with his peers for training sessions with the man whose job he will take over, the aging Receiver who is now known as the Giver (as he will give the ability to remember to Jonas). Jonas is surprised and alarmed at much of what he learns from the Giver. One of the most disturbing things he learns is that when a member is “released” from their society (such as when the elderly become unwell or when members break society rules), they are not sent off to the mysterious “Elsewhere,” but rather they are killed.
Jonas’s misgivings about his new responsibility come to a head when he finds that a young child they have been fostering, Gabriel, is to be released soon for failing to grow at an acceptable rate. Jonas must make an important decision: remain faithful to his society and his role as the Receiver knowing that Gabriel will be killed, or attempt to save Gabriel by betraying everything and everyone he has ever known.
Lowry’s book has received many awards, including the Newbery Medal.
--Ages 11-14
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