The Giver

The Giver. By Lois Lowry. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 1993. 192 pages. TR. $ 17.00 ISBN 978-0395645666

Summary: Jonas lives in a word seemingly devoid of inequalities, unhappiness and unemployment, a world without crime, violence, conflict and human emotions. The novel opens with Jonas dreading the annual December ceremony, a right-of-passage that all twelve-year-olds go through to determine their calling. Jonas is awarded with the most honored position - the Receiver of Memory. As Jonas trains for the job, the knowledge of his community considerably broadens, challenging him to rethink how he perceives the world. 

Critical Review: As he embarks upon his training under the guidance of the Receiver of Memory, Jonas is conferred with considerable leeway to read whatever books, and to ask whatever questions come to mind. Moreover, no longer is Jonas forced to reveal his dreams like the rest of the populace.  In a society where everything is guarded, Jonas’s training is highly unusual. He’s required to keep his training a secret. This is necessary, for part of it consists of criticizing his community. The Receiver’s job is to delve into the histories of bygone eras, and while there’s much to find pleasure in here, there is also a lot to bring pain. Jonas learns that in his job as Receiver, he’s required to relieve the community from the knowledge of pain. In theory, by bearing the world’s pain, Jonas allows the community to progress through life in relative bliss. As his sessions with the Receiver progress, Jonas comes to the tragic awareness of the repressive regime at work. This knowledge forces Jonas to make life-altering choices. He decides that he cannot remain in a society that condones the murder of newborns and the elderly, and with the help of the Receiver successfully escapes. 

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: 1^st book in the Giver Trilogy (subsequent books in the series include Gathering Blue and The Messenger)

Reading/Interest Level: 10-14 years

Reviews: Booklist (September 15, 1998)

Publisher’s Weekly (August 8, 1994)

Voice of Youth Advocates (August 1, 1993)

School Library Journal (May 1, 1993)

Kirkus Reviews (March 1, 1993)

Publisher’s Weekly (February 1, 1993)

Awards: Newbery Medal (1994)

Young Reader’s Choice Award (1996)

Rebecca Caudill Young Reader’s Book Award (1996)

William Allen White Children’s Book Award (1996)

Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (1994)

Golden Sower Award (1995)

Great Stone Face Children’s Book Award (1996)

Land of Enchantment Book Award (1997)

Buckeye Children’s Book Award (1997)

Golden Archer Award (1997)

Maine Student Book Award (1995)

Garden State Teen Book Award (1995)

Grand Canyon Award (1995)

Sequoyah Book Award (1995)

Author Website: http://www.loislowry.com/

Similar Materials: O. T. Nelson’s The Girl Who Owned A City

Subject/Themes: Coming-of-Age Story; Dystopia

Character Names: Jonas (receives the job of Receiver of Memory, at the Twelve Ceremony); The Giver (Jonas’s teacher experiences emotions); Lily (Jonas’s seven-year-old sister loves children); Gabriel (Gabe) (was kept back another year before moving on to his First Year Ceremony and was later “released”); Asher (Jonas’s best friend, assigned as the Director of Recreation); Jonas's father (works as a caregiver); Jonas's mother (works as a lawyer); Fiona (Jonas’s friend, assigned the job of Caretaker of the Old).

Brief Annotation: This award-winning Newbery Medal novel features the coming-of-age of twelve-year-old Jonas, who uncovers the horrors of his dystopian world, through his work with the Giver. 

 

 

 

The Willoughbys

The Willoughbys. By Lois Lowry. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2008. 176 pages. Tr. $16.00 ISBN 978-0618979745

Summary: Lowry’s tale is a modern twist on the old-fashioned orphan story. The Willoughby children – twelve-year-old Timothy, ten-year-old twins Barnaby and Barnaby, and six-and-a-half-year-old Jane – are so repulsive to their parents that they decide to abandon them while on a trip to Switzerland. Their relationship with Commandeer Melanoff, the misanthropic, multi-million-dollar candy inventor, and Nanny, offers readers a pleasant, laughter-filled story.

Critical Review: Lowry’s tongue-in-cheek novel holds appeal to even the youngest of readers. She brilliantly parodies old-fashioned gothic and orphan stories, including Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist, P. L. Travers’s Mary Poppins, The Bobbsey Twins Series, L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events Series. Tweens’ vocabularies will be greatly expanded through reading this engaging novel. A glossary is appended.

Genre: Humor

Reading/Interest Level: 8-14 years

Reviews: Voice of Youth Advocates (August 1, 2008)

School Library Journal (August 1, 2008)

Booklist (February 15, 2008)

Publishers Weekly (February 4, 2008)

Author Website: http://www.loislowry.com/

Similar Materials: Polly Horvath’s My One Hundred Adventures (2008); Lemony Snicket’s The Austere Academy: A Series of Unfortunate Events (Book 5, 2008)

Subject/Themes: Family, Siblings, Orphans and Foster Children

Character Names: Timothy (the eldest child, who acts as family leader); Barnaby A and Barnaby B (ten-year old twins, who are generally referred to as A and B); Jane (incredibly shy, Jane is the youngest Willoughby); Commandeer Melanoff (a retired candy maker, who lives alone and laments the loss of his son); Baby Ruth (a foundling anonymously gifted to Mr. Melanoff); Nanny (hired when their parents leave on vacation, Nanny later takes on the role of the Willoughby's mother and helpmate to Mr. Melanoff); Hans-Peter von Schlusseldorf (a Swedish postmaster)

Brief Annotation: Lowry parodies classic orphan prose, through the humorous exploits of the Willoughby children.

Word Nerd

Word Nerd. By Susin Nielsen. Tundra Books, 2008. 256 pages. Tr. $ 18.95 ISBN 978-0887768750

Summary: Twelve-year-old Ambrose Bukowski lives with his single, overprotective mother in Vancouver, Canada. Within his lifespan, they’ve moved frequently, which hasn’t helped Ambrose make friends. Couple that his peanut allergy, his curious fashion sense, interest in words, and ability at choosing the worst words at the worst possible time, and you have the makings of a nerd. With his correspondence course beginning, Ambrose is even more removed from those his age. Will he ever develop the courage to stand up to his mother’s plans, or will his life forever be ruined by her neurotic protection?

Critical Review: Word Nerd is relatable to tweens whose lives differ from the majority, especially those who are home-schooled, nourish unusual interests or aspirations, and who find it difficult to make friends. Ambrose successfully develops friendships with members of all ages from the Scrabble Club. Through his neighbor, Cosmo, Ambrose learns the power that comes with looking beyond individual differences. Above all, Ambrose understands that we all have problems, but that we can learn to move beyond them.

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Humor; Friendship

Reading/Interest Level: 9-12 years

Awards: Winner of the 2010 Red Maple Award; Winner of the 2010 Rocky Mountain Book Award; Winner of the 2010 Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Awards; Winner of ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year - Silver 2008 Juvenile Fiction; Nominated for the 2010 Golden Oak Award; Nominated for the 2009 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award; Shortlisted for the 2009 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award; Shortlisted for the 2009 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards; One of The Globe and Mail's "Susan Perren's Top 10 Children's Books for '08"; Shortlisted for the 2010 Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Willow Award

Reviews: School Library Journal (December 1, 2008)

Booklist (Nobember 1, 2008)

 Author Website: http://www.susinnielsen.com/

Similar Materials: Dear George Clooney: Please Marry my Mom - Susin Neilsen (2010)

Subject/Themes: loneliness; overprotective parents; peanut allergies; scrabble clubs; correspondence schools; mothers and sons; single parent families; conformity; friendship; Vancouver, British Columbia; Canada 

Character Names: Ambrose Bukowski; Irene Bukowski; Mr. Acheson; Mr. and Mrs. Economopouloses; Cosmo Economopouloses; Amanda Svecova; Silvio

Brief Annotation: A lonely twelve-year old Vancouver boy finds genuine friendship by joining a scrabble club. 

The Landing

The Landing. By John Ibbitson. Kids Can Press, 2008. 160 pages. Tr. $17.95 ISBN 978-1554532346

Summary: “He had heard music before, of course. Hymns in church, and tunes his father whistled and his mother hummed. But the music washed over him, surrounded him, swirled past him, his pulse racing to catch up. . . . He had no idea what the music was called. . . . But while the rest of them cocked their heads and listened. . .  this boy was drowning, coming up for air, diving back in, wanting to drown (p. 10).”

As a boy, Ben Mercer experienced the joy of classical music, learning to play from a fiddler in Muskoka. Several years have passed and much has changed. Depression-era strife, coupled with his father’s death, has financially strapped his family, requiring fifteen-year old Ben to do whatever he can to contribute to his family’s continual support. Ben works alongside his uncle, repairing houses and hotels, and providing boat tours for affluent summer tourists. Yet he continually dreams of escaping his poverty-filled life and becoming a violinist. Will his dream become a reality?

Critical Review: Ibbitson’s prose evocatively depicts the Depression years, especially the wide expanse between classes. Through his employer, Ruth Chapman, Ben builds upon his knowledge of classical music, and observes how those in the upper classes live. As the story progresses, he learns how much of our life rests on chance, and of how every encounter should be treated as a potential door opener.  The close of the novel is bittersweet: Ben and his mother move to Toronto, so that Ben can pursue his music education, but he continues to be wreaked by guilt. He feels responsible for his uncle’s death, though there was nothing he could do to avert the capsizing boat. In the end, he develops a strong-bond with his uncle, appreciating Uncle Henry’s struggles to eke a living out of a treacherous landscape and his unhappiness.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Reading/Interest Level: 10-14 years

Awards: 2009 Outstanding International Book, USBBY winner; 2008 Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature

Reviews: Voice of Youth Advocates (February 1, 2010)

Subject/Themes: Classical Music; Fiddling; Maturation; Boys; Uncles; Violinists; Muskoka, Ontario; Canada; the Great Depression

Character Names: Ben Mercer, Uncle Henry, Mary Mercer, Jake Mercer, Cal Moore, Ernie Franks, Captain Corbett, Ambrose Heidman, Jed, Claude, Ruth Chapman, John Hotchkiss, Alvin Saulter

Brief Annotation: Fifteen-year-old Ben Mercer dreams of escaping his Depression-Era Muskoka life and becoming a violinist.