The Giver Quartet Box Set

I just wanted to comment on how “Gathering Blue” was my favorite of the four. Many people have been bored to tears by it, apparently, but to an embroiderer such as myself, I adore it.
Ooh, and there’s a map in this boxed set! I hate when authors go to different locations, then weave them all together and you have to alter the maps you’ve carefully drawn in your mind. Love a good map.
Also, the books, while connected and deeply entwined with one another, can also be read as standalone novels. Though they are better together.

Bought for kiddos to use for monthly school book reports. These stories cover children coming of age in so cities that are restrictive and delusional. Interesting story lines and decently written for the current expectations now considers acceptable. Parents should be aware that there are some issues dealing with intimate attraction and starting the process of physical maturation in adolescents. Also, be aware that there are exterminations of members that are not congruent within the societies including infants. I wouldn't recommend this be read by children younger than 12-13.

I read The Giver while substitute teaching a couple years ago. In talking to the English teacher who I subbed for, I commented that I would like to know if the boy and the baby lived or died. He mentioned that there was a sequel. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was actually a tetrology. I read through all four books in less than a day and a half, and went back to re-read them a second time. I was fascinated by the implications in sociology, political science, economics, and the moral and ethical dilemmas presented in the stories... in a medium that even the most naive teenager could not only understand but enjoy. Recommended for anyone who wants to instill a creative means of considering life's lessons to their children.

For the price I was expecting a soft cover set of books. However, they are all extremely nice and hardcover bound, good color, and shrink wrapped in plastic. I was glad I could get the entire set in hard cover for such a great price!

Okay, so I’m 30. My 11 year old daughter was reading the first book in school. She was trying to explain it to me and it sounded so interesting I bought it. And it was actually a great easy read book. But the first one ended one a cliff hanger. So I bought the set.

The first book is about Jonas.

The second book about someone else different. Kira.

The third book still about Kira. But hints about Jonas . (Dun dun dunnnnn)

The fourth book ties all the books together.

They were all well written and interesting.

My daughter read the first one in school,, but now she is reading the other 3 books on her own, what more can a parent ask for.?

5 stars.

Lois Lowry gets 5+ stars for these books. I have adored them for years, and just bought this boxed set for my 11 year old daughter who also adores them. But the books themselves are rather poor quality. The corners of the covers are so sharp I pounded them on a table to bend them a little after I was cut by one. The pages are thin and rough and not a pleasure to turn at all. If I had known, I would have passed on the boxed set and bought each one in a trade paperback instead.

I had some time off work recently for a knee surgery, this quartet filled my time perfectly. I grew up reading The Giver, and have probably read it 20+ times in the past 10 or so years. It is my favorite book. I knew that Lois Lowry had other books published, but Gathering Blue and The Messenger, to my understanding, were never a continuation of The Giver; so I never read them. No spoilers here, but Gathering Blue introduces new characters, The Messenger is tied into the first two books, and Son brings stories from many characters together. I can't wait to read this quartet again!

Library binding!!!

The Giver by Lois Lowry.
The first space on my Top Reads List has been occupied by The Giver ever since my middle school years, soon after it was first written. I have reread this unique piece of literature 7-8 times since adolescence. Lowry's book has emotional themes that can resonate in the hearts and minds of its readers, no matter the age. I had never read through the other works in the rest of the quartet. Late evenings and early mornings were spent this summer reading Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son. At the end of the quarter, I set my book down and sat in silence. There wasn’t anything else to do. There were no words to be said at the time. I wanted time to process the beauty of the words that created an uncommon story. Son, the last book in the quartet, was unlike typical children’s literature and especially unlike popular books in America today. Lowry said it beautifully how her series doesn’t spotlight action, romantic love, and weapons, instead it builds to, “the battle that Gabriel fights in ‘Son’ [where] empathy and love are his only weapons.”

After reading certain books, I enjoy researching the backstory for how and why books are written. This sometimes includes the life of the author. Along the search for information about The Giver quartet, I found a NY Times article from 2012. It has changed my whole perspective on the series. Lowry shared about the loss of her son, Grey, in 1995 and a small portion of the emotion battle that followed. I now feel like I understand the story on a deeper level. The silence after the quartet continued after reading the article. Lowry’s themes of loss, personal restoration, and hope are powerful and real. She isn’t afraid to present ideas or topics that touch the raw emotions of the reader and might even make them feel uncomfortable. That is where I find the beauty in her writing.

As an educator, I believe true literature is found through words that impact the reader after the last word. It should change them a little or maybe a lot. Lowry does this with ease. The Giver should not be the end of a reader’s journey. The reader is only a quarter of the way through the story. Son is a must-read for middle schools all the way through adults. Moments come and go. “Memories are forever.”

Kois, Dan. "The Children’s Author Who Actually Listens to Children." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Oct. 2012. Web. 09 July 2015.

Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print.

The Giver Quartet is so much better than expected! We love it and can't wait to read it. My boyfriend and I have read the first book years ago but recently found out that there were three other books written! We are definitely excited! The quality is amazing and every part of it is beautiful. A must buy if you are thinking about it, you will not be disappointed.