Lois Lowry (born March 20, 1937, Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American author who wrote some 50 books, mainly directed toward young adults, beginning in the 1970s. By the early 1990s she had solidified her reputation by winning two Newbery Medals, awarded for the most distinguished children’s book of the year. On her website, Lowry described the major themes of her books: “I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another.”
Sourced from Britannica
“It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened.”
Thus opens this haunting novel in which a boy inhabits a seemingly ideal world: a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality. It is a time in which family values are paramount, teenage rebellion is unheard of, and even good manners are a way of life.
December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve year old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation. But Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man -the man called only the Giver -he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world.
Told with deceptive simplicity, this is the provocative story of a boy who experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. In the telling it questions every value we have taken for granted and re-examines our most deeply held beliefs.
Sourced from LoisLowry.com