"The Giver" By: Lois Lowry

I read The Giver when I was in 7th grade. I only vaguely remember some parts from this book, but reading this book again was interesting because I would remember little clips of class conversations and parts that stood out to me the first time. I think this book is fascinating. It's told through the eyes of an 11 year-old boy, Jonas. Jonas is a great narrator because as the reader we get to learn about this very odd futuristic community that he lives in, while at the same time get to hear his thoughts and feelings.
I think that this was a great book to read when I was in 7th grade, and depending on the students I think that 6th graders would really enjoy this book. I love that this book forces the reader to reflect on the world around us. As flawed as our world is, I think this book helps us appreciate what we have. Every time I read this book I am bothered by the blandness of Jonas's community. I think this book helps its readers realize that for all the bad things in our world there are so many wonderful things, and to fully appreciate the good you have to experience the bad. At first this was a tough concept to grasp because as a 7th grader all good seems like a wonderful idea. But this book shows us that what one person thinks is good isn't necessarily good for all.
Reading this book a second time I'm able to catch things that I missed when I was younger. For example, the cover never really made sense to me when I was in 7th grade but I now understand that the old man on the cover is the giver. The picture of the giver on the cover is black and white representing the people's colorless community. But next to the giver's picture is an almost torn looking picture of a colorful forest. The colorful forest represents the ideas of change and the colorful memories that have been forgotten. But as displayed on the cover these ideas and memories are just being uncovered.
I think this is a great book, and I would recommend reading it. It's interesting even the second time around!