The Giver

The Giver is one of those precious books that affects you differently each time you read it, especially if you have aged between readings. My reaction as a middle school student and my reaction as a teacher preparing to study it in a classroom of my own was could not have been more different.

One thing the novel lends itself to is a discussion of utopian/dystopian societies. I was amazed at what my students had to say about something I expected them to struggle with. Jonas is a character that students love to analyze and compare to other protagonists in young adult literature.

As a word of caution to other teachers/adults who are reading with young students - its smart to get parents permission before beginning to read the story. At our school, some parents objected to the  subject material. While I personally disagreed, we had to respect their wishes.