The Giver Newbery Medal Winner
The Giver by Lois Lowry-1994 Newbery Medal Winner
I chose The Giver by Lois Lowry because according to the American Library Association, it is one of the most challenged books in the nation. The Giver was written by Lois Lowry, published in 1993, and awarded a Newbery Medal for that year. It is a controversial book because of its violent and sexual passages that some adults have deemed inappropriate for children, as well as for its mature themes of euthanasia, infanticide, and suicide. However, I believe The Giver is a great book for children because it allows for them to learn and explore their own beliefs on controversial issues. The Giver is a deserving book for the Newbery Medal because it follows the basic guidelines of being published in English in the United States, is an “original, stand-alone work” by the author, and it also relates to young readers and contributes to American literature through its mature themes, original plot, strong, central characters, and utopia-like setting. In The Giver, the characters live in a place that seems like an ideal world, one where there is no poverty, war, disease or suffering. Everything is in order and under control, and the people have no worries or cares. The community cannot see color and there are no climatic variations. To ensure that the devastation of the world and the past is not relived, the community is isolated from the rest of the world, also known as "Elsewhere”. To keep the community a cohesive unit, everyone is assigned a position to uphold. The main character is a twelve-year-old boy named Jonas, who is selected by the community to be the “Receiver of Memories”. Only the “Giver” knows the truth and memories of the past, and now he must pass on the burden of these memories to Jonas through the process of touch. According to the ALSC organization, The Giver must have distinguished qualities to receive the Newbery Medal, meaning it is marked by conspicuous excellence and is individually distinct.
I chose The Giver by Lois Lowry because according to the American Library Association, it is one of the most challenged books in the nation. The Giver was written by Lois Lowry, published in 1993, and awarded a Newbery Medal for that year. It is a controversial book because of its violent and sexual passages that some adults have deemed inappropriate for children, as well as for its mature themes of euthanasia, infanticide, and suicide. However, I believe The Giver is a great book for children because it allows for them to learn and explore their own beliefs on controversial issues. The Giver is a deserving book for the Newbery Medal because it follows the basic guidelines of being published in English in the United States, is an “original, stand-alone work” by the author, and it also relates to young readers and contributes to American literature through its mature themes, original plot, strong, central characters, and utopia-like setting. In The Giver, the characters live in a place that seems like an ideal world, one where there is no poverty, war, disease or suffering. Everything is in order and under control, and the people have no worries or cares. The community cannot see color and there are no climatic variations. To ensure that the devastation of the world and the past is not relived, the community is isolated from the rest of the world, also known as "Elsewhere”. To keep the community a cohesive unit, everyone is assigned a position to uphold. The main character is a twelve-year-old boy named Jonas, who is selected by the community to be the “Receiver of Memories”. Only the “Giver” knows the truth and memories of the past, and now he must pass on the burden of these memories to Jonas through the process of touch. According to the ALSC organization, The Giver must have distinguished qualities to receive the Newbery Medal, meaning it is marked by conspicuous excellence and is individually distinct.