Search This Blog

2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

2024 Challenge Sign-Up Post

January Reviews Link-Up

February Reviews Link-Up

March Reviews Link-Up

April Reviews Link-Up

May Reviews Link-Up

June Reviews Link-Up

July Reviews Link-Up

August Reviews Link-Up

September Reviews Link-Up

October Reviews Link-Up

November Reviews Link-Up

December Reviews Link-Up

My Progress:


9 / 30 books. 30% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (1)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia (1)
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*

International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (5)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Netherlands (1)

My Progress:


12 / 51 states. 24% done!

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


10 / 50 words. 20% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


15 / 50 books. 30% done!

Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


32 / 50 books. 64% done!

2024 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


27 / 52 books. 52% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


21 / 40 books. 53% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


13 / 40 books. 33% done!

2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


5 / 25 books. 20% done!

2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

My Progress


17 / 26.2 miles. 65% done!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


15 / 100 books. 15% done!

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


34 / 104 books. 33% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


31 / 52 books. 60% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

My Progress


32 / 165 books. 19% done!
Monday, January 26, 2015

Giver Companion Novel As Powerful, Thought-Provoking As Its Predecessor

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

With the club foot she's had since birth, Kira should have been kicked out of her community long ago.  If it hadn't been for the protection of her mother—a skilled weaver, highly valued in the village—she would have been sent to the Field of Leaving, where the dead and useless are buried.  When her mother dies, Kira fears the worst.  To her great shock, not only is she spared death, but she's given a home inside the luxurious Council Edifice.  Because of her magical talent with a needle, Kira's been given a special job.  An important job.  One that she must perform to perfection, no matter how much it drains her.  

At first, Kira's honored by the appointment.  But, the more time she spends in the Edifice and the better she gets to know the other "gifted" people in residence there, the more uneasy she becomes.   With the Council controlling these unique talents for their own purposes, Kira and her comrades are little more than slaves trapped in gilded cages.  This fate is better than death, surely, but what will become of them when they've outlived their usefulness?  As Kira tries to make sense of her new place in her old world, she makes many incredible discoveries—revelations that will, ultimately, make her question where she really belongs.

Considering The Giver's ambiguous ending, it's natural to assume that Gathering Blue continues Jonas' story.  Not so.  Although it's set in the same general world Lois Lowry introduces in The Giver, Gathering Blue is a completely different story with a whole new set of characters (although the people from both books do intersect in Messenger and Son).  It is similar to its predecessor, however, in tone, theme, and the deceptively simple nature of its presentation.  The novel's bleak landscape provides the perfect background for a tale that's both imaginative and colorful.  Harsh but hopeful, Gathering Blue is a must-read for anyone who loved The Giver.   

(Readalikes:  The Giver; Messenger; and Son; by Lois Lowry)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for violence

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Gathering Blue from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.  

0 bookworm(s) said...:

Post a Comment

Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.

P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin


Reading

<i>Reading</i>
End of Story by A.J. Finn

Listening

<i>Listening</i>
My Contrary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows



Followin' with Bloglovin'

Follow

Followin' with Feedly

follow us in feedly



Grab my Button!


Blog Design by:


Blog Archive



2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Susan has read 0 books toward her goal of 200 books.
hide

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction