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Gossamer

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 7,169 ratings · 1,040 reviews

Where do dreams come from? What stealthy nighttime messengers are the guardians of our most deeply hidden hopes and our half-forgotten fears? Drawing on her rich imagination, two-time Newbery winner Lois Lowry confronts these questions and explores the conflicts between the gentle bits and pieces of the past that come to life in dream, and the darker horrors that find thei...more

Hardcover, 144 pages

Published April 24th 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

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Aug 07, 2007 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: young adults, people who appreciate fantasy

This novel was a great departure from the trilogy of Lowry books I had just finished reading (The giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger). It's a fast read, since it's written for preteens/teenagers, but I think adults could appreciate the story and Lowry's writing style, as well. The book tries to answer questions about dreams and their origins and plays with a great narrative style by switching between reality and imagination. The story centers around both the real world of an old woman trying to he...more

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Sep 12, 2007 Maury rated it 5 of 5 stars

First of all, I really love Lois Lowry. That being said, I loved this as much or maybe even more than The Giver, her most famous book. This is the story of little mythic creatures that give us our dreams. I loved the idea of how and why we have dreams and nightmares, and fell in love with the characters in the story. I also loved that she didn't tie up the whole thing with a nice neat bow. . . the ending was satisfying, but like life, unfinished.

7 likes · like · see review

Mar 07, 2013 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult

Interesting book. My wife loved it - said it was one of her favorites. I am a little less enthusiastic about it. Still, it's a good story with a neat premise (there are imaginary beings that grant people dreams and others than give nightmares and sleeping humans are the proxy for their war). Worth reading if you like any other Lois Lowry book. She's consistently inventive.

4 likes · like · see review

May 03, 2007 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who likes a quiet, poetic book

Susan and Lisa were right! I loved this book. It is a very quiet, whimsical story, but it still packs a punch. Lois Lowry is not famous for nothing. I was intrigued by how much I felt for the main characters, the dream-givers, without ever knowing what they truly looked like. This book has made me think differently about dreams, nightmares, memories, and people's ability to change. And the importance of pets, souvenirs, and talismans (talismen?).

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Aug 12, 2007 Shaylece rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Dreamers

What is beyond the world of sleep? Where do our dreams come from? Lois Lowry uses her exquisite imagination to explain one of the most interesting parts of life, and makes it even more mysterious. People of all ages will find this an interesting way to explain dreams. Also, the way the story is worked and connected is wonderful and exciting. This is a good and uplifting story of a not so good start of a life for a child.

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 30, 2007 Michelle BF rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kidsandteenbooks

This book brings a lot of depth to those little girls who do believe in fairies by giving them a purpose in bringing dreams to people and fighting the dark forces that bring nightmares. Inspiring with a touch of magic that left some up to the imagination (isn't it nice when everything isn't spelled out for you)...

gossamer

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May 23, 2007 Shea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

I highly recommend this book to young and old alike. It is a delightful and insightful children's book that will leave you with a feeling of gossamer which is hard to explain...you just have to read it. Though a fantastical perspective on dreaming, it has enough real elements to capture the fascination of multiple kinds of readers.

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Apr 19, 2010 Caroline Alicia rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: april2010, the-crappy-list

Okay,

This one was truly a child's book. The print was GINORMOUS (aka gigantically enormous. hugantic? hah) boldface and the book was only 144 pages but I struggled to finish this book. Boring as crap. I have an issue swallowing words like 'flutter' and 'shimmer' and 'twirling'when they are being used repeatedly ...oh and the ridiculous names (oldest one, littlest one, fastidous)...

Back to the book review. There are these little fairy like creatures (forgot what they are called) that come into yo...more Okay,

This one was truly a child's book. The print was GINORMOUS (aka gigantically enormous. hugantic? hah) boldface and the book was only 144 pages but I struggled to finish this book. Boring as crap. I have an issue swallowing words like 'flutter' and 'shimmer' and 'twirling'when they are being used repeatedly ...oh and the ridiculous names (oldest one, littlest one, fastidous)...

Back to the book review. There are these little fairy like creatures (forgot what they are called) that come into your room at night and touch all your stuff (starting to sound like Robert Goulet in the Emerald Nuts commercial huh) to gather "good" fragments. Then they hover over your orrifices and jangle around until these fragments come out as shimmers which gives you good dreams.

The fairies that touch your stuff too hard? They become Something-steeds. Think of those horse riders in Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings. Yup they come stampeding in and do something to your face to give you bad dreams.

So anyway this old lady and her dog fosters this young boy who was abused by his drunkard father until his mother can get custody of him again. Kid stops being a hellion, and the mom gets him back in the end. Littlest Something fairy saves him from the Something-steeds and is renamed Gossamer, for her gentle touch when touching people's stuff to make dreams, and another fairy is 'born' and named Littlest Something-or-the-other.

But are these fairy things human? No! They exist in your mind in a place called the Heap (the Hive?). Something that starts with an H.

This books reads like a bad acid trip (well at least what I'd imagine one would look like).

I was expecting a lot better than the lady who wrote Number the Stars and The Giver (books that mark the middle schoolers rite of passage into high school).

I only finished b/c I have a pet peeve with checking out a book and not reading it (that and I was NOT about to be bested by a child's book).

Somebooks can be in the YA section and speak to people of all ages. This book, however, was equivolant to the torture having to sit and watch the PBS KIDS Sprout Network with my little cousins or nephews.(less)

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Dec 31, 2011 hailey }'|'{ rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

im on the 10th ch and loving it!!

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Mar 21, 2008 Josephine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kidlit

This weekend I had a lot of mundane chores to take care of, so for a treat, I downloaded the audiobook of Lois Lowry's new(ish) book, Gossamer. For almost a year now, every time I've gone to the library, I've looked for Gossamer. Every single time, it's been checked out. This is a good thing.

Fuse #8 wrote about Gossamer when it first came out, and she had this to say about Ms. Lowry (to which I'd like to add an emphatic my feelings exactly):
"Lois Lowry is my comfort blanket. When you pick up a L...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 17, 2008 Kirsten rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: from-library, work-related, fiction, children-or-ya

Littlest One and her teacher, Thin Elderly, are tiny creatures whose job it is to touch beloved objects and then piece the bits of memory and emotion therein into dreams for humans. It is a wonderful vocation, but not without its dangers: there are also the Sinisteeds, terrible creatures that plague people with nightmares. Perhaps most frightening of all, dream-givers like Littlest One and Thin Elderly can become Sinisteeds if they don't do their work carefully.

Littlest One and Thin Elderly are...more

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Mar 05, 2008 Dawn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kid-lit, rebecca-caudill-2009

The dream-givers creep around a dark house in the middle of the night. They are compassionate beings who visit humans at night. They touch objects, gather memories, and return them in the form of happy dreams to those that live in the house they are assigned to. The Sinisteeds,inflict nightmares and sometimes travel in frightening Hordes. Littlest and Thin Elderly care for a lonely old woman and a foster child named John. John has endured an abusive father who forces him to eat dog food after at...more

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Mar 08, 2008 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 3rd-6th graders

I listened to this one on CD, and the performed did a great job. It would be good for younger readers.

This book is a fictional story about dreams and nightmares. It follows a young gossamer and her teacher as they give pleasant dreams to an older woman and a young boy named John who is staying in her home as a foster child. Although the story is told mainly through the eyes of the young gossamer, the reader is able to follow the struggles and success of all of the characters. It is a great mot...more

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Jan 26, 2008 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2008, young-readers

Littlest One is the newest Dream Giver in her heap. Playfull, laughing, and barely visible she lightly touches the handful of things in a little boy's room, crafting dreams to send him each night.

Gossamer is a beautiful story filled with wonder, hope and love. Lowry has done a brilliant job with her writing and every part of the story is perfect and well crafted. This is a fun and quick read that is somehow as dreamy and intangible as the title. It left me smiling and glad to have read it. A pe...more

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Nov 12, 2007 Kimberli rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 5th graders

In Gossamer by Lois Lowry, Littlest One creeps in the middle of the night practicing dream-giving on an elderly woman and her sleeping dog. Toby is training to be a dream-giver, which is someone who gathers shreds of memories and gives them back as dreams. Then the elderly woman takes in a foster child who is an eight-year old boy named John. Littlest One now has to take on a great challenge, she must try to help John with his bad dreams. This book is an interesting fantasy that offers a clever...more

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Feb 13, 2009 Creative A rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Lois Lowry or Margaret Peterson Haddix

Shelves: contemporary-sf

This book is a little different from the classic Lois Lowry, and my favorite of all her works. I read it a few years ago and it really got me thinking about memories and association. It's about Littlest, a very young member of a group of beings that take memories from a human's house, weave them into pleasant dreams, and then give them to the humans in their sleep. Littlest is told she has a "gossamer touch" - although inexperienced, she has a lot of raw talent for finding the right memories, an...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Janie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I love Lois Lowry's books.

She's said

"My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections."

I agree with her characterization of her own writing. :) I feel like the Anastasia (and Sam) books have one flavor, Number the Stars another flavor, and The Giver a third flavor. Gossamer is a fourth flavor — speculative or fantastic as none of her other books (that I've read) are.

I didn't know Gossam...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Christina Baldridge rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-commercial

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 08, 2012 Barb Middleton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic

Not your typical tale. Of course, Lois Lowry and the word, typical, don't go hand-in-hand. Original... Great writer... Risk-taker... Those are words I associate with her. Pick your superlative. But typical? No way. This tale has more echoes of surrealism than realism with surprising juxtapositions of dreams and reality.

Littlest is being trained by Fastidious to bestow dreams on humans, and yes, the latter is hard-to-please. Littlest asks too many questions, plays, and is off-task when the two...more Not your typical tale. Of course, Lois Lowry and the word, typical, don't go hand-in-hand. Original... Great writer... Risk-taker... Those are words I associate with her. Pick your superlative. But typical? No way. This tale has more echoes of surrealism than realism with surprising juxtapositions of dreams and reality.

Littlest is being trained by Fastidious to bestow dreams on humans, and yes, the latter is hard-to-please. Littlest asks too many questions, plays, and is off-task when the two go out each night. Fastidious complains to the Ancient One that Littlest can touch things and absorb memories of humans, but she really is not ready to bestow dreams, a much more demanding job. Littlest is passed onto Thin Elderly, a wise and patient spirit-like being that is able to teach, The Bestowal, to her.

The two spirit-beings are in the home of a retired teacher who is in her 70s and has taken in John, an angry 8-year-old foster boy. The beings gather fragments of happy memories from objects around the house and then send them into the sleeping forms of John and the old woman. This gives the two happy dreams and allows them to face the world each day with strength. When the boy starts to recall the horrible abuse inflicted by his father the dreams turn to nightmares and hope turns to despair. Littlest learns, The Bestowal, and she and Thin Elderly fight to hold off The Horde, an evil group of steeds that hiss nightmares into people at night. They are not sure if they can save John.

Meanwhile John's mom is trying to get her act together. She abandoned John and he was taken away from her and put into a foster home. We are never told exactly why she left John except that she too, was abused by the father and a mess when they divorced. John's mom gets a job at a school and learns to trust people again just as John has to learn to trust his foster mom. I found the story more interesting in the realistic sections but that isn't surprising given the dream-like, less concrete beings of Littlest and Thin Elderly. The two represent a person's imagination,the fragments of memories, how we are all connected, how a story is like a vague-like dream before taking shape, and whatever other imagery or theme the reader can connect with life.

The writing is terrific and John's voice changes from one of distrust, anger and hate to one hesitantly trusting. In contrast, Littlest is innocent, playful, and good. I didn't quite think Strapping and Fastidious moved the plot forward much but I see that they are examples of rigid thinking. Strapping is able to find his potential but Fastidious is stuck in her critical attitude that stifles her imagination and ability to find joy. I wanted to know more about Rotund. I didn't quite understand why he became a Menace. The abuse to John might disturb some readers. He pees on the floor as a three year old and his father rubs his face in it then forces him to eat dog food. When his mom cries, she is hit by the dad. The dad also breaks the boys arm, but no details are given about it. The mom is also a chain smoker with no self-confidence. Like her son, she tries to heal from her painful past.

A gossamer is something light, delicate or insubstantial like butterfly wings, cobwebs or dreams. It can be an idea for a story or a fragment of a memory. Lowry has it take the form of what I think of as a spirit-being. Littlest begins as a creature so translucent she can hardly be seen. At the end of the book she is more solid, representing that she has created memories or begun to live and collect "her story." According to Thin Elderly, "everything has a story," but because she was a baby, she was creating one. At the end, she has to leave John and move on. Some students found this sad. There is much that can be discussed about the content in this book. The abstract concepts might make it difficult for young readers to grasp the meanings Lowry is trying to convey. I think that is why I get mixed reactions from students who have read this book. While I was reading it I was reminded of Franz Kafka's short story, "The Country Doctor," that is written as a nightmare and experiments with punctuation. I'm glad Lowry kept to traditional conventions. An atypical book. Enjoy!

Reading Level 5.4(less)

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Apr 19, 2012 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars

I like Lois Lowry. This is a very short audio book (3 discs total). It's the story of an older woman (with a dog named toby!) who takes in a foster child, an angry, emotionally stunted young boy (age 8) whose father abused him and his mom (discussed v. briefly in 1-2 ugly flashbacks). A parallel story concerns invisible beings that visit the protagonists' home at night, collect impressions from physical objects, and impart dreams that strengthen the people. They are in competition with other inv...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-chapter, fantasy, listened-to

As she did in The Giver, Lowry once again examines the role memory plays in our lives – this time the role of memory in creating dreams and nightmares. Littlest, a tiny, fairy-like creature, is a dream-giver-in-training. Through Littlest’s delicate memory gathering touch, which her teacher describes as “gossamer,” and Lowry’s poetic story telling, the stories of both the old woman and her foster son John, a troubled, abused child are revealed. Both John and Littlest face danger and terrible sadn...more

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Sep 17, 2011 Reading Vacation's Mom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gossamer is a fairy tale about Littlest One, who is a dreamgiver. She touches objects and transfers the memories from those objects to humans as happy dreams. Littlest One is curious, playful, caring, and brave. She has a cute way of asking her superiors all kinds of silly questions. Littlest One wanted the best for the humans in her house, and she tried to make their lives better.

The world of dreamgivers is interesting. They live in a cloud castle and must always be in the dark. These dreamgive...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Carrie Kindred rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, fiction

Where do our dreams come from? Two-time Newbery Medal winning author Lois Lowry explores the possibilities in her newest and most captivating book yet. The imaginative and poetic phrasing of Gossamer draws you in from the first line and holds you completely rapt until the end.

Lowry spins her tale by narrating the day to day experiences of an imaginative creature known as a dream giver. Dream givers are tiny transparent things that humans will never see. By touching lightly and briefly upon obje...more Where do our dreams come from? Two-time Newbery Medal winning author Lois Lowry explores the possibilities in her newest and most captivating book yet. The imaginative and poetic phrasing of Gossamer draws you in from the first line and holds you completely rapt until the end.

Lowry spins her tale by narrating the day to day experiences of an imaginative creature known as a dream giver. Dream givers are tiny transparent things that humans will never see. By touching lightly and briefly upon objects they can learn the object’s entire history as well as its part in our life.

The dream givers thrive in the nighttime, whispering along and gathering up snippets of human lives to weave into peaceful dreams for their assigned families. Our heroine, Littlest One, or Littlest for short, has just begun her training. At present, she is learning the proper way to touch. “Gently,” she is told. “Do not under any circumstances press. But linger and get the feel of it into yourself.” Working in the home of a kind elderly woman, Littlest collects the happy fragments and stores them up to use in the bestowal of a dream.

Her mentor, Fastidious, is less than enthusiastic about the assignment. Fastidious dreads climbing the many stairs of the home and is easily frustrated by her curious, playful trainee. For a while, nothing unusual happens. The old woman remains lonely, Fastidious remains annoyed, and Littlest remains the fervent pupil.

And yet all things change. The dream givers soon learn that the old woman is expecting a child to enter the home shortly, a sadly damaged young boy with a troubled past. Fastidious is not pleased, and is in the end reassigned to a home better suited to her. Littlest remains with her elderly lady, however, and is now accompanied by a new mentor, Thin Elderly.

Thin Elderly allows Littlest to flourish. Learning far more than she ever did with Fastidious, Littlest helps the boy find hope as no one else could, if only in his sleep. But as she works to heal him, an adversary emerges.

The nightmare-inflicting Sinisteeds are everything the dream givers are not, spreading pain instead of peace. They plan to bombard the young boy while he is still hurt by his past and still vulnerable to their attack. It is left to Littlest to provide the only protection for the boy, strengthening him as best she can against his fears. Here, in a climactic scene, Littlest emerges as a symbol of hope for the child.

Lowry manages to craft together a fantastical tale for the young with a real, underlying human story for adults. She once again addresses the importance we have on one another’s lives in a subtle, haunting blend of imagination and life in its starkest reality. The struggle between the caring dream givers and the harsh Sinisteeds echoes our own struggles with our pasts and fears, just as our dreams do.

Gossamer’s suspense filled conclusion hammers home the point that our actions have consequences that affect those around us, and that love is more than necessary for our survival. With subtle words that brush our senses as lightly as gossamer threads, Lowry’s conclusion delivers a message that escapes the covers to imprint itself upon our hearts. Her ending is one that leaves us spellbound long after we’ve turned the final page.(less)

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Mar 08, 2011 Charity rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this book a week ago and I have been pondering it almost every day since then. It is a very quick read and an uplifting story. Thank you, Anut Jeanie, for recommending it.:)

I finished this book in the middle of the night (when else do I read, really?) and I felt awash with gratitude for my family and life. I'm glad I took the time to read. This is another story that will stick with me and inform the way I look at the world. I hope that it will keep my perspective kind.

I don't know how Ms....more

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Nov 16, 2010 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who loves Fantasy

Recommended to Laura by: Me

This is a pretty little story by Lois Lowry. I love her clear crisp writing style and friendly yet somehow sophisticated language. Gossamer is a myth about where dreams and nightmares come from. It is soft and light like the title. The element of this book that I really fell in love with is its characterization. Both the humans and dreamgivers represent realistic people that one is bound to either relate to, or know of someone like them. The dog Toby is one of my favorites because of his innocen...more This is a pretty little story by Lois Lowry. I love her clear crisp writing style and friendly yet somehow sophisticated language. Gossamer is a myth about where dreams and nightmares come from. It is soft and light like the title. The element of this book that I really fell in love with is its characterization. Both the humans and dreamgivers represent realistic people that one is bound to either relate to, or know of someone like them. The dog Toby is one of my favorites because of his innocence and primal instincts. He helps a little boy named John who was neglected, beaten, and abused feel love again. The lonely old woman who becomes his foster mother reminds me of a person that this boy will look back on one day and say with conviction, "she saved my life." She is so patient and clever with John, that when they interact it brings a smile and you almost feel like laughing. Although he says hurtful things to her, she is so caring and understanding that she helps him enter her world of love instead of bringing him back into the miserable world he lived in before.
Although essentially all the creatures and humans share the same physical world, they each have their own separate realities.Beyond the realistic worlds of these two characters that collide, is the mythic world of the dreamgivers. A talented young dreamgiver named Littlest one is learning how to bestow dreams. She learns that "touching" personal items collects memories and wishes that you can give to that person. She is so lovely and full of life that her fragile state makes her even more powerful because of her ability to touch the little boy's heart in just the right way. If you had a dreamgiver, she is the one you'd want. At the same time another set of creatures called the Sinisteeds come from a dark world of despair and heartache. They "inflict" nightmares on the same people dreamgivers try to protect. Just like the woman is trying to strenghten John and bring him into her world of hope and love, the dreamgivers try to keep John in the dream world of happiness, away from the awful despair of his past that manifests itself in the form of nightmares.
There is a definite connection between the dream creatures and the humans. The woman cannot take away John's awful past, but she helps him to adjust to his new life, just as Littlest One cannot stop the Sinisteeds, but she helps the boy become strong. Littlest One is so playful,curious, thoughtful and intuitive that she makes this soft story powerful. If you like Lowry and fantasty, you should read it!(less)

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Oct 22, 2010 Trish rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked the way the book opens with great dialogue between two creatures and we're not sure what they are or what they're doing, but we know that one is impatient and kind of uppity while the other is young and inexperienced, but charming. Nothing is explained, but clues are given in the writing.

I found that Sarah and Zack were able to deduce things about the story while Seth barely listened at all. We listened to the book whenever we got in the car to go to the YMCA or the park, which was prett...more

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Sep 04, 2010 Marie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

Certainly the premise regarding dreams on which Lois Lowry chooses to base this great little book could hold as much weight as the theories of Freud and Jung. I have spent a lot of time in college, as part of my profession, around dream labs, and doing some rather unscientific experimentation of my own trying to figure out where dreams come from or what they mean. My conclusion has been that dreams most often are the brain's way of sifting and sorting through "fragments" of experience and perhap...more

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May 06, 2010 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars

A most charming thimbleful of diamonds shining brightly, this story shows once again, how very fertile Lowry’s mind is, and how very well she can apply those unique perspectives to lifelike situations. While the beginning left me wondering if the apprentice dream-giver, Littlest One, and her mentor and responsibilities weren’t entirely too cutsie an idea for me, I’m glad I persisted. Littlest One and the ‘grownup’ dream givers are cleverly made and the evil nightmare-inducing sinisteeds a most a...more

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Mar 21, 2010 HRH rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: children and adults who appreciate kid lit

I've read a good amount of Lois Lowry and this is my favorite. It's the story of a "dreamgiver," named Littlest, who is a tiny fairy who touches possessions to absorb "stories" then "bestows" the "fragments" into our dreams. Littlest, and Thin Elderly are assigned to the house of the Old Woman and the Boy, John. John is an angry 8 year-old in foster care. Lowry does an amazing job at describing John's internal struggles and behaviors without being obvious, trite, or sensational. As the character...more

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Sep 08, 2009 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-reading-books-2009

Gossamer is a fantasy novel by Lois Lowry. This story is about Littlest one, a dream giver in training who is assigned to the house of an elderly woman with a dog, who has taken in an angry boy named John as foster child. John has had a history of being abused by his father. Littlest is part of a small group of dream givers. By touching, they gather fragments such as words, colors, and sounds, combine them to from dreams to humans and sometimes pets. The giving of dreams is called bestowal. Thi...more

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About Lois Lowry

Taken from Lowry's website:
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always...more Taken from Lowry's website:
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.

Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.

I married young. I had just turned nineteen - just finished my sophomore year in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four children under the age of five in tow. My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.

After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was forty, I settled into the life I have lived ever since. Today I am back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living and writing in a house dominated by a very shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Bandit. For a change of scenery Martin and I spend time in Maine, where we have an old (it was built in 1768!) farmhouse on top of a hill. In Maine I garden, feed birds, entertain friends, and read...

My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.

The Giver - and Gathering Blue, and the newest in the trilogy: Messenger - take place against the background of very different cultures and times. Though all three are broader in scope than my earlier books, they nonetheless speak to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.

My older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world. But it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth.
I am a grandmother now. For my own grandchildren - and for all those of their generation - 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."(less)

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