Son (The Giver, #4) in Mock Newbery 2026

Dec 19, 2012 Wendy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012-award-possibilities

I near-loved this book, though I'm doubtful about how much it will mean to young teenagers, the purported audience. Why not an adult novel as sequel to a young adult novel, along the lines of, say, Madeleine L'Engle? (ish?) But anyway, that's not how it works, and maybe they will still like it. I wasn't particularly engaged by the second book and am not sure whether I even tried to read the third; if this describes you, you may still like this one. The backstory, that Lois Lowry wrote this (as I ...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Beverly rated it it was amazing

Lois Lowry is one of my all time favorite authors. The Giver is my favorite Newbery winner. When Amazon Vine offered me a chance to review this long awaited conclusion to The Giver, I jumped at the chance. I was not disappointed.

I remember reading The Giver for the first time and being both delighted and disappointed that there was no true conclusion. I enjoyed Gathering Blue, but felt it didn't live up to its predecessor. The Messenger was better than Gathering Blue but still left me with that Lois Lowry is one of my all time favorite authors. The Giver is my favorite Newbery winner. When Amazon Vine offered me a chance to review this long awaited conclusion to The Giver, I jumped at the chance. I was not disappointed.

I remember reading The Giver for the first time and being both delighted and disappointed that there was no true conclusion. I enjoyed Gathering Blue, but felt it didn't live up to its predecessor. The Messenger was better than Gathering Blue but still left me with that disturbing feeling you get when you know a story isn't finished, but you are not sure you will ever get the conclusion. Son was just what I was looking for to wrap up this compelling dystopian tale.

Now for the hard part: how to talk about this book without giving spoilers. . .

Lowry's writing is exquisitely beautiful and moving. One reviewer commented that English teachers across the nation would be glad to see this book. I believe she was right.

The book is divided into three parts - each serving as a separate story that all combine to tell one final tale. The first part happens in the same time frame as The Giver. The second part takes place in another community after The Giver ends. The ending takes place in yet another community after the ending of The Messenger. Each of the sections tells Claire's story - from birthmother to searcher and finally to silent observer (I hope that's not giving away too much.)

I do wish I had re-read Gathering Blue and The Messenger before reading Son. I was still able to follow along, even though it has been several years since I read them. It would have been nice to have refreshed my memory.

The Giver is a truly exceptional book. Son while not as exceptional is a good conclusion. I highly recommend it to teen readers and adults. I would love to buy this for my school library, but the very beginning of the book is a bit too mature for elementary readers.

Amazon recommends the book for ages 12 and up. I would recommend it for 8th grade and up.

It's an all around great read. I give it a full 5 stars! ...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Tamsyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: youngadult, fms, mock-newbery, best-of-the-year, suspenseful, dystopia

What a wonderful conclusion to this beloved series. A new character, Claire, begins with her own story and journey, connected to the original community in which we meet Jonas and Gabe. We feel her longing for the son she is not allowed to raise, and her determination to find him...a very rich book that could stand alone, but one that is deeply satisfying to those who've read the previous books. I want to re-read them! Thank you, Lois Lowry!
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Nov 13, 2012 Susan Dunn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-fiction

How fun to finally have the loose ends all tied up! In this book we find out what happened to the baby that Jonas took with him from the Community. This is just as good as The Giver. But now I need re-read the other books in the series!

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Dec 01, 2012 Lou Hunley rated it it was ok

I was disappointed in this one. I think it's because I loved The Giver so much. I admit I am not a big fantasy fan but the ending was just too contrived. I enjoyed reading some of the book but didn't care for the ending. ...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Krystal rated it liked it

This is a hard book to review. The Giver is one of my all-time favorite books, and I always found the ending a little dissatisfying. I liked Gathering Blue okay, and really liked Messenger, but neither book really answered any of my questions about what happened to Jonas and Gabe. Son neatly ties all the books together. I really enjoyed part 1, which happens in the community at the time Jonas is selected to be the Receiver. I was really hoping to find out what happened in the community after he ...more

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Oct 27, 2012 Mary rated it it was amazing

Excellent book, but will require rereading to make sure the details matched up with the earlier books in the series.

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Dec 29, 2012 Ann rated it really liked it

Shelves: upper-elementary, middle-school

Lowry has hit another home run. A moving and very satisfying conclusion.

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Oct 12, 2012 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: junior-fiction

A bit long but a fairly satisfying conclusion to The Giver Quartet.

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Apr 13, 2013 Becky Barrier Nelson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya, 5th-only, fantasy

I thought this title did a wonderful job of wrapping up this dystopia quartet. I thought it was compelling and could stand alone but was most powerful when the other 3 books had been read. Some of my 5th grade top readers went back and read the earlier three novels.

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Nov 29, 2012 Karen Gibson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012-112-book-project, young-adult, 2020-200-book-project

This was an amazing sequel to The Giver. I am so glad that Ms. Lowry decided to write the book to let us see the end of Jonas and Gabriel's story. I LOVED it. ...more

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