Michelle asked Lois Lowry:

In The Giver the kids are 12 years old when they get assigned their jobs. Why have them start at such a young age instead of being teenagers? It seems a lot of pressure for someone like Jonas to take on the roll of Receiver.

Lois Lowry Well, he is to have a very long training period. But in the film they have made them teenagers, and maybe that makes more sense.

Why would you write Jonas' dad with a capacity for compassion when he brings Gabe home and breaks the rules by finding out his name, but then switch character when he kills the twin and votes for Gabe to be "released"? This feels like a deus ex machina to create an urgency that justifies Jonas' next acts. How do you see the character of Jonas' father and why did you write him this way?

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