ABANDONED. fantasy novel - child is given a carved rock by a mysterious man

[Aj]

i read this book in the late 1980's. A child is given a carved rock by a mysterious man (possibly on a bridge)- the carving may be a yin-yang & i believe the ying-yang symbol features on the cover - the child then enters a cave where they are transported into an alternate world & they can only see in black & white until the natives use juice from a flower to allow the child to see in color. Possibly involves an invisibility cloak..

[Tab]

Was this book for children, teens or adults?
Remember any thing about the conflict/struggle or villains?

[James]

"The Giver" by Lois Lowry

"under the guidance of the present Receiver, a surprisingly kind man who has the same rare, pale eyes as Jonas, the boy absorbs memories that induce for the first time feelings of true happiness and love. Also, for the first time, Jonas knows what it is to see a rainbow, and to experience snow and the thrill of riding a sled down a hill. But then he is given the painful memories: war, pain, death, and starvation. These are memories of the Community's deep past. Jonas learns that the Community engineered a society of "sameness" to protect its people against this past, yet he begins to understand the tremendous loss he and his people have endured by giving their memories away, embracing "sameness", and using "climate control"."

[Lou]

I doubt this is The Giver.

There's no carved rock, or cave, or native people in an alternate dimension in The Giver. And while Jonas does start to see color over the course of the book, it's because of the memories he's receiving, not because of a juice.

[James]

I never read the book,but offered it due to the OPs uncertain memories and some general similarities. It always could have been a case of those parts being the accurate memories.

I figured it was helpful to toss it out, even if it didn't sound exactly right.

[Kris]

Never hurts to guess. :) It helps to eliminate possibilities. I agree that memories can be tricky things to pin down sometimes.

[Lou]

I did check into it being a sequel to the giver instead, but they were all published far too late.

[Aj]

thanks for the effort James but it's not The Giver. Appreciate it though.

[Aj]

My teacher read it to a class of 10-11 year olds. In about 1989. i dont have a lot of other memories that would be meaningful, unfortunately. I enjoyed it a great deal.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Aj, are you still looking for this or did you find it?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Aj, are you still looking for this or did you find it?"

No response in 2 years. Moving to Abandoned.