The GiverIntroduction

By Lois Lowry

DiscussionAuthor BiographyHistorical Context

Group DiscussionWhat would it take to make your

world perfect?

What would you be willing to give up to have your world perfect?

Which Would You Choose?

FREEDOM SAFETY

Do You Agree?1. A perfect society would not have any hunger or

starvation.2. A perfect society would not have any jealousy or

competition3. A perfect society would not have any

unemployment.4. All children should have equal possessions and

privileges at a certain age, regardless of the status of their families.

5. Families are much closer when they share their feelings.

Stand up if you agree when I read the following statements

6. Life would be better and easier if we could eliminate all bad memories.7. Overpopulation is such a problem that families should not be allowed to have more than two children.8. There is no real necessity to learn about world history.9. One’s career should be chosen externally based on interests, skills and talents.

Do You Agree?Stand up if you agree when I read the following statements

Novel Title / CoverWhat do you think the title, The Giver, means?

Look at the picture on the front cover:- Describe the cover in detail.- What does the cover indicate about what may happen in this novel?

Lois Lowry

Pay attention while I go through some

biographical information about Lois Lowry, the

author of The Giver. You may be asked to recall this information when I

am done

Lois LowryLowry was born in Hawaii in 1937, but spent

most of her childhood in Pennsylvania.

Because of her father’s employment as a dentist in World War II, she moved all around

the world. She lived in New York, Massachusetts, and Tokyo!

Lois Lowry

After High School, Lowry attended Brown

University. She married a Naval officer in her

sophomore year, dropped out of college,

and moved to California.

Lois LowryShe ended up in Maine with four children under the age of five. After her children grew up, she went back to school and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of

Southern Maine.

Lois LowryShe wrote her first book after completing her BA

in English Literature. She wrote a children’s book called “A Summer To Die” in 1977, and received the Newbery Medal for her novel

Number the Stars in 1990.

Lois LowryThe Newbery Medal honors the author of the

year’s most outstanding contribution to children’s literature. The Giver won the

Newbery Medal in 1994.

Lois Lowry: Were You Listening Quiz!

1. Where was Lois Lowry born?

2. Why did she move around so often as a child?

3. What Universities did she attend?

4. What did her husband do?

5. How many children did she have?

6. How many Newbery Medals did she win?

Lois Lowry: Were You Listening Quiz!

1. Where was Lois Lowry born? Hawaii!

2. Why did she move around so often as a child?Her father was a dentist during WWII

3. What Universities did she attend? Brown University and The University of Southern Maine

4. What did her husband do? He was in the Navy

5. How many children did she have? 4

6. How many Newbery Medals did she win? 2 (one for Number The Stars and one for The Giver)

The GiverThe Giver was published in 1993

The Giver is the first novel of a trilogy (the other novels are Gathering Blue and Messenger).

The Giver Gathering

Blue Messenger

The GiverThe Giver was inspired in part by Lowry’s

relationship with her parents who were, at that time, in a nursing home. Lowry's father was in good shape physically, but he had lost most of his memory. Lowry's mother was dying, but she

was able to share all of her memories with Lowry.

The GiverHer writing has brought her both praise and

criticism. In particular, her work The Giver has been met with a diversity of reactions from

schools in America, some of which have adopted her book as a part of the mandatory curriculum, while others have prohibited the book's inclusion

in classroom studies.

Historical ContextIn The Giver, Lowry tackles

controversial issues that were in the forefront in the early 1990s. The anti-abortion versus pro-life controversy was hotly debated,

and new questions arose concerning the ethics of a

family’s right to choose to end the life of a terminally ill family member (euthanasia) and an individual’s right to end his or

her own life (assisted suicide).