MWC editorial selection · Updated
By Lois Lowry
What is it about?
Jonas lives in an apparently orderly community until a new responsibility reveals what that order conceals. Lois Lowry builds a compact dystopia around memory, choice and the costs of protection.
Who might enjoy it?
For readers new to dystopian fiction who want ideas as well as suspense. Keep a list of the community’s reassuring words and revisit what each one means as the story develops.
Things to consider
Death, disturbing social control and harm to vulnerable people, including an infant. Preview for a sensitive reader; avoid spoiling the central discoveries in advance.
A question to take into your reading
Can a choice be meaningful if someone else has removed every difficult option?
Premise and publication context: Publisher: The Giver. Reading-fit suggestions and discussion questions are MWC editorial guidance.
Keep exploring
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- The Golden Compass
The expansive fantasy choice. Pick it for a teen who enjoys discovering a world gradually and following a story across more than one volume.
- How many words are in a book?
Multiply the number of pages by an estimated average of words per page. At Million Word Club's transparent default of 250 words per page, a 200-page book is estimated at 50,000 words.
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