4. Jonas lives in a community where “sameness” is enforced. Everyone’s life is laid out in front of them, with no choice. Their jobs, families, clothes, meals, language, and even thoughts and feelings are all under the community's rules and regulations. “Sameness” is supposed to protect the people of the community from danger but Jonas soon finds out that life in the community is so far from the wonderful place they choreographed it to be. Jonas, at the age of 12, experiences one of his first encounter with being different when he is given an assignment different from anyone else and begins the journey as The Receiver of Memories. With this assignment comes great honour. Jonas gets to “see beyond” and gets the pleasure to feel emotions he didn't think existed. But can Jonas handle the responsibilities that accompany this honour? Can he handle the pressure of keeping it all to himself? Will Jonas be able to succeed on his ventures, or will he fail just the same as the giver before him?

5. The cover is significant to the story “Then it was in his hand, and he looked at it carefully, but it was the same apple. Unchanged. The same size and shape: a perfect sphere. The same nondescript shade, about the same shade as his own tunic.” The Giver swept up nearly every prestigious prize for young adult literature, including the Newbery Medal and the William Allen White Award.

6. The Giver “Jonas” Community

7. LoveAnger PassionJoy “Without memories, its all meaningless” Sadness

8. “made conveyance of goods unwieldy” “ snow made growing food difficult, limited the agriculture periods. and unpredictable weather made transportation almost impossible at times.”

9. “Precision of speech!”

10. “Then it was in his hand, and he looked at it carefully, but it was the same apple. Unchanged. The same size and shape: a perfect sphere. The same nondescript shade, about the same shade as his own tunic.”

11. "But sir," Jonas suggested, "since you have so much power—" The man corrected him. "Honor," he said firmly. "I have great honor. So will you. But you will find that that is not the same as power.”

12. There was no specific target audience this novel was initially intended for. The author states that when she is writing, she “doesn't have a target audience in mind“. But I personally think this book is appropriate for young adults anywhere from the age of 12 and up. This advice is not necessarily due to the "read" itself, but the themes and concepts are very complex and sophisticated. Also, the novel has a disturbing scene in which Jonas witnesses his father euthanizing a baby by injecting it with a needle in the head. There are also mild sexual references when Jonas shows signs of having “stirrings” in which he has just dreamed about his friend Fiona, where he finds pleasure and want for her to undress. This book can also be described as sad and dark due to the concepts. Therefore this dull and dark community may leave frightening images in children's minds if they were to read this book before the age of 12 or 13.