Young Adult· United States
The Giver
by Lois LowryAggregate Editorial Score65/100
★Newbery Medal
Published 1994200 pagesEnglish
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Published in 1994, The Giver established Lois Lowry as one of the defining voices in young adult. Jonas lives in a seemingly perfect, painless future community where everything is Sameness—until he is selected to receive the memories of the past from the Giver. Lowry's Newbery Medal-winning dystopian classic is a profound meditation on memory, choice, and the cost of utopia. Themes of memory, choice, dystopia run through the work. The book has received recognition from Newbery Medal 1994.
Book Details
About the Category
🌟 Young Adult
Fiction and non-fiction written primarily for teenage readers.
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🇺🇸 United States
This book is part of United States's rich literary tradition.
Explore books from United States →Editorial Assessment
First published in 1994, Lois Lowry's The Giver is a work of young adult that has drawn sustained interest from critics and prize committees alike. Its engagement with memory, choice, dystopia, community gives the book a depth that extends well beyond its genre.
Critics and institutions have consistently placed The Giver among the notable works of its period. Among its recognitions: Newbery Medal 1994. Our aggregate score of 65/100 is compiled from 1 editorial sources that range from Nobel and Booker committees to leading literary journals.
What distinguishes The Giver is how it handles its central concerns — memory, choice, dystopia, community — without reducing them to neat conclusions. The book invites close reading and holds up well to it.
The Giver reflects Lois Lowry's place in a wider literary tradition. The book's concerns resonate with United States's broader cultural preoccupations, even as they reach beyond any single national context.
About this assessment: Editorial scores are aggregated from 1 independent sources including major literary prizes, critical surveys, and leading publications. Our editorial team reviews and contextualises this data. Rankings reflect critical consensus, not personal opinion or popularity metrics. Learn about our methodology.
Awards & Recognition
Newbery Medal
winner · national
199454
Lois Lowry is a celebrated author from United States known for influential works of young adult.
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