A Guy, a Girl, and a Teen Book Blog

A Guy, a Girl, and a Teen Book Blog

Friday, December 7, 2012

He Says/She Says: Son by Lois Lowry

Title: Son
Author: Lois Lowry
Pages: 393
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
ISBN: 9780547887203
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
AR Levels: Interest Level: 6th and up, Book Level: 5.0, Points: 11.0
Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13324841-son

In a nutshell: In this final novel of The Giver quartet, we find ourselves back in Jonas' hometown and following the life of baby Gabe's Birthmother, Claire. When something goes wrong with Claire's first birthing, she is reassigned, but she can't stop thinking about her product. Before long Claire begins to learn just how strong motherly love is, and that love will send her on a quest that ties together beloved characters from the three previous novels. 

He Says:


I had mixed feelings about this book.  In some ways, I felt like Lois Lowry compromised what she created in The Giver, but Son also takes great strides to develop familiar characters even further and tie their stories together in a beautiful way.  The more I think about it after finishing it, the more I love it!

I'd recommend it for grades: 7th - 12th+.  It isn't a difficult read, but it does make more sense if you've already read the first three books.

I'd recommend it to:  Anyone who's grown up with The Giver and asked a million questions about what happened!  If you want closure for the series, you'll love this book.  

What I liked most about this book:  I really like how the story centers around the main character Claire and presents the story in three different stages of her life.  Along her journey, we learn what became of the characters from the previous books.

Single favorite moment (without getting spoiler-y):  I really like during Book One when Claire hears what occurred at the Ceremony of Twelve; this was the first time that the story from one of the other books (I won't say which one) intersects with the plot of Son.  This is also the moment that I became hooked.

Star rating (where 5 stars is awesome and 0 stars is atrocious):  4 stars.  The book obviously wasn't The Giver.  It wasn't perfect, but it came pretty close in my opinion.

She Says:

The Giver is one of my all time favorite books, but I was a bit disappointed with Gathering Blue and The Messenger. In fact, I don't hardly remember what happened in them, so I was apprehensive yet excited about reading this one. The first section was AWESOME! It's The Giver from another perspective, and a lot of characters return. Loved it. The second and third sections were pretty good too. Overall, this was my second favorite of the quartet as well.

I'd recommend it for grades: 7th grade and up (even adults will enjoy it if you grew up loving The Giver)

I'd recommend it to: fans of the series. I'm not sure if you'll enjoy it as much if you haven't read the other books...but maybe you will.

What I liked most about this book: You get to see a grown-up version of one of my favorite characters from this series. :)

Single favorite moment (without getting spoiler-y): In the second section of the book, you get to meet a whole new cast of characters, and I love most of the people in that village. There's some great characterization in that section, and your heartstrings get tugged a few times for those people.

Star rating (where 5 stars is awesome and 0 stars is atrocious): 4 stars 

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