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{{Short description|1993 novel by Lois Lowry}}
{{About||the 2014 film adaptation|The Giver (film){{!}}''The Giver'' (film)|the Chappell Roan song|The Giver (song)|other uses|Giver (disambiguation){{!}}Giver}}
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{{Use American English|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox book |<!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
| name         = The Giver
| image        = The Giver first edition 1993.jpg
| caption      = First edition (1993)
| author       = [[Lois Lowry]]
| series       = ''[[The Giver Quartet]]''
| cover_artist = [[Cliff Nielsen]]
| country      = United States
| language     = English
| genre        = [[Young adult fiction]], [[Dystopian novel]], [[Science fiction]]
| publisher    = [[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]]
| release_date = 1993
| awards       = [[Newbery Medal]]
| isbn         = 0-553-57133-8
| isbn_note    = (hardback and paperback edition)
| congress     = PS 3562 O923 G58 1993
| preceded_by  =
| followed_by  = [[Gathering Blue]]
}}

'''''The Giver''''' is a 1993 [[young adult fiction|young adult]] [[Utopian and dystopian fiction#Dystopian fiction|dystopian]] novel written by American author [[Lois Lowry]] and is set in a society which at first appears to be [[Utopia|utopian]] but is revealed to be [[dystopian]] as the story progresses. In the novel, the society has taken away pain and strife by converting to "Sameness", a plan that has also eradicated [[emotion]]al depth from their lives. In an effort to preserve order, the society has a true sense of equality and lacks any color, climate, or terrain. The protagonist of the story, a 12-year-old boy named Jonas, is selected to inherit the position of Receiver of Memory, the person who stores all the memories of the time before Sameness. Jonas struggles with concepts of the new emotions and things introduced to him, and whether they are inherently good, evil, or in between, and whether it is possible to have one without the other.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pavlos |first=Suzanne |title=The Giver - Book Summary |url=http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/g/the-giver/book-summary |access-date=March 8, 2016 |website=[[CliffsNotes]]}}</ref>

''The Giver'' won the 1994 [[Newbery Medal]] and has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McClurg |first=Jocelyn |date=July 10, 2014 |title=Book Buzz: Movie boosts sales of Lowry's 'The Giver' |work=[[USA Today]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2014/07/10/the-giver-usa-today-best-selling-books-list-lois-lowry-movie/12379163/ |access-date=September 20, 2022}}</ref> A 2012 survey by ''[[School Library Journal]]'' designated it as the fourth-best children's novel of all time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bird |first=Betsy |date=June 23, 2012 |title=Top 100 Children's Novels #4: The Giver by Lois Lowry |url=https://afuse8production.slj.com/2012/06/23/top-100-childrens-novels-4-the-giver-by-lois-lowry/ |access-date=September 20, 2022 |website=[[School Library Journal]]}}</ref> It has been the subject of a large body of scholarly analysis, with academics considering themes of memory, religion, color, eugenics and utopia within the novel. In Australia, Canada, and the United States, it is required on many [[Curriculum|core curriculum]] reading lists in [[middle school]],<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Malley |first=Sheila |date=August 15, 2014 |title=The Giver Review |language=en |newspaper=RogerEbert.com |publisher=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-giver-2014 |access-date=August 14, 2016}}</ref> but it is also frequently [[Book censorship in the United States|challenged]]. It ranked #11 on the [[American Library Association]] list of the most challenged books of the 1990s,<ref>{{cite web |date=March 26, 2013 |title=100 most frequently challenged books: 1990–1999 &#124; Banned & Challenged Books |url=https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/decade1999 |access-date=October 29, 2015 |website=[[American Library Association]] |publisher=}}</ref> ranked #23 in the 2000s,<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 26, 2013 |title=Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009 |url=https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/decade2009 |access-date=September 20, 2022 |website=[[American Library Association]]}}</ref> and ranked #61 in the 2010s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 9, 2020 |title=Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019 |url=https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/decade2019 |access-date=September 20, 2022 |website=[[American Library Association]]}}</ref>

The novel is the first in a loose quartet of novels known as ''[[The Giver Quartet]]'', with three subsequent books set in the same universe: ''[[Gathering Blue]]'' (2000), ''[[Messenger (novel)|Messenger]]'' (2004), and ''[[Son (novel)|Son]]'' (2012).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Giver Quartet |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/the-giver-quartet |access-date=September 20, 2022 |website=[[Common Sense Media]]}}</ref> In 2014, a [[The Giver (film)|film adaptation]] was released, starring [[Jeff Bridges]], [[Meryl Streep]], and [[Brenton Thwaites]] and directed by [[Philip Noyce]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=English |first=Robert |date=September 17, 2022 |title=The best dystopian novels of all time |url=https://ew.com/books/best-dystopian-novels-of-all-time/ |access-date=September 20, 2022 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref>

==Plot==
Jonas, a 12-year-old boy, lives in a community isolated from all except a few similar towns, where everyone has an assigned role. With the annual Ceremony of Twelve upcoming, he is nervous, for there he will be assigned his life's work. He seeks reassurance from his father, a Nurturer (who cares for the infants in the Community) and his mother, an official in the Department of Justice. He is told that the Elders, who assign the children their careers, are always right.

The day finally arrives, and Jonas is assembled with his classmates in order of birth. The Chief Elder, who presides, does not call Jonas when it is his turn, to the boy's increasing anxiety. After everyone else has been called, the Chief Elder explains that Jonas has not been given a normal assignment, but instead has been selected as the next Receiver of Memory, to be trained by the current one, who sits among the Elders, staring at Jonas, and who shares with the boy unusual pale eyes. The position of Receiver has high status and responsibility, and Jonas quickly finds himself growing distant from his classmates, including his close friends Asher and Fiona. The rules Jonas receives further separate him, as they allow him no time to play with his friends and require him to keep his training secret. They also allow him to lie and withhold his feelings from his family, things generally not allowed in the regimented Community.

Once he begins it, Jonas's training makes clear his uniqueness, for the Receiver of Memory is just that—a person who bears the burden of the memories from all of history, and who is the only one allowed access to books beyond schoolbooks and the rulebook issued to every household. The current Receiver, who asks Jonas to call him the Giver, begins the process of transferring those memories to Jonas, for the ordinary person in the Community knows nothing of the past. These memories, and being the only Community member allowed access to books about the past, give the Receiver perspective to advise the Council of Elders. The first memory is of sliding down a snow-covered hill on a sled, pleasantness made shocking by the fact that Jonas has never seen a sled, or snow, or a hill—for the memories of even these things have been given up to assure security and conformity (called Sameness). Even color has been surrendered, and the Giver shows Jonas a rainbow. Less pleasantly, he gives Jonas memories of hunger and war, things alien to the boy. Hanging over Jonas's training is the fact that the Giver once before had an apprentice, named Rosemary, but the boy finds his parents and the Giver reluctant to discuss what happened to her.

Jonas's father is concerned about an infant at the Nurturing Center who is failing to thrive and has received special permission to bring him home at night. The baby's name will be Gabriel if he grows strong enough to be assigned to a family. He has pale eyes, like Jonas and the Giver. Jonas grows attached to him, especially when Jonas finds that he can receive memories. If Gabriel does not increase in strength, he will be "released from the Community"—in common speech, taken Elsewhere. This has happened to an off-course air pilot, to chronic rule breakers, to elderly people, and to the apprentice Rosemary. After Jonas speculates about life in Elsewhere, the Giver educates him by showing the boy hidden-camera video of Jonas's father doing his job: releasing the smaller of two [[identical twin]] newborns through lethal injection before putting it in a trash chute, since identical community members are forbidden. There is no Elsewhere for those not wanted by the Community—those said to have been "released" have been killed.

Since he now considers his father a murderer, Jonas initially refuses to return home, but the Giver convinces him that without the memories, the people of the Community cannot know that what they have been trained to do is wrong. Rosemary was unable to endure the darker memories of the past and instead killed herself with the poison. Jonas and the Giver devise a plan to return the community's memories so they may know where they have gone wrong. Both agree that Jonas will leave the community thereby returning the memories to them, while the Giver will stay to help them learn to live with their memories before joining his daughter, Rosemary, in death. They plan to fake Jonas's drowning to limit the search for him, but he instead must escape in a rush with Gabriel, upon learning of the child's imminent release. The two are near death from cold and starvation when they reach the border of what Jonas believes must be Elsewhere. Using his ability to "see beyond", a gift that he does not quite understand, he finds a sled waiting for him at the top of a snowy hill. He and Gabriel ride the sled down towards a house filled with colored lights and warmth and love and a Christmas tree, and for the first time he hears something he believes must be music. The ending is ambiguous, with Jonas depicted as experiencing symptoms of [[hypothermia]]. This leaves his and Gabriel's future unresolved. However, their fate is revealed in ''[[Messenger (novel)|Messenger]]'' and ''[[Son (novel)|Son]]'', companion novels written years later.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Giver Summary |url=http://www.shmoop.com/the-giver/summary.html |access-date=October 29, 2015 |website=[[Shmoop]] |publisher=}}</ref>

In 2009, at the [[National Book Festival]], the author joked during a Q&A: "Jonas is alive, by the way. You don't need to ask that question."<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEz1QhDF3JE |title=Lois Lowry - 2009 National Book Festival |date=November 5, 2009 |type=Recorded interview |publisher=[[YouTube]] |time=24:01 |access-date=October 29, 2015}}</ref>

== Background == 
Lowry has stated that her books all explore "the importance of human connection… the vital need for humans to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment."<ref>Lois Lowry (1937--). (2020). In D. G. Felder, The American women's almanac: 500 years of making history. Visible Ink Press. Credo Reference.</ref> Like Lowry's other books, ''The Giver'' shows changes in the characters' lives, reflecting this fascination in the multifaceted dimensions of growing up.<ref>Zaidman, Laura M. "Lois Lowry: Overview." Twentieth-Century Young Adult Writers, edited by Laura Standley Berger, St. James Press, 1994. Twentieth-Century Writers Series. Gale Literature Resource Center.</ref>

''The Giver'' was initially inspired by Lowry's interaction with her father, who, in his senility, kept forgetting about the long-ago death of her sister;<ref name="Oxford">{{Citation |title=Lois Lowry {{!}} Full Q&A at The Oxford Union | date=May 23, 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVW629AWARg |access-date=2022-04-23 |language=en}}</ref> she imagined "a novel in which people are deprived of the memories of suffering, grief, and pain."<ref>Lowry, Lois. "Newbery Medal Acceptance." Children's Literature Review, edited by Linda R. Andres, vol. 46, Gale, 1998. Gale Literature Resource Center.</ref> She based the novel's setting in part on the closely guarded army bases in which she had grown up, her father having been an army dentist.<ref name = "Oxford" /> She has stated, of the characters in ''The Giver'', they have lived in a sterile world for so long that they are in danger of losing the real emotions that make them human.<ref>"Why did Lois Lowry write the book The Giver?" eNotes Editorial, 6 Feb. 2018.</ref>

== Analysis of themes ==

=== Memory ===
Bradford et al. argue that ''The Giver'' represents a community where the lack of cultural memory leads to an inability to avoid societal mistakes, preventing the community from becoming a true Utopia, thus conferring transformational potential on human memory.<ref>Bradford, Clare, et al. "'Radiant with Possibility': Communities and Utopianism." New World Orders in Contemporary Children's Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, pp. 109-110.</ref> Hanson interprets the restriction of memory as totalitarian and argues that Lowry demonstrates the emancipatory potential of memory in ''The Giver''.<ref>Hanson, Carter F. "The Utopian Function of Memory in Lois Lowry's the Giver." Extrapolation, vol. 50, 2009, pp. 45+. Gale Literature Resource Center; Gale.</ref> Triplett and Han suggest that Jonas's role as receiver of memory, allowing him a deeper understanding of his societal and cultural context, demonstrates the validity of suspicious methods of reading that attempt to obtain deeper rather than surface meanings.<ref>Triplett, C. C., and John J. Han. "Unmasking the Deception: The Hermeneutic of Suspicion in Lois Lowry's the Giver." Edited by John J. Han, C. C. Triplett, and Ashley G. Anthony. McFarland & Company Publishing, Jefferson, NC, 2018, pp. 120-121.</ref>

=== Religion ===
Bradford et al. suggest ''The Giver''{{'}}s depiction of Christmas at the novel's end implies that an ideal community is in part represented by a family Christmas, therefore situating the novel as conservative.<ref>Bradford, Clare, et al. "'Radiant with Possibility': Communities and Utopianism." New World Orders in Contemporary Children's Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, p. 110.</ref> Graeme Wend-Walker, an academic, analyzed the then-trilogy in 2013 through a post-secular lens and suggested that removing religion entirely from human society and lives could diminish humanity's capacity for accepting differences rather than providing for human liberation as some may assume.<ref>Wend-Walker, Graeme. "On the Possibility of Elsewhere: A Postsecular Reading of Lois Lowry's Giver Trilogy." Children's Literature Association Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 2, 2013, p. 139.</ref> Countering Bradford's claim, which would suggest that the novel is conservative rather than transformative due to its religious imagery and undertones, Wend-Walker's post-secular reading suggests that the novel explores the ambiguity between the secular and religious binary which provides it progressive potential by allowing for the transformative potential of the spiritual.<ref>Wend-Walker, Graeme. "On the Possibility of Elsewhere: A Postsecular Reading of Lois Lowry's Giver Trilogy." Children's Literature Association Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 2, 2013, p. p. 141.</ref>

=== Color ===
Susan G. Lea has emphasized that sameness is crucial to the world of ''The Giver'', and furthermore that their monochromatic vision creates a color blindness within the community that cannot be aware of the effects of the absence of color.<ref>Lea, Susan G. "Seeing Beyond Sameness: Using the Giver to Challenge Colorblind Ideology." Children's Literature in Education, vol. 37, no. 1, 2006, pp. 51-67, p. 57.</ref> She likens the lack of difference and literal color blindness of ''The Giver''{{'}}s community with color blind attitudes that act as if racial difference does not exist, and suggests that the book shows the way that colorblindness erases people of color and their experiences through their lack of visibility.<ref>Lea, Susan G. "Seeing Beyond Sameness: Using the Giver to Challenge Colorblind Ideology." Children's Literature in Education, vol. 37, no. 1, 2006, pp. 60-61.</ref> Kyoungmin and Lee examine Jonas's growing ability to see color rather than the lack of color in his community and argue that his selfhood grows as his memory and perception of color grow.<ref>Kyoung-Min, Han, and Yonghwa Lee. "The Philosophical and Ethical Significance of Color in Lois Lowry's the Giver." The Lion and the Unicorn, vol. 42, no. 3, 2018. Literature Online, ProQuest Central, Research Library,  {{doi|10.1353/uni.2018.0031}}. pp. 338-339.</ref> They suggest that Jonas's full perception of color at the end is what allows him to choose to travel elsewhere as an autonomous agent in comparison to others in his community.<ref>Kyoung-Min, Han, and Yonghwa Lee. "The Philosophical and Ethical Significance of Color in Lois Lowry's the Giver." The Lion and the Unicorn, vol. 42, no. 3, 2018. Literature Online, ProQuest Central, Research Library,  {{doi|10.1353/uni.2018.0031}}. pp. 340-341.</ref>

=== Eugenics and gene editing ===
Elizabeth Bridges reads an implication of gene editing in the development of the homogenous community, based on euphemistic language throughout the novel.<ref name="Bridges, Elizabeth 2014, pp. 1-19">Bridges, Elizabeth. "Nasty Nazis and Extreme Americans: Cloning, Eugenics, and the Exchange of National Signifiers in Contemporary Science Fiction." Studies in Twentieth and Twenty First Century Literature, vol. 38, no. 1, 2014, pp. 1-19.</ref> She suggests that the release of those who do not fit societal conventions represents the ways that eugenics were employed by the society of ''The Giver''.<ref name="Bridges, Elizabeth 2014, pp. 1-19"/> Robert Gadowski suggests that government control of bodies inhibits the society's freedoms.<ref>Gadowski, Robert. "Critical Dystopia for Young People: The Freedom Meme in American Young Adult Dystopian Science Fiction." Edited by Andrzej Wicher, Piotr Spyra, and Joanna Matyjaszczyk. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, 2014, pp. 154-155.</ref> He argues that through bio-technical planning, people's bodies become vehicles of state control rather than the locus of their autonomy.<ref>Gadowski, Robert. "Critical Dystopia for Young People: The Freedom Meme in American Young Adult Dystopian Science Fiction." Edited by Andrzej Wicher, Piotr Spyra, and Joanna Matyjaszczyk. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, 2014, p. 155.</ref>

==Literary significance and reception==
In the United States, ''The Giver'' has become frequently assigned as reading in schools, as well as library-sponsored reading clubs and "City Reads" programs.<ref>"[https://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/one-book.html 'One Book' Reading Promotion Projects] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501024447/http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/one-book.html |date=May 1, 2008 }}", from the [[Library of Congress]]'s Center for the Book</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Judith |last=Rosen |title=Many Cities, Many Picks |journal=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=March 10, 2003 |page=19}}</ref>

However, reviewers have commented that the story lacks originality and is not likely to stand up to the sort of probing literary criticism used in "serious" circles. Others argue that the book's appeal to a young-adult audience is critical for building a developing reader's appetite for reading.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Franklin |first=Marie C. |date=February 23, 1997 |title=CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: Debate continues over merit of young-adult fare |journal=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=G1}}</ref> Karen Ray, writing in ''[[The New York Times]]'', detects "occasional logical lapses", but adds that the book "is sure to keep older children reading".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ray |first=Karen |date=October 31, 1993 |title=Children's Books |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/31/books/children-s-books-335293.html |journal=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Young adult fiction author [[Debra Doyle]] was more critical, stating that "Personal taste aside, ''The Giver'' fails the [science fiction] Plausibility Test," and that "Things are the way they are [in the novel] because The Author is Making A Point; things work out the way they do because The Author's Point Requires It."<ref>{{cite web |last=Doyle |first=Debra |author-link=Debra Doyle |title=Doyle's YA SF rant |date=June 24, 2009 |url=https://www.sfwa.org/2009/06/23/doyles-ya-sf-rant/ |access-date=December 28, 2018 |publisher=}}</ref>

Children's author [[Natalie Babbitt]], writing in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' called the novel "a warning in narrative form," saying: "The story has been told before in a variety of forms—[[Ray Bradbury]]'s ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'' comes to mind—but not, to my knowledge, for children. It's well worth telling, especially by a writer of Lowry's great skill. If it is exceedingly fragile—if, in other words, some situations do not survive that well-known [[suspension of disbelief]]—well, so be it. ''The Giver'' has things to say that cannot be said too often, and I hope there will be many, many young people who will be willing to listen.<ref>{{cite news |first=Natalie |last=Babbitt |author-link=Natalie Babbitt |title=The Hidden Cost of Contentment |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |date=May 9, 1993 |page=X15}}</ref> A review in ''[[The Horn Book Magazine]]'' stated, "In a departure from her well-known and favorably regarded realistic works, Lois Lowry has written a fascinating, thoughtful science-fiction novel... The story is skillfully written; the air of disquiet is delicately insinuated. And the theme of balancing the virtues of freedom and security is beautifully presented."<ref>''[[The Horn Book Magazine]]'', July 1993, cited in {{cite magazine |url=https://www.hbook.com/1999/01/what-did-we-think-of/ |title=What did we think of...? |magazine=[[The Horn Book]] |date=January 24, 1999 |access-date=December 28, 2018}}</ref>

=== Censorship in the United States ===
''The Giver'' has been a frequent subject of bans, or attempted bans, in school libraries, due to its dark themes and violence.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Reece |first=Arabella |date=September 11, 2019 |title=Lois Lowry, "The Giver" |url=https://bannedbooks.library.cmu.edu/lois-lowry-the-giver/# |journal=The Banned Books Project |page=1 |via=Carnegie Mellon University}}</ref>  In a 2020 question-and-answer session, Lowry stated that the calls for banning have usually come from parents and others who have not read the book, but only seen descriptions or out-of-context quotes; and that those who have called for its banning have usually changed their mind after reading it.<ref name="Oxford" /> Lowry has stated that she is against any censorship, and that no literature should be considered off-limits.<ref name="Oxford" /> Some{{who|date=December 2023}} have noted the irony of wanting to censor a novel that warns about societal control of children.<ref>Avi. "Lois Lowry's the Giver." Censored Books II. Edited by Nicholas J. Karolides. Scarecrow, Lanham, 2002. Gale Literature Resource Center; Gale.</ref><ref>Lord, Elyse. "The Giver." Novels for Students. Gale, Detroit, MI. Gale Literature Resource Center; Gale.</ref>

==Awards, nominations, and recognition==
{{Anchor|Awards|Accolades}}
Lowry won many awards for her work on ''The Giver'', including the following:
* The 1994 [[Newbery Medal]] – The John Newbery award (Medal) is given by the [[Association for Library Service to Children]]. The award is given for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/1994newberymedal|title=1994 Newbery Medal and Honor Books|date=November 30, 1999|work=Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)|access-date=October 3, 2018|language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614234437/https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/1994newberymedal |archive-date=June 14, 2019}}</ref>
* The 1994 [[Regina Medal]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cathla.org/awards/regina-medal/128-regina-medal-recipients |title=Past Regina Medal Recipients - Catholic Library Association |publisher=Cathla.org |access-date=October 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904000903/http://www.cathla.org/awards/regina-medal/128-regina-medal-recipients |archive-date=September 4, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
* The 1996 [[William Allen White Award]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emporia.edu/libsv/wawbookaward/winners/winner95-96.html |title=Winner 1995-1996 - William Allen White Children's Book Awards &#124; Emporia State University |publisher=Emporia.edu |access-date=October 29, 2015}}</ref>
* [[American Library Association]] listings for "Best Book for [[young adult literature|Young Adults]]", "[[ALA Notable Children's Book]]", and "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000."
* A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
* [[Booklist]] Editors' Choice
* A ''[[School Library Journal]]'' Best Book of the Year

A 2004 study found that ''The Giver'' was a common read-aloud book for sixth-graders in schools in [[San Diego County, California]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Fisher, Douglas |year=2004 |title=Interactive Read-Alouds: Is There a Common Set of Implementation Practices? |journal=[[The Reading Teacher]] |volume=58 |issue=1 |pages=8¬–17 |url=http://www.fisherandfrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/rt-read-alouds.pdf |access-date=August 19, 2012 |doi=10.1598/rt.58.1.1 |display-authors=etal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207031123/http://www.fisherandfrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/rt-read-alouds.pdf |archive-date=December 7, 2013 }}</ref> Based on a 2007 online poll, the [[National Education Association]] listed it as one of "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children".<ref name=NEA2007>{{cite web|url=http://www.nea.org/grants/13154.htm/|title=Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children|author=National Education Association|year=2007|access-date=August 19, 2012}}</ref> In 2012 it was ranked number four among all-time children's novels in a survey published by ''[[School Library Journal]]''.<ref name=SLJChapter2012>{{cite web|url=http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2012/07/07/top-100-chapter-book-poll-results/|title=Top 100 Chapter Book Poll Results|author=Bird, Elizabeth | publisher=A Fuse #8 Production. Blog. [[School Library Journal]] (blog.schoollibraryjournal.com) |date=July 7, 2012|access-date=August 21, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120713031015/http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2012/07/07/top-100-chapter-book-poll-results/|archive-date=July 13, 2012}}</ref>

==Adaptations==
[[Oregon Children's Theatre]] ([[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], Oregon) premiered a stage adaptation of ''The Giver'' by [[Eric Coble]] in March 2006. Subsequent productions of Coble's one-hour script have been presented in several American theatres.

Another stage adaptation, written by Diana Basmajian, was produced by [[Prime Stage Theatre]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06122/686601-42.stm|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|title=Short Takes: 'Giver' thoughtful; Pillow Project Dance super|date=May 2, 2006}}</ref>

Actor [[Ron Rifkin]] reads the text for the [[audiobook]] edition.

The [[Lyric Opera of Kansas City]] and the [[Minnesota Opera]] co-commissioned and premiered an opera by Susan Kander based on the novel.<ref>[http://www.mnopera.org/thegiver] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401012843/http://www.mnopera.org/thegiver|date=April 1, 2012}}</ref> It was presented in Kansas City in January and Minneapolis on April 27–29, 2012, and was webcast on May 18, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mnopera.org/wp-content/uploads/transfer/2012-05-12_the_giver_webcast_nr.pdf |title=Minnesota Opera presents webcast of Susan Kander's The Giver on May 18 and 23 |publisher=Mnopera.org |access-date=October 29, 2015}}</ref>

In 2017, a stage musical adaptation was in the development stages, with a book by [[Martin Zimmerman]] and music and lyrics by [[Jonah Platt]] and Andrew Resnick.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-jonah-platt-q-a-20171213-story.html|title=Jonah Platt on channeling his inner Beast for a holiday Beauty|website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=December 13, 2017}}</ref>

[[HMH Books for Young Readers]] published a comic book adaptation in spring 2019 illustrated and adapted by Eisner and Harvey Award winner [[P. Craig Russell]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/books/2018/07/27/the-giver-graphic-novel-preview/|title=The Giver is being reimagined as a stunning graphic novel: Exclusive preview|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=July 27, 2018}}</ref>

===Film adaptation===
{{Main|The Giver (film){{!}}''The Giver'' (film)}}
In the fall of 1994, actor [[Bill Cosby]] and his ASIS Productions film company established an agreement with Lancit Media Productions to adapt ''The Giver'' to film. In the years following, members of the partnership changed and the production team grew in size, but little motion was seen toward making the film. At one point, screenwriter Ed Neumeier was signed to create the screenplay. Later, Neumeier was replaced by [[Todd Alcott]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thezreview.co.uk/comingsoon/g/giverthe.htm |title=Film reviews - Giverthe |publisher=Thezreview.co.uk |access-date=October 29, 2015}}</ref> and [[Walden Media]] became the central production company.<ref>"Jeff Bridges and Lancit Media to co-produce No. 1 best seller 'THE GIVER' as feature film", ''Entertainment Editors'' September 28, 1994</ref><ref>Ian Mohr, "Walden gives 'Giver' to Neumeier", ''[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com Hollywood Reporter]'' July 10, 2003</ref>

Jeff Bridges has said he had wanted to make the film for nearly 20 years, and originally wanted to direct it with his father [[Lloyd Bridges]] in the title role. The elder Bridges' 1998 death cancelled that plan and the film languished in [[development hell]] for another 15 years. Warner Bros. bought the rights in 2007 and the [[The Giver (film)|film adaptation]] was finally given the [[Green-light|green light]] in December 2012. [[Jeff Bridges]] plays the title character<ref>{{cite news|last=Krasnow|first=David|title=Lois Lowry Confirms Jeff Bridges to Film The Giver|url=http://www.studio360.org/blogs/studio-360-blog/2012/dec/20/lois-lowry-confirms-jeff-bridges-to-film-the-giver/|publisher=[[Studio 360]]|access-date=December 28, 2012|date=December 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121229140919/http://www.studio360.org/blogs/studio-360-blog/2012/dec/20/lois-lowry-confirms-jeff-bridges-to-film-the-giver/|archive-date=December 29, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> with [[Brenton Thwaites]] in the role of Jonas. [[Meryl Streep]], [[Katie Holmes]], [[Odeya Rush]], [[Cameron Monaghan]], [[Alexander Skarsgård]] and [[Taylor Swift]] round out the rest of the main cast.<ref>{{cite web|author=Mullins, Jenna|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/09/27/taylor-swift-cast-in-the-giver-with-meryl-streep/2883149/|title=Taylor Swift is a 'Giver,' not a taker|publisher=usatoday.com|date=September 27, 2013|access-date=September 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/09/27/taylor-swift-the-giver-movie/|title=Taylor Swift will co-star in long-awaited adaptation of 'The Giver'|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=September 27, 2013|author=Busis, Hillary}}</ref> It was released in North America on August 15, 2014.

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|The_Giver.ogg|date=2005-09-21}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.loislowry.com/documents/speeches/pdf_server.php?file=Newbery_Award Lois Lowry's Newbery acceptance speech]

{{S-start}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{succession box|title=[[Newbery Medal|Newbery Medal recipient]]|before=''[[Missing May]]''|after=''[[Walk Two Moons]]''|years=1994}}
{{succession box|title=Winner of the<br />[[William Allen White Children's Book Award]]|before=''[[The Man Who Loved Clowns]]''|after=''Time For Andrew''|years=1996}}
{{S-end}}

{{Lois Lowry}}
{{Newbery Medal}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giver, The}}
[[Category:1993 American novels]]
[[Category:American novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:American novels adapted into plays]]
[[Category:Children's science fiction novels]]
[[Category:Dystopian novels]]
[[Category:Lois Lowry Giver series]]
[[Category:Newbery Medal–winning works]]
[[Category:American novels adapted into operas]]
[[Category:Novels by Lois Lowry]]
[[Category:American young adult novels]]
[[Category:Censored books]]
[[Category:Science fiction novels adapted into films]]
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