tammyw Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I just finished reading The Giver and loved it. My dd10 is reading it now and also loving it (we'll discuss it after she finishes the book). I'm wondering if I should read the other books in the set? There seem to be mixed reviews. And any other books I should read? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I haven't yet, but plan to. My brother recommended them to me. (And I trust his opinion on stuff like that... for example, he loved Ender's Game, but said skip the rest.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSinNH Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 We read The Giver as a read-aloud this year and LOVED it! DD11 (my prolific reader) read the next two and said they were not as good. So, I read them as well because I was so impressed with The Giver and I concur...not worth it, IMO. I did not ask DD9 to read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I didn't really care for Gathering Blue. Turned me off of the rest of the "sequels," tho they really aren't all sequels. The most recent one answers some of the questions raised by the ending of The Giver. I like to leave it a bit mysterious, myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I think they kind of went downhill. They're not really sequels, except for the last one, which ties together the threads a bit, but the Giver was so good stand alone and leaving things hanging (really, a masterful piece of writing given the reading level and target age) and the others, while good books, aren't to that same level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I actually really liked Gathering Blue and Messenger. I haven't read the most recent one, but I plan to. If you read Gathering Blue, you really need to read Messenger. They're much more intimately connected than either is to The Giver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewaka Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 We read the entire quartet this year. My dd14 and dd12 liked all of them, and I enjoyed them, too. However, I think because "The Giver" is so good, the others lose by comparison. "Gathering Blue" can also be read alone, but I think if you read "Messenger" you should also read "Son." I had read somewhere that "Son" made up for the weakness of books 2 and 3, but I disagree. I was very disappointed with the ending. They aren't bad books, just not on par with "The Giver." HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted April 25, 2013 Author Share Posted April 25, 2013 So disappointing! I Loved The Giver, and I don't know if I even want to bother. It's so sad!! ETA: I'll probably read them, because a few have enjoyed them, but I'm going into it with hesitations, which probably isn't good. I'll try to read them with an open mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemosyne Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I enjoyed all of them, but The Giver was definitely the best, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dahliarw Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I enjoyed all of them too. The Giver is the best. The last one ties things together nicely. I would read at least those two. But I did enjoy the middle two as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I have read the first three, and of those I liked Gathering Blue the best. To me it stood alone well, and also The Giver was SO disturbing that I wouldn't lightly give it to a 4th or 5th grader, whereas Gathering Blue could engender a lot of the same kinds of discussions without being so shocking. As an intro to futuristic fiction, I think that Gathering Blue is one of the better books I have seen. Another good one for that age or maybe early middle school that is also a good intro to futuristic fiction with lots of topics for good discussions, but not nearly as dark, is Enchantress from the Stars. I was delighted to see that as a Sonlight book, having enjoyed it a great deal as a kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasRachel Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I think all the books were good, but The Giver is such an exceptional book it makes the rest look bad by comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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