Son by Lois Lowry



Most of us can remember the first time we encountered a little book called THE GIVER. Maybe a friend passed it to you between classes, saying “Read this, it’s really good!” Or your librarian gave it to you in middle school when you asked her or him for a “fantasy that wasn’t too long.” Or maybe your teacher assigned you to read it and you thought it was going to be boring, but guess what, it wasn’t and soon it was your favorite book and you were passing it to someone else, saying, “Read this, it’s really good!” However you came across it, the story of a boy named Jonas who lived in an orderly community where there was no pain, but also no love, stuck with you. And even though there have been other books related to the world of THE GIVER, it is only in SON that Lois Lowry completes the journey she set Jonas on so long ago (1993 to be exact!)

Claire is fourteen when she first gives birth to a “product,” or #36—the 36th child to be born into the Community that year. But when something goes wrong with the Task, Claire is relieved of her duties as Birthmother and moved to the Fish Hatchery. Though she has been assured that the baby is healthy, she can’t stop thinking and worrying about him. Her son. Soon she is creating excuses to visit him in the Nurturing Center and make conversation with his Caregiver, who has a son of his own. Then, without warning, #36 goes missing and Claire must set off on a dangerous quest to recover what was hers. While the first third of the book that focuses on Claire’s growing unhappiness with her lot resonated the most with me, it is nevertheless a deeply satisfying and emotional roller coaster of a read (that often feels like the little brother of this book). SON not only answers any questions you had from the ambiguous ending of THE GIVER, but it also neatly knots together the two companion books in the series– GATHERING BLUE and MESSENGER–into a pretty little bow. And no worries if you happen to stumble upon SON and read it first–it stands just fine on it’s own. But if you want to get the full effect of these powerful dystopian novels, you should probably start with THE GIVER. (I’m pretty sure you’ll like it—after all, everyone says it’s really good!)

3 thoughts on “Son by Lois Lowry

  1. Extremely pumped to read this! As a former high school English teacher, Lois Lowry is my hero. If I asked my reluctant readers which novel they actually enjoyed in school, The Giver was almost always the answer. I made sure to download Son on my nook before Hurricane Sandy hit us! Here’s to hurricane reading!

  2. I keep hearing enticing reviews of Son! i only read The Giver a few years ago for the first time, when it was assigned school reading for one of my sons. I would love to read the companion novels and this new one, too! I may just have to dig out The Giver and start by re-reading it!

    Thanks for the review –

    Sue

    Great Books for Kids and Teens

  3. I am reading this book and i absolutly love it. It is probably the best book i have ever read

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