Messenger

I've started two books in as many days and neither of them grabbed my attention. Messenger is one of the companion books to The Giver, but you don't have to read The Giver to love Messenger. I finished it fairly quickly, and I loved every minute of it. I love Lois Lowry's style of writing and the worlds she creates are so creative and entrancing.

A small boy is a messenger in his community, who accept outcasts from other towns. When the town decides to close its borders to outsiders, he starts a journey to retrieve his caretaker's daughter.

This is an incredibly easy read, and it a great short book. These are a couple gross parts as far as illness and injury are concerned but I think it would be great for anyone, especially your 8-11 year olds.

The Giver

I don't have a problem reading Young Adult books. I read "The Book Thief" last year and it is now one of my favorite books. "The Giver" has more than 3,000 positive reviews on Amazon, so I thought I would give it a go.

Even though it's over 170 pages, the pages are small so it's not a very long read.

The concept is about a community where everyone doesn't feel, they have strict rules, and everything is decided for you from the clothes you wear to the occupation you have. Her writing style reminds me of Stephen King, but it's a completely clean book. No swearing, sex, or violence.

One of my favorite parts of the book was reading about a character named Asher, who was always happy and who everyone loved. He was such an easygoing kid and he's the main character's best friend. I'd never heard of this book, so it gave me goosebumps.

There are two other books in the series, Gathering Blue and Messenger although I heard that they can be read independently and all three are equally great.

If you're a movie buff, this was a cross between The Island, Equilibrium and Pleasantville.

Recommended to:
Those who like a good, short read OR
Those who like fantasy/science fiction books OR
Those who are looking for a book to read with their teenagers.