Reviewed by Olivia
Rating: High Five- I LOVED it and will definitely reread!
Who I'd Recommend To: People who loved the concept of the Giver and fans of Hokey Pokey and other different, beautiful, tear jerking books.
Fav Quote: (coming soon)
Summary (from Amazon): Kira, newly orphaned and lame from birth, is taken from the turmoil of the village to live in the grand Council Edifice because of her skill at embroidery. There she is given the task of restoring the historical pictures sewn on the robe worn at the annual Ruin Song Gathering, a solemn day-long performance of the story of their world's past. Down the hall lives Thomas the Carver, a young boy who works on the intricate symbols carved on the Singer's staff, and a tiny girl who is being trained as the next Singer. Over the three artists hovers the menace of authority, seemingly kind but suffocating to their creativity, and the dark secret at the heart of the Ruin Song.
With the help of a cheerful waif called Matt and his little dog, Kira at last finds the way to the plant that will allow her to create the missing color- blue- and symbolically, to find the courage to shape the future by following her art wherever it may lead.
Rating: High Five- I LOVED it and will definitely reread!
Who I'd Recommend To: People who loved the concept of the Giver and fans of Hokey Pokey and other different, beautiful, tear jerking books.
Fav Quote: (coming soon)
Summary (from Amazon): Kira, newly orphaned and lame from birth, is taken from the turmoil of the village to live in the grand Council Edifice because of her skill at embroidery. There she is given the task of restoring the historical pictures sewn on the robe worn at the annual Ruin Song Gathering, a solemn day-long performance of the story of their world's past. Down the hall lives Thomas the Carver, a young boy who works on the intricate symbols carved on the Singer's staff, and a tiny girl who is being trained as the next Singer. Over the three artists hovers the menace of authority, seemingly kind but suffocating to their creativity, and the dark secret at the heart of the Ruin Song.
With the help of a cheerful waif called Matt and his little dog, Kira at last finds the way to the plant that will allow her to create the missing color- blue- and symbolically, to find the courage to shape the future by following her art wherever it may lead.
My Thoughts: The first time I read the Giver, I was an outsider, rating it only 2 stars. For some reason, the story itself was as bland as the world it took place in for me. The second time I read it, my rating doubled to 4 stars, because I probably viewed it with new eyes and appreciation. Gathering Blue is one of those stories that you know without a doubt that you will love and cherish, from page 1. Kira was a character you really could emotionally connect with, and the characters varied and under went some smooth but believable character change. The village was also quite believable- a world where everyone was out for themselves and a hostile environment where you are only ever out to survive- even if you have to kill others to do so. I mainly loved the emotion I could feel in this story, but I also really enjoyed hearing Lois Lowry describe Thomas, Kira, and Jo's ability as artists. I'm sure everyone in the world has a passion (even if it's playing video games!) and can really connect with the passionate description of that feeling of doing what you love most. I thought it was really interesting how Lois Lowry explained how these three characters had a gift of caring more than just surviving, and how the Council wanted to capture that because it was something they knew they could never had. And the instant I realized the reason for the title, "Gathering Blue" I was so much better connected with the story and the symbolic meaning. Overall, I loved this story, but make sure you really feel up for all the symbolism before diving into this book.
