The Giver

I'm not a reader and I never really have been. Then last year I became a 6th grade teacher and I had students that absolutely loved reading.  Every free minute that I gave them they would read.  I also had students that didn't enjoy reading and it was a constant battle to try to get them to crack open any book.  After a while that was a battle that I did not try to conquer and requested from my students that during silent read time the least that they could do was to look like they were reading.  I remember telling my students up front that not everyone enjoys reading.  I don't enjoy reading.  However, I tried to tell them that it doesn't matter what you read as long as you find something that interests you.  I gave them the example that it's difficult for me to get cozy and curl up with a book and read for hours on end like Chad.  If you give me a fitness, health or running magazine, however, I will be lost in the pages for a short period of time.  Chad enjoys reading, not me. 

Well, as a 6th grade teacher I felt it my responsibility to know what books my students were interested in.  At the beginning of the school year there was a big buzz about the Twilight series.  So...there I found myself one day at the Kirkland library checking out the Twilight series.  I read the entire series and realized reading wasn't so bad.  Maybe I had found something that I liked.  Throughout last year I read aloud various books to my students and I enjoyed seeing the curiosity on their faces of what was going to happen in the next paragraph, page, or chapter in the book.   One of my favorites that I read aloud was Danny, Champion of the World by Roald Dahl.  If you haven't read this, I highly recommend it.  I recommend any book by Roald Dahl actually.

I have a fairly large classroom library (thank you Mrs. Rice), but I have no idea what fills my shelves.  Throughout the school year my students organized my books and placed them in categories according to genre.  I'm trying to make it a goal to read through a fair amount of them this summer.  This is a huge and a bit daunting of a task, but I want to know, I need to know, what my students are reading.  I began with a historical fiction book about a young boy who goes off to fight in the Civil War.  It was okay, but I struggled to get through it.  This weekend I read through two books, both fiction.  One was a ghostly-murder-mystery type book (I can't remember the title) and it kept my interest, but I had bad dreams.  I don't do well with scary stories, movies, t.v. shows, etc.  The other book I read this weekend was The Giver. 

The Giver.  The Giver was an odd book, but I liked it.  I have a class set and would love to read it with  my class, but I don't think it is appropriate for a 6th grader.  The Giver is deep.  The Giver made me question what my life would be like without individuality?  What if I was told who I had to marry, how many kids I could have, or what occupation I would be given?  What if I had to wear the same clothes as everyone else?  What if my birthday was celebrated on the same day of everyone else that turned 32 this year?  What if I couldn't have feelings?  What if I didn't know where I was going after death?  What if I couldn't believe in Christ?  What if...

I know that I would not do very well in a society where I was told what and how to do everything. 

Go read The Giver by Lois Lowry.  It's a great book!  Then please explain the ending to me because I didn't get it.