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The Giver

by Lois Lowry

Tuesday, March 9, 2021 @ Tuesday, March 9, 2021

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What is a “perfect world?” In Jonas’s home, “perfect” means no pain, no sadness, no loss—and everyone has a role to fulfill, so there’s no suffering or conflict. But is that kind of world good?

Join this club to read the futuristic classic, The Giver—where you’ll follow along with Jonas as he is assigned the job to become his community’s receiver—the keeper of all memories… and learns that “the perfect community” may not be all that he believed it to be. You and your Literary Guide, Ms. Conley, will analyze the imagery, themes, and conflicts within the story—to explore the deeper meanings behind the text to discuss the novel’s themes of loss, love, and liberty.

What Makes This Club Special

It’s a Classic. This book is a world-renowned classic—on many required reading lists as a shaper of culture, critical thinking, and future ideas.

Your Guide is a Professional Writer/Author and Seasoned Online Instructor. Ms. Conley is a professional writer, author, educator, and screenwriter who lived and worked in Hollywood—and when you sign up for this club, you get a professional, highly-skilled Guide who helps your teen explore reading on a deeper level—through both understanding story and how stories and books are written. With an educational and learning focus, at the end of each class, we’ll discuss “challenge words” (vocabulary) and be guided for what to look for, as we prepare for the next week’s session and story to come.

Your Guide

Robin Conley was born and raised in Michigan, USA, and earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English and World Literature from Western Michigan University and a double Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Screenwriting and Genre Fiction from Western Colorado University. She has over ten years’ experience working as a professional writer — including as a technical editor and content creator for businesses on the ground and on the web; as a publications editor for books, curriculum, websites, and more; and as a transcriptionist for film and television, including work for the Food Network, HBO, FX, and A&E.  

Ms. Conley has also served as a writing contest judge, and her professional book editing includes ghostwriting for mystery, romance, and fantasy novels. As a writing coach, consultant, and editor for published novelists, short story writers, and award-winning screenwriters, her students and clients have gone on to win awards and become accomplished in their niches.

After spending a few years in Hollywood working as a writing consultant and editor, she’s now traveling the world teaching, editing, and coaching writers while continuing to develop her own projects for publishing.

About the Book

(From Amazon) The Giver, the 1994 Newbery Medal winner, has become one of the most influential novels of our time. The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Lois Lowry has written three companion novels to The Giver, including Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.

Age Range – Young Adult (12 and up)

Parental Guidance

The Giver is a classic novel that explores what life would be like in a dystopian society where no one feels pain, love, sadness, or loss except one chosen individual who keeps those memories for everyone. The story contains moments that may be intense for some readers, such as the main character experiencing a violent battle injury when gaining the memories of a soldier, or when the main character sees how his city uses population control to keep their “perfect” community a certain size. This club is recommended for students who are mature enough to handle the series themes within the novel and participate in the discussion of these events.

Reading Schedule

  • Tuesday, March 9 Discussion – Chapters 1-6
  • Tuesday, March 16 Discussion – Chapters 7-12
  • Tuesday, March 23 Discussion – Chapters 13-18
  • Tuesday, March 30 Discussion – Chapters 19-end.

How To Begin

It’s easy! Follow these steps to get started…

  1. Sign up and get in (before it’s full!) — Use the blue button at the bottom of this page to save your spot.
  2. Receive your information  — Within 48 hours of signing up, you’ll get an email with your Club’s details. Save this email, bookmark the zoom link, and add the club dates to your calendar.
  3. Prepare for your first meeting — Get the book from your own favorite source, or buy your book(s) directly from your Book Club pages. Read the assigned chapters ahead of time, and download and print the supplies list for crafts (young readers), activity pages for during the Club time (older readers), or the handout to guide the discussion (older students).

For more information, visit the How It Works page.

Recordings

The Giver

With your guide, Robin Conley
$27