The Giver Graphic Novel (Giver Quartet, 1) Paperback – April 7, 2020

I have read the prose version of The Giver too many times to count, so I was excited when the graphic novel version was announced and eager to read it when it arrived. P. Craig Russell does an excellent job of illustrating Jonas's world and bringing "sameness" to life. The use of blues instead of greytones to indicate the lack of color is extraordinarily effective, as is the use of a single color in most of the memories that Jonas receives from the Giver. I read an interview with Russell in which he discussed his interpretation of the book's ending (no spoilers here, and we're just going to ignore that the other three books in the Giver Quartet exist) and was pleased to read that he and I shared our view of how the book ends. The graphic rendering of the ending is very well done--and still somewhat open for interpretation. All that said, the fact that I was able to SEE all the horrors of Jonas's society made everything so much worse. It was one thing reading it and imagining it myself, but it was a completely different animal when it was laid out in visual form on the page. Again, no spoilers, but I was extremely affected by chapter 20 and onwards, to the point where I can say that this is an extraordinary and important graphic novel that I never want to read again.

I bought this book for my 12 year old son to read. I enjoyed reading this book as a young adolescent and wanted to see if my son would also enjoy the story. My son doesn’t “enjoy” reading but rather does it as a task assigned but I did find him picking up the book without my prompting and he did read much longer than he normally does. My son was able to read this in just a few days and said he liked the story and that it was interesting. I like that we could discuss some of the things going on and will be able to enjoy a movie version of this same story. I’m super happy that they make this book as a graphic novel as and hope they make the other books into graphic novels too.

I read the other format and thought it was excellent. This graphic novel enhances the purpose of the overall book and the details of individual concepts. It’s great.The illustrations allow time for discussion and emphasis in different concepts. The 12 year old that is reading it with me is going through all kinds of emotions and can’t wait to continue reading the next section. She is using so many strategies without being asked such as prediction, comparison to what she knows, looking a word when she wants to know more about it, researching if something is possible now, and so much more. She assigned her own homework here. And no, she would not be considered an honors student in a school. But what matters is that she loves learning.

This comic book is VERY GOOD but I had to return it because I didn't want it in comic book form. I think my son would have preferred it that way, but I didn't want pictures when he was reading it, since he's in 8th grade. I still liked the comic book version a lot. It looked very nice but I returned it.

This was my own first time reading the story, even though this was for my son, who has recently become a 12. The good: my son has never loved reading anything as much as this book. He reads without watching the clock! He also engages in talking about what has happened during each reading as we talk through each set of circumstances that Jonas faces. It is also a good book for adults to enjoy and a good start to reading with your child. I was able to read it in one sitting so I could engage in conversation as my son worked through reading on his own. I highly recommend this book and would easily pre-order the other three if given the opportunity (hint hint to the authors!!!)The bad: My son can't stop talking about it! He reads without taking breaks. He also is prone to ask more questions about the world. (None of these are really bad.)

As school ended this week, we learned that our 12 year old would have a summer reading assignment on The Giver. The teachers gave the option for them to read the original novel or the graphic novel. My kids love graphic novels so I was very glad to get it for them. It came in the mail today and my kid instantly started reading it. Wasn't long before she came out to start discussing the book with me. She loves the artwork and the book is just great overall. Very happy with this purchase.

I knew this was going to be good, but I had no idea that it would be so incredibly close to the novel. There is a lot of text here accompanying the gorgeous illustrations. I'd say that 80% of the text from the novel is here if not more. It's a lot denser and word-rich than I expected it to be. Wow! While I enjoyed the movie version of "The Giver", I was not entirely happy with the ginormous changes Hollywood made to Jonas and his community. This graphic novel doesn't age Jonas or create love triangles; luckily for all of us it's a very faithful and loving take on this beloved book.

I teach sixth grade and have taught The Giver many many years. I love teaching it so much but I really struggle to help my English language learners and my struggling readers to grasp everything that is happening in the book and what it all means. I have been dying for something like this to come out for many years---I just received this book yesterday and already, a girl in my class has checked it out and said that it was helping her to understand the story better (she's and English language learner). I just ordered two more copies to keep in my classroom. I love how faithful it is to the book. Of course, we will keep reading the traditional/ original version in class, but this book means that more of my students will understand the story and hopefully be able to participate in the discussions and activities we do. Yay for tools that help me reach ALL of my students:)