The Giver
By
Lois Lowry
"There was just a moment when things weren't quite the same, weren't quite as they
had always been through the long friendship."
- Lois Lowry, The Giver, Ch. 9
Emerjim Baas
Reader’s Log Entry
Name: Emerjim Baas
Novel: The Giver
Pages: 1- 20
Date: 7/20/2013
Author: Lois Lowry
Summary
The story starts off by introducing all the characters in the story. It tells all the thoughts that
Jonas has in his mind currently and his feelings about others. He rejects “frightened” as too
strong a word. He recalls a time when he had really been frightened: a year ago, an unidentified
aircraft flew over his community. It was strange because pilots are not allowed to fly over the
community.
Personal Response
The book starts off like any other book would start. Many books introduce each character in a
unique way.
Reader’s Log Entry
Name: Emerjim Baas
Novel: the giver
Pages: 34 - 49
Date: 7/20/13
Author: Lois Lowry
Summary
After the telling of feelings, you tell your family what you dreamed of. Jonas usually has nothing
to say but this time he had a dream, a vivid one. He was in the steamy bathing room at the House
of the Old, trying to have his friend Fiona to remove her clothes and let him bathe her. After
telling this to her mother, he gave him a pill that removes the "stirrings" from his body. As he
goes to his school, he tries to remember the feeling from the dream, but the pill made that dream
disappear.
Personal Response
As I read though this part of the novel, I figured that the elders are deprived of their natural
hormones and instincts such as dreams and having a regular family and having your own child. I
figure this out after Jonas takes a pill and the memory of his dream fades away as he goes to
school. I really don't have any good connections to this chapter.
Reader’s Log Entry
Name: Emerjim Baas
Novel: The giver
Pages: 50 - 71
Date: 7/20/2013
Author: Lois Lowry
Summary
Jonas has a special day on this chapter. Today is the ceremony of elevens, when the age group of
people like Jonas gets their first assignment. As the elder gives the assignments to each person,
he skips Jonas. This makes him worry because he thinks he has done something wrong. This also
concerns the people that are watching. After the elder was done telling the assignments, the elder
says that Jonas's assignment is very special. He gets the assignment to be the Receiver of
memory, also known as the giver. They tell Jonas that he must have to courage, the ability to
gain wisdom, and the capacity to see beyond. He will also have to experience pain like no one
has before. after he accepts the assignments, he gets new rules that goes against what he has
learned long ago when he was a child.
Personal Response
When I was reading this, I could relate to what Jonas was going through. He was going through a
big change in his life which can change everything in his life, including his personality and the
way others treat him. Big changes always lead to many paths of life.
Reader’s Log Entry
Name: Emerjim Baas
Novel: The Giver
Pages:72 - 87
Date: 7/20/13
Author: Lois Lowry
Summary
When Jonas reports to the givers house for training, he sees many books such as the book of
rules. He meets the Receiver, who greets him as the new Receiver of Memory. He tells him that
although he is old and is the old receiver, he will need to use the last of his strength to train
Jonas. He says that the process involves transmitting all of the memories he has of the past to
Jonas. The memories of communities before Jonas’s community will bring wisdom to them and
help the community to shape its future and the world he lives in today. He then gives the
memory of snow and sunshine to Jonas. After receiving the memories, He asks for pain. The
Giver gives him the memory of sunburn to get him familiar to the pain he will feel. After this the
Giver says that the pain will be much more painful emotionally and psychically.
Personal Response
I can relate to what Jonas is going through. It's almost like the first day of school and your
teacher says that you will have her best support. As I read through this, I realized that the training
will be really complicated.
Reader’s Log Entry
Name: Emerjim Baas
Novel: The Giver
Pages: 88-107
Date:
Author: Lois Lowry
Summary
After Jonas receives his first memory, he finds that it is not too hard to obey the rules that come
with his position. He begins to question his training like why can't the community make their
own choices. He found out that if they had the power to make their own choices, they could
make the wrong choices. He also found out that when to old successor died, all the memories
went to the community which was a disaster. As Jonas and Fiona bike to the House of Old, her
face changed. He then finds out that what he is seeing is the colors. One time he tries to make his
friend Asher see the color of a flower and tried to transfer a memory like the giver does, but it is
extremely rude to touch someone else out of family units. He also tries to tell that her sister that
her toy elephant was a real animal a long time ago, but he also fails at doing that.
Personal Response
As I read the pages of this book, it was like me trying to say a secret by expressing it. It's like
you have a power and you want to show it to the world, but you're afraid you might get the
people you know and love hurt. so you try to express it by asking them a question or ask them to
do a small thing like look at this or do you think it is possible to do this? They eventually think
you're acting strange or weird which shows that they don't understand.
Reader’s Log Entry
Name: Emerjim Baas
Novel: The Giver
Pages: 108-129
Date:7/21/2013
Author: Lois Lowry
Summary
The Giver transmits the memory of another ride on a sled, only this time the sled loses control
and Jonas experiences pain and nausea from a badly broken leg. He limps home because he
cannot give him a relief of pain. The Giver gives Jonas more painful memories. After
experiencing starvation, Jonas asks why these horrible memories need to be preserved. The
Giver responded by saying it brings wisdom. He said one time they intended to increase the
population, but he advised against it because of the memory of starvation.
Personal Response
I cannot really relate to this part of the story. I do understand though why the receiver of memory
has to be there in the community. He is basically the smartest person in the community and an
important advisor the Elders.
Reader’s Log Entry
Name: Emerjim Baas
Novel: The Giver
Pages: 130-145
Date:7/21/2013
Author: Lois Lowry
Summary
When Jonas was about to go to school They Elders declared a unscheduled holiday. These were
really rare. This made Jonas very happy because he gets to go play with his friends. When Jonas
meets up with them he realizes there playing a game, a war game. This allows the war memory
to appear, the pain and the gunshots and loud noises. When his friends se him reacting negatively
to the game, they think he is acting weird because is just a game in their eyes. He goes home and
feels better when he sees Gabe. After a while he goes to the giver and asks what happened to that
last successor. The Giver told him that her name was Rosemary. He loved her just like he loved
Jonas. He gave her happy memories that would make her happy. One day she asked for pain. He
gave her the memories of despair, loneliness, poverty, and fear. The next day, She went to the
giver and kissed him on the check and left. He later found out that she applied for release. asks
the Giver what would happen if he accidentally drowned in the river. The giver said that the
memories would spread to the community which would be a disaster.
Personal Response
I can relate to this totally. For example this one day I thought there was school so I woke up
early and got dressed, took a shower, but then I found out there was no school. I felt dumb but at
the same time happy. I would have fun with my friends but sometimes I would get angry is
someone did something really bad.
Reader’s Log Entry
Name: Emerjim Baas
Novel: The Giver
Pages: 146-162
Date:7/21/2013
Author: Lois Lowry
Summary
Jonas explains that he is curious about release because his father released a new child that
day. Jonas finds out that the receiver of memory can have access to almost anything such as
videos of releases. He finds out that releasing is just killing a person with an injection. Jonas is
overwhelmed by pain and horror when he realizes what release really is. The Giver and Jonas
come up with a plan to Jonas begs the Giver to come with him, but the Giver needs to stay to
help the others deal with those memories that are left behind by Jonas. Jonas will be heading to
elsewhere, a new place where you are free.
Personal Response
I really don't have any connection to this part of the novel but I understand why they are doing
this. They want people to have the memories that the Giver and Jonas had. So Jonas will leave
and go to Elsewhere.
Reader’s Log Entry
Name: Emerjim Baas
Novel: The Giver
Pages: 163- 179
Date: 7/21/2013
Author: Lois Lowry
Summary
Instead of waiting two weeks as he and the Giver had planned, Jonas is forced to escape right
away. His father tells the family he tried to see if Gabriel could sleep through the night at the
Nurturing Center, but the baby had cried all night. So he takes some leftover food and his
father’s bicycle. Relying on his own courage and strength instead of on the memories that the
Giver had promised, he goes out during the night without them. He overcomes many obstacles
and finally reaches a hill with a familiar sled on the snowy hill. As he goes down he hears music
for the first time ever in his life, meaning that he has reached elsewhere.
Personal Response
This part of the story was the most intense part, which made me realize this was the part of the
climax. It makes me want to read more because I want to know if he ever makes it. It was a
dangerous journey for him. When he finally made it to the top of the hill it mentioned that there
was a familiar hill with a sled. I think the old Giver has gone down the same path before because
he said it was the same feeling like before.