Bringing together characters from "The Giver" (Jonas, now grown and Leader of Village) and "Gathering Blue" (Matty and Kira), Lowry has turned the three books into a trilogy of sorts, but the famous ambiguity from the end of "The Giver" has now turned into a style. Fans of the series looking for resolution or answers here will be disappointed. Though we know now what happened to the characters from the previous books when they grew up, a whole host of other questions, especially about the nature of the world and the changes happening in it, are left unanswered. Perhaps Lowry plans a fourth book.

***SPOILER ALERT***

If you don't want to know about the ending of this book, skip this paragraph. But parents need to know that Lowry breaks a cardinal rule of children's literature at the end; child characters whom the reader has gotten to know don't die. Here one does, though Lowry has kept the reader at such an emotional distance that it is not as devastating as it might be. The death is a Christ-like sacrifice to save the world from the amorphous evil that's tying it up in knots, thereby ratcheting up the allegorical quotient of the whole series, but some children may find it disturbing.

Lowry's writing is, as always, rich and beautifully textured, and her story is gripping. But while a little ambiguity can be intriguing, it's a spice best used sparingly.

From the Book:
But he felt a sudden jolt of painful energy enter his arm, concentrated in his fingertips. Matty was unable to move. His hand grasped the nearly severed leg and he could feel his own blood moving through its vessels. His pulse thrummed and he could hear the sound of it.

Terrified, Matty held his breath for what seemed forever. Then it all stopped. The thing that had happened ended. He lifted his hand tentatively from the wounded frog.

Churrump.
Churrump.