Messenger: The Giver, Book 3
- By Lois Lowry
- Genre: Fantasy
Common Sense Media says
Mythic vibe in engaging story of boy with healing powers.
- By Lois Lowry
- Genre: Fantasy
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Messenger, the third book in Lois Lowry's Giver quartet, links together the first two books, The Giver and Gathering Blue, and leaves the reader reaching for the next. The setting here is known simply as the Village, a safe haven for damaged people and a place of kindness, compassion, and community. But the place is changing for the worse. Villagers are selling their souls for mundane things, and that is unleashing an ominous, evil force that threatens to destroy everything. The mood is turning ugly. There's much to discuss. As in ancient myths, the difference between good and evil is obvious, nature reflects the health (or sickness) of the community, and it takes a self-sacrificing hero to right things again. Matty, Kira, and Leader (Jonas) are graphically attacked by plants and trees in Forest. A major character dies.
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What's the story?
In Village, outcasts from other places, often wounded or damaged in some way, have always been welcome. It's a simple place but friendly and kind. It welcomed Matty when he appeared one day out of Forest and over the years changed him, through compassionate nurturing, for the better. Taken in by Seer, an old blind man who can see what others cannot, he has grown from a mischievous imp who lied and stole into an honorable, well-respected youth. He runs errands for Leader and hopes to be called Messenger when he's given his adult name. But Village is changing: A selfish pettiness is taking root, and discord is festering. Villagers are becoming less kind, the Trade Mart is becoming dangerously secretive, and an unhappy faction talks of closing the borders to outsiders. Surrounding Village, the foreboding and animated Forest harbors a malevolence that is making it lethal, and Matty is beginning to discover within himself a gift for healing that frightens him. When Seer sends him to fetch Kira from her village on the other side of Forest before Village is closed, Matty doesn't know if he can bring both of them safely back -- and his fears are well-founded.
Is it any good?
QUALITY
Fans of The Giver series who are looking for resolution in MESSENGER may be disappointed. The story's not finished yet. Though readers now know what happened to main characters from previous books, they may be left with a whole host of other questions, especially about the nature of the world and how it's changing.
Lowry's writing is, as always, beautifully textured, and her characters are likable. This story's engaging but less complicated or complex than the other two books in the series. Some readers may want more from the ending, and others may wonder about weakly explained magical factors that move the plot along -- the changing Trade Mart and Forest, for example. But most readers will find those very good reasons to read Book 4. Spoiler alert: A child character dies, sacrificing himself to save the world from the amorphous evil that's tying it up in knots. Some children may find this disturbing.
Families can talk about...
Families can talk about Jonas, Kira, and Matty, the three heroes with special talents. How are they the same? How are they different? How do you think Lowry decided which gift to give to which character? Why?
How does Messenger compare with other books in the Giver quartet? Do you like the way it pulls them together? What questions are left unresolved? What do you think will happen in Book 4?
Why do you think some Villagers are willing to trade parts of themselves for things such as the Gaming Machine or having good looks? How does that change the Village? What is the role of the Trade Master? Where did he come from?
Book details
| Author: | Lois Lowry |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Topics: | Magic and fantasy, Adventures, Friendship, Great boy role models, Great girl role models |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Publisher: | Houghton Mifflin Children's Books |
| Publication date: | May 28, 2014 |
| Number of pages: | 169 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 8 - 12 |
| Available on: | Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle, Nook, Paperback |
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Great read for 5th graders or older
I loved the book. As the last of three, it connected characters from the first two books and answered questions that the readers and characters had concerning other people in the characters' lives. I can see another book with the changes in Village being the primary focus.
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Blend of Genres: Messenger
The perfect blend of mystery and sci-fi, with a pinch of dystopia, and a semi-fantasy filling is Lois Lowry’s very own: Messenger. This novel is just the thing if you need a passionate plot, but not many pages. As for story line, you will get intrigued at some point.
Even though the viewpoint is in third person, but is very appealing given that it is based on a kid’s view. Matty has a very bubbly and unique personality; his perspective throughout the story is very interesting. It’s fun to see his old styles back from Gathering Blue, and how he changed as well.
Many other characters from the prior trilogies are back. Jonas from The Giver is now “leader”, Kira from Gathering Blue is an important feature at the end, and Christopher (Kira’s blind father) is Seer, Matty’s guardian. This is nice for a little reunion, but also brings a little déjà vu.
To its credit, Messenger has some good things to say about selfishness and how it can corrupt an entire society. But it also brought up some weird, unanswered questions. You can only assume, and just go with it. The book's idea is that it takes major sacrifice to change things for good--and yet that touching thought gets a little elaborate in the storytelling. Only your imagination and theories can give you a clue and possibly allow you to continue.
In both good and bad ways, Messenger is obviously fiction. It’s nice to look into a realm of greenery as being alive, and with hands and vibrations. On the contrary, too much fiction makes the scenes feel illusory. Some parts seem like a joke, as they have no possibility in reality.
It’s best to read the books in order; otherwise, the endings of the first two will be ruined by Messenger. And, this one relies on the prior two books to have a complete story, whereas the first two could stand alone as books.
In final words, Messenger would be a great compelling story with many genres all bundled in a cozy amount of pages. It would be perfect “just for fun” read, or something to choose for a book report. If you do read it, I hope you enjoy it(:
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The Messenger By: Lois Lowry
The book Messenger by Lois Lowry is an amazing book. The main character Matty discovers that he has powers. This book is like a roller coaster with all the twist and turns. Would Matty and Kira be able to make through forest?
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