Book Reviews from a Teacher's Perspective

Author:  Neal Shusterman Themes: Coming of Age; Change vs Tradition; Death Genre: Science Fiction Recommended age for Reading:  The reading level is 6.5 which is about where the content level should be.  There's mild language throughout the story and there are parts with strong language, but not many.  Both books get a bit dark since death is a central theme to the story.  There's also a few violent scenes.  Scythe Plot: In this particular futuristic society, humans have conquered natural as well as accidental death.  People no longer die from illness or disease and if a tragic accident occurs, they can be taken to the nearest hospital for a resurrection.  This seems ideal, but colonizing other planets hasn't happened yet, so planet Earth can only sustain so much life.  As a result of this, an occupation some can aspire to is that of a scythe.  A scythe's main role is to end life at random in order to keep ...

The Giver  Author: Lois Lowrey Themes: Coming of Age; Individual vs. Society Genre: Science Fiction/ Fantasy   Recommended Age for Reading:  The reading level is 5.9, which is about right for the content.   There are a few parts of the book that are intended for mature audiences.   In one scene, the protagonist has a dream about a girl he knows.   In the dream, he is asking her to take her clothes off.   In the climax of the story, a baby is euthanized, but at this point of the story, the protagonist decides things in his society have to change.     Plot: Set in a futuristic society, the main character, Jonas lives a peaceful life with his mother, father, and sister. In this particular society, everything is provided for all the individuals…food, housing, transportation, and everything that is needed.   All the decisions are made by the elders including what jobs people will ha...