An exceptional book written for young reader. It is so good however that it equally suitable for adult readers. It is the story of a boy growing up in an extremely well-organised society that is supposed to a utopia. The book goes on to show that any perfect society that limits people’s humanity becomes a dystopia.

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It questions what it means to live a good life. It discusses the relationship between the freedom to be human and the the safety of controlled communal life. This book is one of the best of its genre (utopian-dystopian societies for young readers). It is conceptually strong and does not rely on violence and adrenaline to make itself interesting. A book to think about and talk over a lifetime.

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This book has rightly won a Newbery Medal. It is the first book of The Giver Quartet but it can be read as a standalone.