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Gathering Blue | 
| Author: Lois Lowry
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $8.95
Buy New: $3.38
You Save: $5.57 (62%)
New (37) Used (19) from $2.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  278 reviews
Sales Rank: 21550
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 0385732562
EAN: 9780385732567
ASIN: 0385732562
Publication Date: January 24, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Lois Lowry's magnificent novel of the distant future, IThe Giver/I, is set in a highly technical and emotionally repressed society. This eagerly awaited companion volume, by contrast, takes place in a village with only the most rudimentary technology, where anger, greed, envy, and casual cruelty make ordinary people's lives short and brutish. This society, like the one portrayed in IThe Giver/I, is controlled by merciless authorities with their own complex agendas and secrets. And at the center of both stories there is a young person who is given the responsibility of preserving the memory of the culture--and who finds the vision to transform it. p Kira, newly orphaned and lame from birth, is taken from the turmoil of the village to live in the grand Council Edifice because of her skill at embroidery. There she is given the task of restoring the historical pictures sewn on the robe worn at the annual Ruin Song Gathering, a solemn day-long performance of the story of their world's past. Down the hall lives Thomas the Carver, a young boy who works on the intricate symbols carved on the Singer's staff, and a tiny girl who is being trained as the next Singer. Over the three artists hovers the menace of authority, seemingly kind but suffocating to their creativity, and the dark secret at the heart of the Ruin Song. p With the help of a cheerful waif called Matt and his little dog, Kira at last finds the way to the plant that will allow her to create the missing color--blue--and, symbolically, to find the courage to shape the future by following her art wherever it may lead. With astonishing originality, Lowry has again created a vivid and unforgettable setting for this thrilling story that raises profound questions about the mystery of art, the importance of memory, and the centrality of love. (Ages 10 and older) I--Patty Campbell/I
Product Description
Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. When she is given a task that no other community member can carry out, Kira soon realizes that she is surrounded by many mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world#8212;and to find out what exists beyond it.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 273 more reviews...
 Haunting December 14, 2008
It has taken me years to venture back into Lois Lowry's twisted future. The world of Kira, despite its notable lack of technology, is in many ways frighteningly similar to the world of "The Giver"--people manipulated and chosen based on physical prowess. I understand how that might be necessary for a primitive-like society, but it is still heartbreaking. Fortunately, Kira has a gift with needle and thread that means her salvation. Lowry's writing is haunting--I must give her that--and I was spellbound the entire novel. I don't know if it has the same impact as "The Giver" but it certainly is a worthy story and companion book.
 Blue.... August 17, 2008
Lois Lowry provides a little look into a fantasy world. No special powers, luckily, but it is an imaginary land with imaginary people. They could exist though, people could be like that... As the book opens our special girl is somewhat even luck to be alive.. Usually when a child is born with a disfigurement they are sent out to die, but Kira, now a teenager was luckily spared. The words "Gathering Blue" can have more then one connotation, but both may apply here. As you read the book, look occasionally to the front cover to gain insight to the heart that flows between the pages.
A Good Read August 6, 2008
I thought this story was a pretty good read but if you're looking for a fast-paced story full of action, you'll probably be disappointed. br /br /All in all, I thought this was a good book and if you like Lois Lowry's other books then this is definitely a story worth picking up.
 Bothersome Blue June 19, 2008
I found this somewhat slow to start. About 70 pages in it seemed more interesting. I continued reading because this has fairly decent reviews and I've read Lois Lowry's 'Gossamer' which I really liked.br /br /I have mixed reviews on this book. I did NOT enjoy reading this book. I thought the writing was well enough that I did like the characters and cared for them. I was bothered by how people are treated in this society especially the children. I felt a sense of urgency to continue to read to make sure the kids and the main characters turned out ok. With that said, I never found much relief. I don't understand why people are saying this has a happy ending. I wouldn't say this has a happy ending. Also, I thought the ending left you with so many questions...Why did she stay? Why not go and take her friends with her? Why didn't she tell anyone the truth about the dyer's death?br /br /I can understand how some people would like this type of book. I prefer a book with a happy ending, an uplifting moral/message or clean love story. None of that was found in this book.
Good read May 29, 2008
This book was interesting and a parrallel to The Giver, being a primitice society while The Giver presented a futuristic society. This is a worthwhile book like I said, but I read it because I was told it was a "companion" to The Giver, which is my favorite book. If you are looking to find out what happens to Jonas and Gabe by reading this book you won't find an answer! The conclusions of the characters from both The Giver and Gathering Blue are given in the third companion, The Messenger.
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