The Giver

Lowry, Lois. (1993). The Giver. New York: Random House.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Annotation:  

The implications of a young boy's twelfth birthday will change his life forever.

Booktalk:

What does it mean to be The Giver? In eleven year-old Jonas' utopic society everything in life is decided by the Elders; your name, your parents, your job, your life partner. The community naively enjoys the simplicity that a controlled lifestyle brings;  pain, suffering, and all things negative have been eliminated.

However, Jonas' perfect world begins to show cracks after the Ceremony of Twelves where he is selected to begin apprenticing under The Giver. Will his new assignment sustain his role in the community, or will it open his eyes to a world of possibilities? Join Jonas on his journey to understand what it means to be The Giver.

Awards: 

• A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book 
• ALA Best Book for Young Adults 
• ALA notable Book for Children 
• Booklist Editor's Choice 
• Newberry Medal, 1994 
• Regina Medal, 1994 
• School Library Journal's Best Books of the Year 
• William Allen White Children's Book Award, 1996

Annie on My Mind

Garden, Nancy. (1992). Annie on My Mind. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.

Image Credit: MPPL.org

Annotation:  

Eliza Winthrop has her whole perfect life figured out. She is comes from a great family, she's class president, and she hopes to be accepted to MIT in the fall to study architecture. However, her plans are threatened when she beings a relationship with a new friend.

Booktalk:

What is on Eliza Winthrop's mind? Compared to most teenage girls who daydream about boys and obsess over fashion, popularity and Prom, Liza is different. She is a tomboy who aspires to be an architect and would rather hang out with boys than girls. In fact, she only has one girl friend until she meets Annie Kenyon. Annie is more original and unconventional than anyone in Liza's world. Annie is beautiful, talented, and completely understands Liza from the moment they meet.

As a friendship blossoms, Annie and Liza become inseparable, magnetically drawn to one another with great intensity. Are the girls simply friends, or is something more developing between them? One unexpected event will test their friendship and the girls in ways they never dreamed. The love and depth of their relationship will explain why Liza has Annie on Her Mind.

Awards: 

• ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 1982
• ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (Lesbian/Gay  Tales),  1997
• ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000, #48
• ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999, #44
• Booklist Reviewer's Choice, 1982
• Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award, 2000.