Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry Date of Publication: 2000 ISBN: 0440229499 Number of Pages: 215

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Average
GENRES: Fantasy, Science Fiction
THEMES: Life versus Death, Family, Prejudice, Good versus Evil, Bullying, Coming of Age, Appearance versus Reality

SUMMARY:
The story of Gathering Blue involves the character of Kira, who at the start of the novel is suddenly orphaned and at the mercy of the primitive, post-apocalyptic society in which she lives. With her clubfoot, she is bullied and threatened with death, but when those in her village discover her gift of embroidering what she envisions, she finds her circumstances altered. She is taken into the Council Edifice, where she is commissioned to repair and add to the ceremonial garment used for the Gathering, an annual ceremony of remembrance. Her training is helped along by an old dyer, Annabelle, who shares her knowledge with Kira. As she is trained, Kira makes friends with another child artisan, Thomas, who is learning how to be the village’s woodcarver. The two of them hear strange noises at night, and that, coupled with the sudden and mysterious death of Annabelle, makes Kira begin to suspect that all is not what it seems. When her young pal Matt brings her a surprise, she learns the extent of her caregivers’ betrayal…and sets out on a path to change her world once and for all…

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...

• loved The Giver
• likes the idea of creativity causing change
• feels like he or she has a special gift
• is artistic
• has lost a parent or close relative
• is burdened by a physical challenge
• has a strong sense of justice
• likes stories with revelations and plot twists
  

WHAT ELSE?
This book is a companion to the novel, The Giver, and is a glimpse into yet another society that has developed in the same post-Apocalyptic world in which The Giver occurs. At the end of the novel, the reader may realize that the “boy with blue eyes” is Jonah, from The Giver, though it is a subtle reference at best. The third in the series is The Messenger, and involves the minor characters from this novel, as well as others.

RELATED LINK:
Teacher's Guide
Student Reader's Guide