Messenger (Mass Market Paperback)

by Lois Lowry (Author) "Matty was impatient to have the supper preparations over and done with..." (more)
Key Phrases: Gaming Machine, Trade Mart, Fiercest of the Fierce

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up-Matty, who has lived in Village with the blind Seer since running away from an abusive childhood, is looking forward to receiving his true name, which he hopes will be Messenger. But he is deeply unsettled by what is going on. He has discovered his own power to heal others and learned of disturbing changes within his community. Under the gentle guidance of Leader, who arrived in Village on a red sled as a young boy and who has the power of Seeing Beyond, the citizens have always welcomed newcomers, especially those who are disabled. But a sinister force is at work, which has prompted them to close admission to outsiders. Also, it seems that Matty's beloved Mentor has been trading away parts of his inner self in order to become more attractive to Stocktender's widow. When the date for the close of the border is decided, Matty must make one more trip through the increasingly sinister Forest to bring back Seer's daughter, the gifted weaver Kira. On the return journey, Matty must decide if he should use his healing but self-destructive power to reverse the inexorable decline of Forest, Village, and its people. While readers may be left mystified as to what is behind the dramatic change in Village, Lowry's skillful writing imbues the story with a strong sense of foreboding, and her descriptions of the encroaching Forest are particularly vivid and terrifying. The gifted young people, introduced in The Giver(1993) and Gathering Blue (2000, both Houghton), are brought together in a gripping final scene, and the shocking conclusion without benefit of denouement is bound to spark much discussion and debate.-Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 6-10. Like Lowry's hugely popular Newbery winner, The Giver (1993), this story dramatizes ideas of utopia gone wrong and focuses on a young person who must save his world. Teenage Matty lives with his caregiver in the Village, a place of refuge, where those fleeing poverty and persecution are welcomed with kindness and find a home. But the Village people are changing, and many have voted to build a wall to keep the newcomers out. The metaphor of the wall and the rage against immigrants ("They can't even speak right") will certainly reach out to today's news images for many readers. But Lowry moves far beyond message, writing with a beautiful simplicity rooted in political fable, in warm domestic detail, and in a wild natural world, just on the edge of realism. Matty lives with his blind caregiver, Seer. Both of them were driven from home and nearly perished. The drama is in their affection; in the small details of how they cook, care for their puppy, and tease one another. Matty teases Seer about his blindness, even though they both know Seer sees more than most. In contrast is the terror of Matty's secret powers and the perilous journey he must undertake to save the Village. The physical immediacy of his quest through a dark forest turned hostile brings the myth very close and builds suspense to the last heart-wrenching page. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (January 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440239125
• ISBN-13: 978-0440239123
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #480,740 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting sequel but we still need another!, August 23, 2004

By	Gwen A Orel (Millburn, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Messenger (Hardcover)

I gave this four stars because I did read it in one session, despite my being exhausted-- Lowry sure knows how to pace a story and set up a world. Some thoughts:

1) It does help to have read the Giver and Gathering Blue. If you have, some of the offhand references have a lot more power. It's wonderful to meet up with Jonas (here called Leader) and Kira again, and see that their worlds coexisted. It's also increasingly clear that this is definitely our own world in the future, for not only do they share some place names (in Gathering Blue) but there are references to Moby Dick and to Shakespeare. So it's not "like" Earth, it is Earth.

2) A society defined by how inclusive it is of outsiders is a great idea! so it was nice to make that a defining issue, since if you've read The Giver, you know firsthand how it is that people have a place to go.

3) But there are a lot of loopholes. If it is our world, how did it become so full of magic? The forest has a spirit all its own. This is an issue in the previous two books but it seems larger here. And:

a. who is the mysterious Trade Master? What's in this for him? Why is Trade bad, but market day not... do they have a currency they were using?

b. what has happened to the old society of Jonas'-- we know he got books... but I wanted to know more. it seems odd that he thinks about his sister, but not his brother. Unless his brother is referred to somewhere in the book by a True Name and I just missed it-- where the heck is Gabe?

These questions leave you wanting yet one more sequel! and that's all right with me, because I'm a fan of Lowry's-- may she go on writing these!

Raises some interesting philosophical questions, like the previous two, so I imagine it would be a good one to read with kids (I'm an adult).

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gonna send you a message, gonna write you a book., August 19, 2004

By	E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Messenger (Hardcover)

When "Messenger" was first published there was a bit of an outcry from the children's librarians/educators of the world. As you may know, this book is the third in the Lowry trilogy that began with her often-banned-but-never-forgotten-classic "The Giver". It continued with "Gathering Blue" and ends here with "Messenger". The point of contention comes because depressing suppositions made from the first book now appear to have been wrong all along. In this third book, it appears that the heroes of the first two books are alive and well. Go figure! "Messenger" stands as a book that ties all three in the series together tightly. It almost pulls it off too.

You may remember Matty from "Gathering Blue". Once a dirty gamin with a faithful pup and a dislike of baths, Matty has joined a wonderful community. In a world where deformity and dissent are punishable by death, a town has arisen that takes in and heals all people in need. Matty has lived with his blind guardian there for years and the two have grown comfortable together. Unfortunately, something terrible is happening to the town. People have begun to trade the deepest depths of their souls in exchange for less important objects and qualities. There is a growing movement amongst the townsfolk to no longer bring in any outsiders in need. Greed is devouring the good of the land, and this evil is reflected in the town's nearby forest. Suddenly Matty is sent on a journey of unknown peril to fetch his guardian's true daughter and bring her safely into the town. Worse still, the forest is preparing to destroy them.

Like the previous books in the trilogy, "Messenger" has a straightforward writing style that's appealing to read. This book is part post-apocalyptic, part out-and-out fantasy. I enjoyed how Lowry presented the xenophobic townspeople. Having grown comfortable with their homes they traded their best qualities and suddenly started to forget that they themselves (or their parents) had once been in need of sanctuary. I look at the illegal immigrants that enter America today and see how this complacency and will to detest those in need threatens to destroy our home as well. Lowry's book is easily applied to a variety of different situations. This is just one of them.

In some ways, however, Lowry has lost her storytelling edge. The book has a very simple basic plot, one far less encompassing than that of "The Giver". Still, I found it a worthy companion to the previous two. Perhaps the ending is a bit symbolic for my tastes. Maybe it will depress one or two children here and there. On the whole, however, it's a great read and one that (to my mind) is as applicable to our daily lives as its predecessors ever were. Some will like it quite a lot and some will find it a disappointment. I have found it a slightly flawed wonder and a joy.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Book, October 22, 2004

By	J. Branstetter "Elementary Teacher and Reader" (PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Messenger (Hardcover)

I must say that after reading the reviews for 'Messenger' online while I was placing my order I was a little surprised at the number of people that didn't care for it. I have never read Lois Lowry book that I didn't enjoy. 'The Giver' and 'Gathering Blue' are two of my favorie y.a. novels. After reading 'Messenger' I fell in love with her writing all over again. It takes a great deal of skill to write a book that is on a young adult level, but is so well written, descriptive, and thought provoking to engross adults as well. Soon after finishing the book (which only took about 2 days) I quickly had coworkers reading it, also. I highly recomend this series to any parents of young adult readers, and to the parents as well. I feel that it is a story that all will enjoy. The best part is, the ending still has us wanting to hear more from Lowry. I can only hope that means this trilogy will be transformed into a fourth book.