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Building 903
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Expected 29 Sep 26In the tradition of her bestselling, award-winning phenomenon, The Giver, Lois Lowry delivers a story about censorship, comfort, complicity, and the radical power of books to open portals and unlock our humanity through our most powerful the imagination.Twins Tessa and Theo live in a world ruled by the tyrannical Koziris, where there are no dangers or rebels... or so they've been told. In this world, citizens live long lives, and while many hate Koziris, they are comfortable and safe. So, when Tessa's brother disappears, nobody wants to discuss it. But then Miriam, their 135-year-old neighbor bound for the retirement community, slips Tessa a key—not only to her brother's disappearance, but to the source of all real magic . . . books. As Tessa and her parents begin their search for Theo, Tessa learns that books not only tell us stories—they open portals and unlock our humanity through our most powerful the imagination. Once that truth has been revealed, Tessa won't be able to rest until she has retrieved her twin and society itself has been transformed.
Two-time Newbery-winner Lois Lowry has crafted a narrative that feels at once prescient and in this world, the imagination is the revolution. Not only does Building 903 sit in the same resonant space as The Giver Quartet, but it is also a profound addition to Lois's enduring body of work—and a testament to the strength and value of her voice, vision, and legacy.
Two-time Newbery-winner Lois Lowry has crafted a narrative that feels at once prescient and in this world, the imagination is the revolution. Not only does Building 903 sit in the same resonant space as The Giver Quartet, but it is also a profound addition to Lois's enduring body of work—and a testament to the strength and value of her voice, vision, and legacy.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 29, 2026
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About the author
Lois Lowry
185 books23.2k followersTaken from Lowry's website:
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.
I married young. I had just turned nineteen - just finished my sophomore year in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four children under the age of five in tow. My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.
After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was forty, I settled into the life I have lived ever since. Today I am back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living and writing in a house dominated by a very shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Bandit. For a change of scenery Martin and I spend time in Maine, where we have an old (it was built in 1768!) farmhouse on top of a hill. In Maine I garden, feed birds, entertain friends, and read...
My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.
The Giver - and Gathering Blue, and the newest in the trilogy: Messenger - take place against the background of very different cultures and times. Though all three are broader in scope than my earlier books, they nonetheless speak to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.
My older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world. But it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth.
I am a grandmother now. For my own grandchildren - and for all those of their generation - I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another."
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.
I married young. I had just turned nineteen - just finished my sophomore year in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four children under the age of five in tow. My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.
After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was forty, I settled into the life I have lived ever since. Today I am back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living and writing in a house dominated by a very shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Bandit. For a change of scenery Martin and I spend time in Maine, where we have an old (it was built in 1768!) farmhouse on top of a hill. In Maine I garden, feed birds, entertain friends, and read...
My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.
The Giver - and Gathering Blue, and the newest in the trilogy: Messenger - take place against the background of very different cultures and times. Though all three are broader in scope than my earlier books, they nonetheless speak to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.
My older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world. But it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth.
I am a grandmother now. For my own grandchildren - and for all those of their generation - I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another."
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Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
PUBLISH DATE: September 29, 2026
Building 903 by Lois Lowry
5 Stars
There’s something quietly powerful about returning to a familiar voice and realizing it still has new things to say.
Building 903 feels, in many ways, like a thematic companion to The Giver, but it reads less like a repetition and more like a reflection. This is a story about control, comfort, and complicity; but more than that, it’s about what survives when access to stories is taken away. Lowry leans into the idea that books are not just objects, but vessels of memory, identity, and resistance. And here, that idea is explored with a calm, steady intensity that never feels heavy handed.
The world she builds is unsettling not because it is chaotic, but because it is orderly. Safe. Comfortable. That quiet trade off, freedom for ease, sits at the center of the story, and it’s where the emotional weight begins to gather. Through Tessa, we see what it means to question that comfort, and more importantly, what it costs to do so.
One of the most striking elements is how the novel treats storytelling itself. There are clear nods to the kinds of books that shape us; both the challenging and the comforting, and Lowry seems to be reminding readers that all stories, in their own way, expand what it means to be human. But she also complicates that idea. Not every story is told. Not every truth is shared.
By the time we reach the epilogue, the focus shifts in a subtle but profound way. The question is no longer just about censorship imposed by a system, but about the quieter, more personal act of choosing what to say and what to withhold. Tessa, now a storyteller herself, makes choices that echo what came before her, deciding which parts of the past are too complex, too painful, or perhaps too intimate to pass on.
That final note lingers. It suggests that even in a world where stories are reclaimed, they are never entirely complete. Some remain fragmented. Some remain hidden. And some, perhaps, are kept that way for a reason.
There’s also a reflective undercurrent running through the novel that feels deeply personal. Without ever stating it outright, the book hints at the idea that a writer’s body of work may extend beyond what is visible, and that not every story needs to be attached to a name to have meaning. It’s a quiet acknowledgment that storytelling, at its core, is bigger than authorship, it’s about connection, memory, and what we choose to leave behind.
Building 903 doesn’t end with clear answers. Instead, it leaves readers with questions, about truth, forgiveness, and the nature of stories themselves. It’s thoughtful, restrained, and quietly haunting in a way that stays with you long after the final page.
This is not just a return to familiar themes. It’s a meditation on them. And it feels, in many ways, like a full circle moment. I’m so incredibly grateful to have read this book and add it to my list of
Novels that mean so much to me.
PUBLISH DATE: September 29, 2026
BOOK TITLE: Building 903
AUTHOR: Lois Lowry
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins Children's Books | Clarion Books
FORMAT: ebook
PAGES: 224
I received a complimentary digital ARC [Advanced Readers Copy] of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the Publisher and the Author for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. As always, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Building 903 by Lois Lowry
5 Stars
There’s something quietly powerful about returning to a familiar voice and realizing it still has new things to say.
Building 903 feels, in many ways, like a thematic companion to The Giver, but it reads less like a repetition and more like a reflection. This is a story about control, comfort, and complicity; but more than that, it’s about what survives when access to stories is taken away. Lowry leans into the idea that books are not just objects, but vessels of memory, identity, and resistance. And here, that idea is explored with a calm, steady intensity that never feels heavy handed.
The world she builds is unsettling not because it is chaotic, but because it is orderly. Safe. Comfortable. That quiet trade off, freedom for ease, sits at the center of the story, and it’s where the emotional weight begins to gather. Through Tessa, we see what it means to question that comfort, and more importantly, what it costs to do so.
One of the most striking elements is how the novel treats storytelling itself. There are clear nods to the kinds of books that shape us; both the challenging and the comforting, and Lowry seems to be reminding readers that all stories, in their own way, expand what it means to be human. But she also complicates that idea. Not every story is told. Not every truth is shared.
By the time we reach the epilogue, the focus shifts in a subtle but profound way. The question is no longer just about censorship imposed by a system, but about the quieter, more personal act of choosing what to say and what to withhold. Tessa, now a storyteller herself, makes choices that echo what came before her, deciding which parts of the past are too complex, too painful, or perhaps too intimate to pass on.
That final note lingers. It suggests that even in a world where stories are reclaimed, they are never entirely complete. Some remain fragmented. Some remain hidden. And some, perhaps, are kept that way for a reason.
There’s also a reflective undercurrent running through the novel that feels deeply personal. Without ever stating it outright, the book hints at the idea that a writer’s body of work may extend beyond what is visible, and that not every story needs to be attached to a name to have meaning. It’s a quiet acknowledgment that storytelling, at its core, is bigger than authorship, it’s about connection, memory, and what we choose to leave behind.
Building 903 doesn’t end with clear answers. Instead, it leaves readers with questions, about truth, forgiveness, and the nature of stories themselves. It’s thoughtful, restrained, and quietly haunting in a way that stays with you long after the final page.
This is not just a return to familiar themes. It’s a meditation on them. And it feels, in many ways, like a full circle moment. I’m so incredibly grateful to have read this book and add it to my list of
Novels that mean so much to me.
PUBLISH DATE: September 29, 2026
BOOK TITLE: Building 903
AUTHOR: Lois Lowry
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins Children's Books | Clarion Books
FORMAT: ebook
PAGES: 224
I received a complimentary digital ARC [Advanced Readers Copy] of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the Publisher and the Author for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. As always, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Want to Read
February 10, 2026I know this book is going to be iconic.
Read
April 27, 2026Not giving a star rating for this one.
Everyone should know Lois Lowry; The Giver and Number the Stars are both absolute classics. I was more than a little surprised to see this book coming out, as I didn’t think Lowry was still writing. But The Giver was so formative for me I leapt at it.
This is set in a dystopian future, after numerous climate change catastrophes, in a United States ruled by a man who is the only one allowed to run in the supposed elections still being held (his crassness, cycling through wives, and oddly colored dyed hair make the inspiration here… unsubtle). Peoples’ lives are tightly controlled, and many things are outlawed. Our protagonist, Tessa, learns about some of them when her elderly-but-spry neighbor is sent to mandatory retirement and slips her a collection of contraband - strange things called “books” that are full of oddly compelling untruths called “stories.” Tessa’s twin brother had vanished several months before the story, and there are clues that his disappearance was also connected to these illegal books.
If this sounds thematically familiar to The Giver, it’s because it is. And that’s what leads me to conclude I’m fundamentally incapable of giving this book a fair review.
The Giver was, as I said above, formative for me. I read it somewhere around age 10 and it completely blew my mind. So as I was reading this book, which addressed so many of the same themes and with a setting so reminiscent of the dystopia of The Giver, I expected to feel the same kind of thing. That didn’t happen, and I truthfully think it wasn’t fair of me to expect it to. The Giver doesn’t hold up that well as an adult; I revisited it a few years ago, and it was very definitely targeted at younger readers than me. I had the same kind of problems with Building 903 as I did then, having things in my head like, “oh come on, they managed to outlaw STORIES?”
And yet I didn’t have a problem with that sort of thing with The Giver. So I don’t know. I’ll have to throw this at some of my niblings and see how they feel about it.
My blog.
Everyone should know Lois Lowry; The Giver and Number the Stars are both absolute classics. I was more than a little surprised to see this book coming out, as I didn’t think Lowry was still writing. But The Giver was so formative for me I leapt at it.
This is set in a dystopian future, after numerous climate change catastrophes, in a United States ruled by a man who is the only one allowed to run in the supposed elections still being held (his crassness, cycling through wives, and oddly colored dyed hair make the inspiration here… unsubtle). Peoples’ lives are tightly controlled, and many things are outlawed. Our protagonist, Tessa, learns about some of them when her elderly-but-spry neighbor is sent to mandatory retirement and slips her a collection of contraband - strange things called “books” that are full of oddly compelling untruths called “stories.” Tessa’s twin brother had vanished several months before the story, and there are clues that his disappearance was also connected to these illegal books.
If this sounds thematically familiar to The Giver, it’s because it is. And that’s what leads me to conclude I’m fundamentally incapable of giving this book a fair review.
The Giver was, as I said above, formative for me. I read it somewhere around age 10 and it completely blew my mind. So as I was reading this book, which addressed so many of the same themes and with a setting so reminiscent of the dystopia of The Giver, I expected to feel the same kind of thing. That didn’t happen, and I truthfully think it wasn’t fair of me to expect it to. The Giver doesn’t hold up that well as an adult; I revisited it a few years ago, and it was very definitely targeted at younger readers than me. I had the same kind of problems with Building 903 as I did then, having things in my head like, “oh come on, they managed to outlaw STORIES?”
And yet I didn’t have a problem with that sort of thing with The Giver. So I don’t know. I’ll have to throw this at some of my niblings and see how they feel about it.
My blog.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A deeply moving and quietly powerful read, Building 903 by Lois Lowry left a lasting impression on me long after I turned the final page. Lowry’s signature clarity and emotional depth shine through as she explores memory, identity, and the family with a gentle but unflinching hand. The narrative feels both intimate and expansive, weaving personal reflection with broader context in a way that is accessible to younger readers yet profound. I especially appreciated how the story invites readers to sit with difficult truths while still finding moments of humanity and connection. It is a beautifully crafted work that feels important. I would highly recommend to anyone who values thoughtful storytelling.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
Read
May 9, 2026Thank you to the publishers at Harper Collins for this ARC!
I don’t even know how I’d rate this book. First of all, I love this author and many of her other works. I was very surprised to learn about this book and the bold perspective she decided to take in publishing it, but it is so necessary.
Such an interesting concept that is eerily connected to our present day, with a glimpse into a future roughly 70 years from now. It’s all very relatable & you get a clear sense of what things could quickly turn into in our modern world. I could totally see how our society could mirror this one, and you become hauntingly aware of how close we are to entire generations not having any ability to comprehend concepts, words, and even just normal aspects of our present every day existence. The last 30% was very wham bam 💥 & everything wasn’t clearly explained like I would hope for, but there is room for drawing your own conclusions as is typical for a L.L. book. It’s also meant for middle grade, so it concluded in a way that I believe would make sense for that age range. It also makes sense that the author couldn’t wrap everything up because it’s so close to our current existence in time, & there’s so much flexibility for possibility. I did really appreciate the HOW for what aspects made the impact in the end, as it was a faith-based nod that Lowry is not a stranger to. It would make a great middle school novel study!
I don’t even know how I’d rate this book. First of all, I love this author and many of her other works. I was very surprised to learn about this book and the bold perspective she decided to take in publishing it, but it is so necessary.
Such an interesting concept that is eerily connected to our present day, with a glimpse into a future roughly 70 years from now. It’s all very relatable & you get a clear sense of what things could quickly turn into in our modern world. I could totally see how our society could mirror this one, and you become hauntingly aware of how close we are to entire generations not having any ability to comprehend concepts, words, and even just normal aspects of our present every day existence. The last 30% was very wham bam 💥 & everything wasn’t clearly explained like I would hope for, but there is room for drawing your own conclusions as is typical for a L.L. book. It’s also meant for middle grade, so it concluded in a way that I believe would make sense for that age range. It also makes sense that the author couldn’t wrap everything up because it’s so close to our current existence in time, & there’s so much flexibility for possibility. I did really appreciate the HOW for what aspects made the impact in the end, as it was a faith-based nod that Lowry is not a stranger to. It would make a great middle school novel study!
Read
March 31, 2026I was initially so thrilled to access an early copy of this book, and I think it will likely do well regardless of what I have to say. The dialogue between mainly Tessa and her parents was so incredibly clunky that I found myself unintentionally skimming their conversations (which made up a huge portion of this book). So much of "Remember this?" "Well, you remember when" to provide some context for the reader and fill out the character's shared experiences. Surely there was a smoother way to do this, and I found myself bored by the way they shared information that they all know with each other. It felt like the characters were performing for the reader that they knew was there. I will say the first half does do a good job of establishing the setting and how this particular dystopia works. It feels realistic and certainly age appropriate. The themes championing imagination and of course being pro-book in a concerningly book-banning culture are relevant and important for young readers. Overall, not a slam dunk for me!
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 6, 2026
Reading this felt like coming 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 to one of the authors who shaped my childhood. Growing up in the 90s, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧, completely transformed how I saw stories. So getting an ARC from Lois Lowry who is now 89 years old?? 𝗜𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗖. 😭🙌🏼
𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 903 is a more reflective dystopian that leans into themes of 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵, and 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 all in the year 𝟐𝟎𝟗𝟗. The world feels eerily plausible; 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, and just 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 enough to make you pause. I especially loved the focus on 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧, not just stories, but portals to 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. It felt like a 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡-𝙘𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙡𝙚 moment coming from an author whose books have done 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 that for so many of us. 📖🔥
It’s 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩, and 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙙 in the belief that 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩, and 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 still matter, even in the most 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 worlds. 🥹
𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 ✨
📚 Books as power / forbidden knowledge
🏛️ Controlled dystopian society
👑 Tyrannical ruler
🔍 Missing sibling / search mission
📖 Stories as portals
🧠 Awakening to truth
💭 Reflective, philosophical dystopian
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗲-𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 💕
𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 903 is a more reflective dystopian that leans into themes of 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵, and 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 all in the year 𝟐𝟎𝟗𝟗. The world feels eerily plausible; 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, and just 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 enough to make you pause. I especially loved the focus on 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧, not just stories, but portals to 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. It felt like a 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡-𝙘𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙡𝙚 moment coming from an author whose books have done 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 that for so many of us. 📖🔥
It’s 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩, and 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙙 in the belief that 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩, and 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 still matter, even in the most 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 worlds. 🥹
𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 ✨
📚 Books as power / forbidden knowledge
🏛️ Controlled dystopian society
👑 Tyrannical ruler
🔍 Missing sibling / search mission
📖 Stories as portals
🧠 Awakening to truth
💭 Reflective, philosophical dystopian
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗲-𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 💕
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins, and Lois Lowry for providng me with an advance copy of this title.
Lois Lowry returns to dystopian territory in Building 903, and while comparisons to The Giver are inevitable, this novel is quite different. In Tessa’s world, citizens are comfortable, safe, obedient, and intellectually starved. Books are forbidden, fiction is considered dangerous because it encourages lies and imagination, and questioning authority has quietly become unthinkable. When Tessa’s twin brother Theo disappears and everyone around her is expected to move on as if he never existed, the story unfolds as both a mystery and an awakening.
One of the most unsettling aspects of this book is not simply that books are banned, but that the very concept of fiction has been criminalized. In this society, stories serve no purpose because they are not “real,” and that idea creates a world stripped not only of literature but of wonder, creativity, and independent thought. Lowry has always been skilled at writing communities that look orderly on the surface while hiding something deeply disturbing underneath, and Building 903 continues that tradition effectively.
I liked the way Lowry handles the speculative element of the hidden books themselves. Tessa discovers that these forbidden volumes do more than tell stories; they function as portals, allowing characters to move through books in ways that are never fully explained. Is it magic? Is it some kind of unexplained science? Lowry leaves that ambiguous. Children are often told to lose themselves in a book or let books take them somewhere new, and here that metaphor becomes literal.
The parallels to contemporary issues like censorship, authoritarian leadership, and the fear of uncomfortable ideas are impossible to miss. This feels like a cautionary tale about what happens when comfort becomes more important than freedom and when a population slowly accepts the disappearance of art, curiosity, and dissent. Because of that, I suspect this title may be popular on banned books lists, which only reinforces the point Lowry is making.
What also struck me while reading is how important librarians and school library media specialists are for their role in putting books like this into the hands of young readers. I am not sure the average sixth grader would necessarily pick up Building 903 on their own, but readers who connected with The City of Ember, The Forbidden Library, or other thoughtful middle grade speculative fiction will find a lot to think about here. This is the kind of book that invites kids to ask bigger questions than adults sometimes expect them to ask.
I had a few reasons for stopping at four stars instead of five. Some of the worldbuilding and the mechanics of the portal‑book concept remain intentionally vague, and readers may wish for a more concrete explanation. Also, the male characters are super smart and the female characters aren’t and that sort of stung. The ending came up abruptly and felt very rushed. I would have liked that to build a little. Still, this is a timely, intelligent, and quietly unsettling read from a legendary author who clearly still trusts kids to think deeply.
Lois Lowry returns to dystopian territory in Building 903, and while comparisons to The Giver are inevitable, this novel is quite different. In Tessa’s world, citizens are comfortable, safe, obedient, and intellectually starved. Books are forbidden, fiction is considered dangerous because it encourages lies and imagination, and questioning authority has quietly become unthinkable. When Tessa’s twin brother Theo disappears and everyone around her is expected to move on as if he never existed, the story unfolds as both a mystery and an awakening.
One of the most unsettling aspects of this book is not simply that books are banned, but that the very concept of fiction has been criminalized. In this society, stories serve no purpose because they are not “real,” and that idea creates a world stripped not only of literature but of wonder, creativity, and independent thought. Lowry has always been skilled at writing communities that look orderly on the surface while hiding something deeply disturbing underneath, and Building 903 continues that tradition effectively.
I liked the way Lowry handles the speculative element of the hidden books themselves. Tessa discovers that these forbidden volumes do more than tell stories; they function as portals, allowing characters to move through books in ways that are never fully explained. Is it magic? Is it some kind of unexplained science? Lowry leaves that ambiguous. Children are often told to lose themselves in a book or let books take them somewhere new, and here that metaphor becomes literal.
The parallels to contemporary issues like censorship, authoritarian leadership, and the fear of uncomfortable ideas are impossible to miss. This feels like a cautionary tale about what happens when comfort becomes more important than freedom and when a population slowly accepts the disappearance of art, curiosity, and dissent. Because of that, I suspect this title may be popular on banned books lists, which only reinforces the point Lowry is making.
What also struck me while reading is how important librarians and school library media specialists are for their role in putting books like this into the hands of young readers. I am not sure the average sixth grader would necessarily pick up Building 903 on their own, but readers who connected with The City of Ember, The Forbidden Library, or other thoughtful middle grade speculative fiction will find a lot to think about here. This is the kind of book that invites kids to ask bigger questions than adults sometimes expect them to ask.
I had a few reasons for stopping at four stars instead of five. Some of the worldbuilding and the mechanics of the portal‑book concept remain intentionally vague, and readers may wish for a more concrete explanation. Also, the male characters are super smart and the female characters aren’t and that sort of stung. The ending came up abruptly and felt very rushed. I would have liked that to build a little. Still, this is a timely, intelligent, and quietly unsettling read from a legendary author who clearly still trusts kids to think deeply.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars rounded down
Tessa lives in a dystopian nation where both political rights and personal rights like literacy and freedom of religion have been stripped from the populace. Her brother Theo has recently disappeared, and everyone is expected to pretend like he never existed, but when her elder neighbor Miriam leaves her some boxes behind as she moves into Elder Care, she learns that books are truly magical and may be the solution to finding Theo.
I thought the worldbuilding in this book was well done. It’s sort of a hybrid of science fiction and fantasy, although the reason that books can act as portals to other universes was never really explained. If you like books where a sort of wonder is maintained and the reasons behind the fantasy mechanisms aren’t explained, that may not bother you, but if you more prefer things on the science fiction side that may be a problem for you.
There was a surprising amount of religious theming in this book as well. This would be good for children who want to read speculative fiction but still have their stories grounded in faith. The family also all clearly loves each other, and the adults (Tessa and Theo’s parents and their neighbor) are more useful in this book than they are in a lot of middle grade fiction. If you’re frustrated by middle grade protagonists always saving the world on their own without parents who believe something bad is happening, this book is the antidote to that.
I had a problem with both the pacing and with the gender dynamics in this book. The characters didn’t start solving the problem until about 3/4 of the way through the book, so it felt very rushed. It also seemed like the ending was too easy for a dystopian book. It also seemed somewhat anti-feminist to me, as Tessa’s brother and her father are written as genuises and they leave their wife and daughter out of a lot of things because they allegedly won’t understand them. Tessa and her mother are of normal intelligence, and they mostly solve things through their emotions. It’s little messages like this that can tell girls that they’re not smart enough for science and normalize young girls being left out of things they could understand if it was just explained to them.
This book would be good for parents who are looking for a speculative fiction book for their children that’s age-appropriate but still has faith as a strong theme. I’d recommend it to fans of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s The Shadow Children series or of The Chronicles of Narnia, but I wouldn’t say it’s as similar to The Giver as the marketing material implies.
Building 903 releases September 26 from Clarion Books. Thank you to Netgalley, Lois Lowry and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Tessa lives in a dystopian nation where both political rights and personal rights like literacy and freedom of religion have been stripped from the populace. Her brother Theo has recently disappeared, and everyone is expected to pretend like he never existed, but when her elder neighbor Miriam leaves her some boxes behind as she moves into Elder Care, she learns that books are truly magical and may be the solution to finding Theo.
I thought the worldbuilding in this book was well done. It’s sort of a hybrid of science fiction and fantasy, although the reason that books can act as portals to other universes was never really explained. If you like books where a sort of wonder is maintained and the reasons behind the fantasy mechanisms aren’t explained, that may not bother you, but if you more prefer things on the science fiction side that may be a problem for you.
There was a surprising amount of religious theming in this book as well. This would be good for children who want to read speculative fiction but still have their stories grounded in faith. The family also all clearly loves each other, and the adults (Tessa and Theo’s parents and their neighbor) are more useful in this book than they are in a lot of middle grade fiction. If you’re frustrated by middle grade protagonists always saving the world on their own without parents who believe something bad is happening, this book is the antidote to that.
I had a problem with both the pacing and with the gender dynamics in this book. The characters didn’t start solving the problem until about 3/4 of the way through the book, so it felt very rushed. It also seemed like the ending was too easy for a dystopian book. It also seemed somewhat anti-feminist to me, as Tessa’s brother and her father are written as genuises and they leave their wife and daughter out of a lot of things because they allegedly won’t understand them. Tessa and her mother are of normal intelligence, and they mostly solve things through their emotions. It’s little messages like this that can tell girls that they’re not smart enough for science and normalize young girls being left out of things they could understand if it was just explained to them.
This book would be good for parents who are looking for a speculative fiction book for their children that’s age-appropriate but still has faith as a strong theme. I’d recommend it to fans of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s The Shadow Children series or of The Chronicles of Narnia, but I wouldn’t say it’s as similar to The Giver as the marketing material implies.
Building 903 releases September 26 from Clarion Books. Thank you to Netgalley, Lois Lowry and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Netgalley ARC Review- Thank you for the title!
The fact that we live in a world that inspires the author of The Giver to craft more dystopias is genuinely a tragedy in and of itself. The other tragedy is that I disliked this book for the most part.
Building 903 is very reminiscent of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, with a small side of Reading Rainbow. The issue it suffers from though, is the pacing is pretty abysmal, on account that there is not much that happens in the first half of the book. It's all discussion, and recollection and talking upon talking upon talking.
This book occasionally remembers to remind us how special imagination and writing is. Chapter 7 is a hall-of-fame-level experience alone as someone who grew up with nearly every book referenced but I don't think that most readers are going to get the same experience that I did. A lot of the titles referenced save for three of them are far from what kids are reading today, and it's not going to have the same impact that it would to someone like me who was able to identify every book just based on the excerpts referenced.
Not to mention that the actual Building is not seen nor interacted with until far beyond the halfway point of the story. Which is baffling, honestly.
Then there are the other issues that seem almost unconsciously included. Anti-feminist thought seeps into Lowry's treatment of her female characters, with the men being assigned hyper-intelligence and leaving them to childcare and other unprogressive gender roles. It just seems that when Lowry lowers the intended age group, too much is lost in that shuffle. Gone is the eloquently communicated horror of The Giver.
There could have been so much more to this book if it had not centered on classics that were so lacking in diversity. The novelty of the characters not understanding what basic items/concepts in life are as we know them wears off quickly, and the inclusion of texts readily available in the public domain is fine and dandy, but it feels like it's missing something. It totes imagination as this borderline magical experience and ability, but fails to recognize that it isn't an omnipotent and infallible thing.
The “solution” is also beyond baffling. It's so out of nowhere and makes barely any sense given the context of the rest of the book.
I wanted so much more from this, but am glad that there are other readers getting something from it.
The fact that we live in a world that inspires the author of The Giver to craft more dystopias is genuinely a tragedy in and of itself. The other tragedy is that I disliked this book for the most part.
Building 903 is very reminiscent of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, with a small side of Reading Rainbow. The issue it suffers from though, is the pacing is pretty abysmal, on account that there is not much that happens in the first half of the book. It's all discussion, and recollection and talking upon talking upon talking.
This book occasionally remembers to remind us how special imagination and writing is. Chapter 7 is a hall-of-fame-level experience alone as someone who grew up with nearly every book referenced but I don't think that most readers are going to get the same experience that I did. A lot of the titles referenced save for three of them are far from what kids are reading today, and it's not going to have the same impact that it would to someone like me who was able to identify every book just based on the excerpts referenced.
Not to mention that the actual Building is not seen nor interacted with until far beyond the halfway point of the story. Which is baffling, honestly.
Then there are the other issues that seem almost unconsciously included. Anti-feminist thought seeps into Lowry's treatment of her female characters, with the men being assigned hyper-intelligence and leaving them to childcare and other unprogressive gender roles. It just seems that when Lowry lowers the intended age group, too much is lost in that shuffle. Gone is the eloquently communicated horror of The Giver.
There could have been so much more to this book if it had not centered on classics that were so lacking in diversity. The novelty of the characters not understanding what basic items/concepts in life are as we know them wears off quickly, and the inclusion of texts readily available in the public domain is fine and dandy, but it feels like it's missing something. It totes imagination as this borderline magical experience and ability, but fails to recognize that it isn't an omnipotent and infallible thing.
The “solution” is also beyond baffling. It's so out of nowhere and makes barely any sense given the context of the rest of the book.
I wanted so much more from this, but am glad that there are other readers getting something from it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Lois Lowry is back with yet another dystopian societal commentary. In this novel, the leader Koziris has created a society revolving around control and censorship; there are no books, music, trees or animals, and every move is monitored. Honestly, this story is somewhat of a modern adaptation of The Giver with a hint of Fahrenheit 451, but reframed for today's societal issues.
First of all, the world-building was impeccable. Lois Lowry is able to transport you into this extremely censored society in a way that makes it feel like the day-to-day norm. The way she writes modern, everyday items into obsolescence to show the regime’s hold on society is flawless. Lowry also shows the digitization of the world as something that’s written off as a natural progression, leaving behind playgrounds that are now treated as artifacts that children look down on.
The characters were likeable, but I felt like I didn’t know any of them. The main characters are a pair of twins, Tessa and Theo. The story also focuses on their parents and their neighbour, who leaves behind a book for Tessa. The main premise is that Theo goes missing before he has to be taken away from his family to join a government education program, which would mean never speaking to them again. Tessa finds out through her dad, who has been working on a secret communication device, that Theo is still alive, and they go out to find him while trying to keep everything hidden from the government.
Now, I understand that this book is for middle-grade readers, but even though I thought the world-building was brilliant, the characters and story fell flat for me. I understand why Lowry wrote this book, and I think it is a really relevant and timely read, but the plot itself was not working for me; it felt like a background character to Tessa’s discovery of everything that was banned, which gets very redundant the longer the story goes on.
All in all, it was a good book that I think many middle-grade readers would enjoy. I would just be looking for more depth in the plot and characters, but overall a great read.
Thank you to Lois Lowry, Clarion Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
First of all, the world-building was impeccable. Lois Lowry is able to transport you into this extremely censored society in a way that makes it feel like the day-to-day norm. The way she writes modern, everyday items into obsolescence to show the regime’s hold on society is flawless. Lowry also shows the digitization of the world as something that’s written off as a natural progression, leaving behind playgrounds that are now treated as artifacts that children look down on.
The characters were likeable, but I felt like I didn’t know any of them. The main characters are a pair of twins, Tessa and Theo. The story also focuses on their parents and their neighbour, who leaves behind a book for Tessa. The main premise is that Theo goes missing before he has to be taken away from his family to join a government education program, which would mean never speaking to them again. Tessa finds out through her dad, who has been working on a secret communication device, that Theo is still alive, and they go out to find him while trying to keep everything hidden from the government.
Now, I understand that this book is for middle-grade readers, but even though I thought the world-building was brilliant, the characters and story fell flat for me. I understand why Lowry wrote this book, and I think it is a really relevant and timely read, but the plot itself was not working for me; it felt like a background character to Tessa’s discovery of everything that was banned, which gets very redundant the longer the story goes on.
All in all, it was a good book that I think many middle-grade readers would enjoy. I would just be looking for more depth in the plot and characters, but overall a great read.
Thank you to Lois Lowry, Clarion Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What worked:
The author is a master of writing dystopian novels for middle-grade readers. In this setting, the government controls everything, and citizens are afraid to say anything against the president. He has ruled for decades, and no one opposes him during elections. Animals have been eliminated from the planet, and Tessa’s pet “dog” is robotic. No religions are allowed, so the characters don’t know the meanings of prayers or the bible. All books have been banned because they spread dangerous ideas. Anyhow, fiction books are untrue, so why would anyone want to read about lies? Possessing books is against the law, and their presence in Tessa’s house creates drama.
Tessa was born a twin, but her brother Theo isn’t around anymore. Readers will wonder what’s happened to him, and investigators don’t know why he went missing. The government doesn’t like leaving Theo’s disappearance unsolved, so they’ve erased all records that he ever existed. The family doesn’t speak about him, but Tessa constantly keeps his memory in her thoughts. However, passages from Theo’s point of view pop up in the narrative, so readers know he still exists somewhere. The first passages describe him on a sailing ship, but readers will be puzzled by this new information. What happened to Theo, and what does their former neighbor know about it?
What didn’t work as well:
The book is mostly dystopian science fiction, but the absence of Theo inexplicably shifts it into the genre of speculative fiction. Tessa’s father tries to explain Theo’s disappearance, and it makes scientific sense up to a point. The moment Theo vanishes takes the story into speculative fiction because it lacks a logical, scientific basis.
The final verdict:
It’s always fun to see how authors foresee possible futures for the world, and this book takes current societal issues and makes them obsolete. It will have readers comparing and contrasting their lives with events in the story. Overall, I recommend you give this book a shot!
The author is a master of writing dystopian novels for middle-grade readers. In this setting, the government controls everything, and citizens are afraid to say anything against the president. He has ruled for decades, and no one opposes him during elections. Animals have been eliminated from the planet, and Tessa’s pet “dog” is robotic. No religions are allowed, so the characters don’t know the meanings of prayers or the bible. All books have been banned because they spread dangerous ideas. Anyhow, fiction books are untrue, so why would anyone want to read about lies? Possessing books is against the law, and their presence in Tessa’s house creates drama.
Tessa was born a twin, but her brother Theo isn’t around anymore. Readers will wonder what’s happened to him, and investigators don’t know why he went missing. The government doesn’t like leaving Theo’s disappearance unsolved, so they’ve erased all records that he ever existed. The family doesn’t speak about him, but Tessa constantly keeps his memory in her thoughts. However, passages from Theo’s point of view pop up in the narrative, so readers know he still exists somewhere. The first passages describe him on a sailing ship, but readers will be puzzled by this new information. What happened to Theo, and what does their former neighbor know about it?
What didn’t work as well:
The book is mostly dystopian science fiction, but the absence of Theo inexplicably shifts it into the genre of speculative fiction. Tessa’s father tries to explain Theo’s disappearance, and it makes scientific sense up to a point. The moment Theo vanishes takes the story into speculative fiction because it lacks a logical, scientific basis.
The final verdict:
It’s always fun to see how authors foresee possible futures for the world, and this book takes current societal issues and makes them obsolete. It will have readers comparing and contrasting their lives with events in the story. Overall, I recommend you give this book a shot!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I LOVED The Giver, so when I saw that Lois Lowry had a new book coming out, I knew I had to get my hands on it.
This story started out super strong. I love Lowry's writing so much. Her prose has a rhythmic, precise, beautiful quality that is not typical for middle grade novels published nowadays. The story is an interesting turn from the world of the Giver. It's quite similar in themes, but scaled back. Tessa's world still has color, and choices, and memories of a different time, but it lacks one specific thing: stories.
When I started reading it, part of me instantly thought, "Well, this isn't realistic. Lots of people love to read." But then I remembered how many people don't love to read. How much less people read than in the past, how many books sit on shelves untouched. Certainly we don't live in the world this book describes yet, but it is a chilling reminder of how valuable books truly are.
The only slight low point for me was the ending. It all just felt a little jumbled, a little confusing. A character ends up getting back from a different world through "prayer," but I'm not really sure what Lowry, as an agnostic, meant by that. I don't feel like it was explained enough.
Despite a few small complaints, I really did enjoy the book all the way through, and it gave me a lot to think about and ponder. One of my favorite elements were the different books (all of which I've read), that were included throughout. Especially my all-time favorite book, Little Women. Hearing the iconic first lines quoted was so happy for me, and gave me a real appreciation for how reading a book for the first time would feel: fascinating, addictive, a little scary. It would feel like being seen in a new way. Those were some of my favorite moments in the entire book.🥰
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC. It was an amazing experience!
This story started out super strong. I love Lowry's writing so much. Her prose has a rhythmic, precise, beautiful quality that is not typical for middle grade novels published nowadays. The story is an interesting turn from the world of the Giver. It's quite similar in themes, but scaled back. Tessa's world still has color, and choices, and memories of a different time, but it lacks one specific thing: stories.
When I started reading it, part of me instantly thought, "Well, this isn't realistic. Lots of people love to read." But then I remembered how many people don't love to read. How much less people read than in the past, how many books sit on shelves untouched. Certainly we don't live in the world this book describes yet, but it is a chilling reminder of how valuable books truly are.
The only slight low point for me was the ending. It all just felt a little jumbled, a little confusing. A character ends up getting back from a different world through "prayer," but I'm not really sure what Lowry, as an agnostic, meant by that. I don't feel like it was explained enough.
Despite a few small complaints, I really did enjoy the book all the way through, and it gave me a lot to think about and ponder. One of my favorite elements were the different books (all of which I've read), that were included throughout. Especially my all-time favorite book, Little Women. Hearing the iconic first lines quoted was so happy for me, and gave me a real appreciation for how reading a book for the first time would feel: fascinating, addictive, a little scary. It would feel like being seen in a new way. Those were some of my favorite moments in the entire book.🥰
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC. It was an amazing experience!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First, I was incredibly excited to receive this ARC. The Giver was one of my favorite books when I was younger and part of the reason I fell in love with reading as a child.
I LOVED THIS CONCEPT IDEA! The idea that a kid gets literally lost in a book? Sign me up. Lost in a book where books are banned? I'M SAT. I enjoyed the story aspect of the book a lot, and my thought was that it is supposed to be the same age ranger as The Giver. With that being said, at the end of the story I found myself wanting MORE. I wished it was a little more in depth. I know this is for the age range of middle grade but it felt a little younger and like it could have been fleshed out just a little bit more.
The characters in this story felt a little flat to me. I felt as if we didn't get enough time with the characters to really connect and become emotionally invested into their story and conflict. I did love the connection between Tessa and Theo, the secret language being a major part of the story really showed the depth of their relationship.
Now, the resolution of the central conflict just didn't hit for me like I hoped. Without giving anything away, it felt quick and almost too easy. I know this book is meant for a younger audience but this ending feels like a disservice to the story and to the reader. I would have also loved to see more of Theo's journey! Again, I know this book is for a younger audience and has to be smaller, but I think I wish this was an adult dystopian novel with a more fully fleshed world and story line.
Overall, I’d give this a 3.5. I had a hard time putting it down and was thoroughly hooked through the entire story. I would 100% recommend this to a middle grade reader. It's a great addition to the dystopian genre in an accessible way for kids to see the dangers what could happen.
Thank you HarperCollins and Clarion for this Netgalley ARC!
I LOVED THIS CONCEPT IDEA! The idea that a kid gets literally lost in a book? Sign me up. Lost in a book where books are banned? I'M SAT. I enjoyed the story aspect of the book a lot, and my thought was that it is supposed to be the same age ranger as The Giver. With that being said, at the end of the story I found myself wanting MORE. I wished it was a little more in depth. I know this is for the age range of middle grade but it felt a little younger and like it could have been fleshed out just a little bit more.
The characters in this story felt a little flat to me. I felt as if we didn't get enough time with the characters to really connect and become emotionally invested into their story and conflict. I did love the connection between Tessa and Theo, the secret language being a major part of the story really showed the depth of their relationship.
Now, the resolution of the central conflict just didn't hit for me like I hoped. Without giving anything away, it felt quick and almost too easy. I know this book is meant for a younger audience but this ending feels like a disservice to the story and to the reader. I would have also loved to see more of Theo's journey! Again, I know this book is for a younger audience and has to be smaller, but I think I wish this was an adult dystopian novel with a more fully fleshed world and story line.
Overall, I’d give this a 3.5. I had a hard time putting it down and was thoroughly hooked through the entire story. I would 100% recommend this to a middle grade reader. It's a great addition to the dystopian genre in an accessible way for kids to see the dangers what could happen.
Thank you HarperCollins and Clarion for this Netgalley ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In her upcoming novel ‘Building 903’ Lowery once again teases loose a thread of thought and weaves a story that leads the reader into a world where ‘story’ is an unknown word and imagination is unimaginable. You should, of course, read it the minute it becomes available and then you should share it with the people in your life that you like to talk over ideas with. And then you should read it again.
I saw Lois Lowery speak on the campus of Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, what feels like a lifetime ago —1998? Maybe 1999. Before kids. I went with my now husband, (we had just met) and we sat earnestly listening to Lowery speak about The Giver and her life as a writer for children. I believe this tour was at the time of her ‘Looking Back” Autobiography and I of course left with hard back editions of it, The Giver and others to add to my own personal ‘Building 903”. Those were eventually read by my children who are now almost ‘too grown’ for children’s books, but still can be convinced to read a Lois Lowery novel at my urging.
They continue to read them and I continue to recommend them because Lois Lowery writes novels for children about ideas and concepts that children are interested in, but are often left out of deeper conversations when talking with young people. They enable earnest adult conversations as well. I’ve always felt that Lowery’s books served as a bridge between my adult perceptions and those of my children, and others’. They have given me a starting point to have thematically complex conversations with friends and family. And it is this gift of communication and perspective that I value most in Lowery’s work. Building 903 has been no different. I’m thinking now about the joy of losing oneself in an amazing story.
I received an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I saw Lois Lowery speak on the campus of Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, what feels like a lifetime ago —1998? Maybe 1999. Before kids. I went with my now husband, (we had just met) and we sat earnestly listening to Lowery speak about The Giver and her life as a writer for children. I believe this tour was at the time of her ‘Looking Back” Autobiography and I of course left with hard back editions of it, The Giver and others to add to my own personal ‘Building 903”. Those were eventually read by my children who are now almost ‘too grown’ for children’s books, but still can be convinced to read a Lois Lowery novel at my urging.
They continue to read them and I continue to recommend them because Lois Lowery writes novels for children about ideas and concepts that children are interested in, but are often left out of deeper conversations when talking with young people. They enable earnest adult conversations as well. I’ve always felt that Lowery’s books served as a bridge between my adult perceptions and those of my children, and others’. They have given me a starting point to have thematically complex conversations with friends and family. And it is this gift of communication and perspective that I value most in Lowery’s work. Building 903 has been no different. I’m thinking now about the joy of losing oneself in an amazing story.
I received an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Many thanks to NetGalley, Clarion Books, and Lois Lowry for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5
I dropped everything to read this the moment I was approved. Lois Lowry’s The Giver was such a defining read for me growing up, and I was so excited to experience something that felt like a return to that world—something I could eventually share with my kids. Unfortunately, this one left me a bit disappointed.
It starts off really strong. The dystopian world-building is unique and, at times, a little unsettling in how it mirrors things that could feel a bit too close to reality. The first half does a great job setting up Tessa’s story, her search for her brother Theo, and a world stripped of imagination.
But the second half is where it lost me.
Everything begins to feel rushed, and a lot of the tension just… disappears. Once certain reveals happen, there’s very little sense of urgency or stakes. Building 903 is built up to be this major, ominous element, and it barely feels explored. There was so much potential there that just wasn’t fully realized. And then the ending felt abrupt, like everything suddenly shifts into, “there’s an uprising and things will be fixed,” without the buildup or depth needed to make it feel earned.
I did try to keep in mind that this is a middle-grade book and not written for me as an adult reader. That said, I still found myself wanting more- more depth, more development, more payoff- something!
Overall, the bones of the story are strong, and there’s a really compelling idea at its core. It just didn’t fully stick the landing for me. However, I still want to share it with my kids, as I think there are some good lessons to be learned from it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5
I dropped everything to read this the moment I was approved. Lois Lowry’s The Giver was such a defining read for me growing up, and I was so excited to experience something that felt like a return to that world—something I could eventually share with my kids. Unfortunately, this one left me a bit disappointed.
It starts off really strong. The dystopian world-building is unique and, at times, a little unsettling in how it mirrors things that could feel a bit too close to reality. The first half does a great job setting up Tessa’s story, her search for her brother Theo, and a world stripped of imagination.
But the second half is where it lost me.
Everything begins to feel rushed, and a lot of the tension just… disappears. Once certain reveals happen, there’s very little sense of urgency or stakes. Building 903 is built up to be this major, ominous element, and it barely feels explored. There was so much potential there that just wasn’t fully realized. And then the ending felt abrupt, like everything suddenly shifts into, “there’s an uprising and things will be fixed,” without the buildup or depth needed to make it feel earned.
I did try to keep in mind that this is a middle-grade book and not written for me as an adult reader. That said, I still found myself wanting more- more depth, more development, more payoff- something!
Overall, the bones of the story are strong, and there’s a really compelling idea at its core. It just didn’t fully stick the landing for me. However, I still want to share it with my kids, as I think there are some good lessons to be learned from it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As a big fan of ‘The Giver’ series, I was looking forward to reading an advanced copy of Lois Lowry’s newest book. Unfortunately I found myself very disappointed. ‘Building 903’ doesn’t quite live up to the polish and quality of ‘The Giver’. This is a review of an advanced copy, so it is possible this just needs a few more passes with an editor. But I found the writing to be quite YA, in a way where I felt that the audience was being explained to and dialogue was being relied on for exposition. This is also more near future, so while some things are a little sci-fi, others seem almost too close to current day. It’s basically a North Korean world but with robot dogs, which is exactly as disjointed as it sounds.
Theme wise, I thought this book was quite simple. Books (along with many other things) are banned, and finding books leads to some plot. It’s been done before, and done better. I’m not convinced this brings anything new to the table. It also has this weird choice to make both the main male characters in this book super geniuses, and it feels like the two female characters are treated as superfluous even though one of them is literally the narrator.
Ultimately this lacked the charm of ‘The Giver’ series. Post future magical realism is what I thought Lowry excelled in. 4 books in a series that all work for me? I thought this would for sure be a shoe in. Instead I got a kind of messy book that will probably work for middle schoolers.
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy. I’m hopeful this book will improve before its release date this September. As of now, this is a 2.5 star read for me. I got nothing out of it, I felt the writing was subpar for what I know this author can do with middle grade, and I was really hoping for more.
Theme wise, I thought this book was quite simple. Books (along with many other things) are banned, and finding books leads to some plot. It’s been done before, and done better. I’m not convinced this brings anything new to the table. It also has this weird choice to make both the main male characters in this book super geniuses, and it feels like the two female characters are treated as superfluous even though one of them is literally the narrator.
Ultimately this lacked the charm of ‘The Giver’ series. Post future magical realism is what I thought Lowry excelled in. 4 books in a series that all work for me? I thought this would for sure be a shoe in. Instead I got a kind of messy book that will probably work for middle schoolers.
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy. I’m hopeful this book will improve before its release date this September. As of now, this is a 2.5 star read for me. I got nothing out of it, I felt the writing was subpar for what I know this author can do with middle grade, and I was really hoping for more.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Entering the world of the imagination was a little like...well, like what taking off in a spaceship might be. - Building 903
A long time ago, I remember reading The Giver by Lowry back in middle school. I only somewhat liked it, and I quickly forgot about it. Until, I taught it to a bunch of 7th graders, and I realized how impactful it really was. Now, Lowry has done it again.
Lowry has once again created a beautifully written dystopian society. A society where; books are illegal, animals are extinct, and an authoritarian dictator resides on the throne of the society's backs. This story follows a small but loving family in the form of Tessa and her twin Theo, and their dad and mom. Theo goes missing, and it's up to the family to save him. By the help of their neighbor, the family is able to not only learn what happened to Theo, but they soon learn about concepts that they've never known about before.
When one things of dystopia, they think of a world like Mad Max: destruction, anarchy, hurt- anger. But Lowry once again has proven that dystopia's can start as everything thinks it to be: a utopia. Lowry shows us that dystopia's can have order and structure to them.
One of the key concepts in this book is, quite simply, imagination. What is imagination? Is it a lie or is it real? Should this concept even exist in a society like theirs? Tessa and her family consider these questions and why they live in a society that no longer accepts this word.
Like that of Jonas from The Giver, Tessa and her family must find their own way through their society and learn what things really matter - and what things they will be silenced for.
A long time ago, I remember reading The Giver by Lowry back in middle school. I only somewhat liked it, and I quickly forgot about it. Until, I taught it to a bunch of 7th graders, and I realized how impactful it really was. Now, Lowry has done it again.
Lowry has once again created a beautifully written dystopian society. A society where; books are illegal, animals are extinct, and an authoritarian dictator resides on the throne of the society's backs. This story follows a small but loving family in the form of Tessa and her twin Theo, and their dad and mom. Theo goes missing, and it's up to the family to save him. By the help of their neighbor, the family is able to not only learn what happened to Theo, but they soon learn about concepts that they've never known about before.
When one things of dystopia, they think of a world like Mad Max: destruction, anarchy, hurt- anger. But Lowry once again has proven that dystopia's can start as everything thinks it to be: a utopia. Lowry shows us that dystopia's can have order and structure to them.
One of the key concepts in this book is, quite simply, imagination. What is imagination? Is it a lie or is it real? Should this concept even exist in a society like theirs? Tessa and her family consider these questions and why they live in a society that no longer accepts this word.
Like that of Jonas from The Giver, Tessa and her family must find their own way through their society and learn what things really matter - and what things they will be silenced for.
March 27, 2026
I received an ARC of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.
Lois Lowry was my favorite author growing up. I read and reread The Giver series more times than I could count. This book felt like a hug to my younger self but also acknowledged the real issues we’re facing in the world today.
The world Lowry paints is orderly, uneventful, and full of technology. However, the arts, books, and basically fun have been banned. Animals are a thing of the past, music doesn’t exist beyond the patriotic anthem, and even sports are only watched as reruns on tv. Books are illegal, having one, reading one, and even talking about one can be dangerous.
The story revolves around a set of Twins, Tessa and Theo. Theo is X-cogni-superior, a super smart designation, just like their father. After their father receives an illegal book from their neighbor, he can’t think about anything else but the story. After much research in his lab he finds the orb in the brain, and when he reads the book, he finds that the orb activates. Theo, being the inquisitive child he is, finds a way into the orb, but gets stuck in the story because he never figured out a way home. Once Tessa and her parents realize what happened, they try and get Theo back.
I really loved the parental support in this book. I think it’s common for parents in children’s books to more or less be like “follow the rules” or “this is just how it is” and I loved how comfortable Tessa was telling her parents about what she finds in the box left by the neighbor.
Overall, this is such a great book that touches on the dangers of censorship, political overstep, and lack of imagination driven out by technology.
Lois Lowry was my favorite author growing up. I read and reread The Giver series more times than I could count. This book felt like a hug to my younger self but also acknowledged the real issues we’re facing in the world today.
The world Lowry paints is orderly, uneventful, and full of technology. However, the arts, books, and basically fun have been banned. Animals are a thing of the past, music doesn’t exist beyond the patriotic anthem, and even sports are only watched as reruns on tv. Books are illegal, having one, reading one, and even talking about one can be dangerous.
The story revolves around a set of Twins, Tessa and Theo. Theo is X-cogni-superior, a super smart designation, just like their father. After their father receives an illegal book from their neighbor, he can’t think about anything else but the story. After much research in his lab he finds the orb in the brain, and when he reads the book, he finds that the orb activates. Theo, being the inquisitive child he is, finds a way into the orb, but gets stuck in the story because he never figured out a way home. Once Tessa and her parents realize what happened, they try and get Theo back.
I really loved the parental support in this book. I think it’s common for parents in children’s books to more or less be like “follow the rules” or “this is just how it is” and I loved how comfortable Tessa was telling her parents about what she finds in the box left by the neighbor.
Overall, this is such a great book that touches on the dangers of censorship, political overstep, and lack of imagination driven out by technology.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.
3.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Building 903 exists in the near future when a narcissistic fascist has taken over the government, installed himself as the permanent president, and outlawed most constitutional freedoms.
The story follows Tessa and her parents as they search for her missing twin brother after he interacts with illegal contraband—a book.
The premise of the is book is extremely interesting and timely. As is the moral of the story questioning the effect book bans—and bans in general—have on our society.
However, this book just didn’t land profoundly for me. The story felt rushed and could have benefited from deeper world building around the friction Koziris’ rule had on the population and show why those frictions cause unrest.
Additionally, I couldn’t get past how reckless Tessa’s parents were in involving their children in several dangerous situations. Fascism aside, their actions just didn’t make sense from a parental standpoint and this felt jarringly unrealistic.
Lastly, Lowry seemed to write a lot of “tell, and not show.” I understand this book is for a younger audience, but, there were several unnecessary points in the book where themes were pointed out explicitly instead of letting the reader come to the conclusion on their own. This rubbed me the wrong way as it kept the text from being thought-provoking and showed Lowry’s obvious bias—not that I disagree with it.
Ultimately, this book didn’t reach the same heights as the Giver and, while an important and necessary topic, the strength of the message fell flat and shallow due to the lack of nuance and oversimplified statements.
3.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Building 903 exists in the near future when a narcissistic fascist has taken over the government, installed himself as the permanent president, and outlawed most constitutional freedoms.
The story follows Tessa and her parents as they search for her missing twin brother after he interacts with illegal contraband—a book.
The premise of the is book is extremely interesting and timely. As is the moral of the story questioning the effect book bans—and bans in general—have on our society.
However, this book just didn’t land profoundly for me. The story felt rushed and could have benefited from deeper world building around the friction Koziris’ rule had on the population and show why those frictions cause unrest.
Additionally, I couldn’t get past how reckless Tessa’s parents were in involving their children in several dangerous situations. Fascism aside, their actions just didn’t make sense from a parental standpoint and this felt jarringly unrealistic.
Lastly, Lowry seemed to write a lot of “tell, and not show.” I understand this book is for a younger audience, but, there were several unnecessary points in the book where themes were pointed out explicitly instead of letting the reader come to the conclusion on their own. This rubbed me the wrong way as it kept the text from being thought-provoking and showed Lowry’s obvious bias—not that I disagree with it.
Ultimately, this book didn’t reach the same heights as the Giver and, while an important and necessary topic, the strength of the message fell flat and shallow due to the lack of nuance and oversimplified statements.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A big fan of many of Lois Lowry's books, I was excited to be selected to read her newest book, Building 903. The book touches on important themes of censorship, government control and what happens when we accept the status quo. Our main characters, twins Tessa and Theo, each help narrate the story - though the first time Theo's voice showed up confused me at first.
I feel like the story started really strong, with a good amount of world building bringing us into a community where everyone works together, no one wants and imagination has disappeared. Tessa's family is currently dealing with the disappearance of her brother, Theo. When an elderly neighbor leaves for the care home, she leaves Tessa with an unexpected "gift" that might just help the family figure out what happened to Theo and how to help get him home. I really enjoyed the family aspect of this story and how the adults were part of the story.
The second half of the book felt very rushed compared to the first part, which was unfortunate because it left me wanting to know more. Everything gets wrapped up quite nicely, including Theo's return, but the reader might be left with some questions. I wanted to know more about Miriam and Oskar, the baseball glove, Building 903, the government coup and the Puns.
While I liked the book overall, I felt rushed at the end and like something was missing to help round out the end of the story. While I think middle grade readers will still enjoy the read, I wonder if they will also feel this way. Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars.
I feel like the story started really strong, with a good amount of world building bringing us into a community where everyone works together, no one wants and imagination has disappeared. Tessa's family is currently dealing with the disappearance of her brother, Theo. When an elderly neighbor leaves for the care home, she leaves Tessa with an unexpected "gift" that might just help the family figure out what happened to Theo and how to help get him home. I really enjoyed the family aspect of this story and how the adults were part of the story.
The second half of the book felt very rushed compared to the first part, which was unfortunate because it left me wanting to know more. Everything gets wrapped up quite nicely, including Theo's return, but the reader might be left with some questions. I wanted to know more about Miriam and Oskar, the baseball glove, Building 903, the government coup and the Puns.
While I liked the book overall, I felt rushed at the end and like something was missing to help round out the end of the story. While I think middle grade readers will still enjoy the read, I wonder if they will also feel this way. Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Really a 3.5
Building 903 immediately pulled me in with its premise. The story follows Tessa, who lives in a dystopian society where basic rights such as literacy and freedom of religion have been stripped away. When her brother Theo disappears, and everyone is expected to pretend he never existed, it adds an especially unsettling layer. Through her neighbor Miriam, Tessa discovers books, which prompts her to ask many questions about why they have been banned.
The worldbuilding was well done. It blends elements of science fiction and fantasy in a future that feels a little too plausible. The society is controlled, “safe,” and just unsettling enough to make you pause. What stood out most to me was the idea that it’s not just books that are banned, but imagination itself. Stories are dismissed as useless because they aren’t “real,” and that creates a world stripped of creativity and independent thought.
That said, the story didn’t fully land for me. There were some gaps about how the books functioned that I kept expecting to be explained. I understand that some of that ambiguity is intentional, but I still found myself wanting a more complete and satisfying resolution after such a strong build-up.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and think it could be a wonderful read in a middle school, as it would prompt many discussions in a classroom. The premise and themes are what really stand out. I just wish the wrapping-it-all-up had come together a bit more clearly.
Thank you, NetGalley, for my eARC.
Building 903 immediately pulled me in with its premise. The story follows Tessa, who lives in a dystopian society where basic rights such as literacy and freedom of religion have been stripped away. When her brother Theo disappears, and everyone is expected to pretend he never existed, it adds an especially unsettling layer. Through her neighbor Miriam, Tessa discovers books, which prompts her to ask many questions about why they have been banned.
The worldbuilding was well done. It blends elements of science fiction and fantasy in a future that feels a little too plausible. The society is controlled, “safe,” and just unsettling enough to make you pause. What stood out most to me was the idea that it’s not just books that are banned, but imagination itself. Stories are dismissed as useless because they aren’t “real,” and that creates a world stripped of creativity and independent thought.
That said, the story didn’t fully land for me. There were some gaps about how the books functioned that I kept expecting to be explained. I understand that some of that ambiguity is intentional, but I still found myself wanting a more complete and satisfying resolution after such a strong build-up.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and think it could be a wonderful read in a middle school, as it would prompt many discussions in a classroom. The premise and themes are what really stand out. I just wish the wrapping-it-all-up had come together a bit more clearly.
Thank you, NetGalley, for my eARC.
April 3, 2026
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins for allowing me the opportunity to read the ARC for my honest review.
I have always been a fan of Lois Lowry. I read my first book of her in 5th grade, Number the Stars, then later, taught The Giver to my students for several years. And that’s what this book reminded me of. There were similarities between Building 903 and The Giver, but this book focused more on books later on.
Tessa, the main character of the story, opens up, remembering a particular event from her childhood. An event that leads to a life altering change, not just for her, but for her entire community.
Theo, her brother, has mysteriously disappeared. It’s something that the family doesn’t talk about until one day when their neighbor is being taken to the elderly care center.
Miriam has given Tessa a key and a message to give her father. After discovering books inside these hidden boxes, Tessa and her parents have started down a path that will lead them to not only finding Theo, but also a way out of the controlled life they live in. A life where every move they make is monitored by cameras. We’re the only music they hear is the national anthem on a continuous loop. That the ruler of their area is never challenged and is elected year after year.
If you’re a fan of The Giver, then Building 903 is the book for you. Except in this book, the kids aren’t the only ones fighting for a different life.
I have always been a fan of Lois Lowry. I read my first book of her in 5th grade, Number the Stars, then later, taught The Giver to my students for several years. And that’s what this book reminded me of. There were similarities between Building 903 and The Giver, but this book focused more on books later on.
Tessa, the main character of the story, opens up, remembering a particular event from her childhood. An event that leads to a life altering change, not just for her, but for her entire community.
Theo, her brother, has mysteriously disappeared. It’s something that the family doesn’t talk about until one day when their neighbor is being taken to the elderly care center.
Miriam has given Tessa a key and a message to give her father. After discovering books inside these hidden boxes, Tessa and her parents have started down a path that will lead them to not only finding Theo, but also a way out of the controlled life they live in. A life where every move they make is monitored by cameras. We’re the only music they hear is the national anthem on a continuous loop. That the ruler of their area is never challenged and is elected year after year.
If you’re a fan of The Giver, then Building 903 is the book for you. Except in this book, the kids aren’t the only ones fighting for a different life.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Once again Lois Lowry weaves heartfelt storytelling with complex and advanced topics written in an approachable and wholesome way for young readers. I love that she doesn't shy away from hard topics but instead broaches them in a way that gets kids thinking without going too far. Her writing, as usual, is beautiful, and though this book is short, it's tightly paced and highly compelling.
The main thing I loved about this book was that yes, it was a dystopian with (younger) teenaged protagonists, and yet both Tessa's parents were very much involved with her throughout the bok and actually helped her on her mission. They had a wonderful family dynamic, and stuck together until the end. Her brother's parts of the book were equally compelling, and I loved that family element, especially since we don't really get that in the majority of dystopians.
I really appreciated the hopeful note this book contained, and the equally hopeful ending it delivered. The books mentioned were another nice touch, and the world felt fleshed out. I grew very fond of Tessa and her brother and parents, and also of Miriam, her defiant and stubbornly lovable neighbor. Overall this was a very good read and I'm glad Lowry is still writing, because her books truly are a gift.
Content: It was really clean, actually! Some mild peril, mention of tattoos given as punishment, dystopian elements. I'm struggling even to think of anything else. I would feel perfectly comfortable handing this book to any kid over the age of about six, honestly. It would make a lovely read-aloud as well.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced reader's copy! I was not required to leave a positive review and all opinions are very much my own
The main thing I loved about this book was that yes, it was a dystopian with (younger) teenaged protagonists, and yet both Tessa's parents were very much involved with her throughout the bok and actually helped her on her mission. They had a wonderful family dynamic, and stuck together until the end. Her brother's parts of the book were equally compelling, and I loved that family element, especially since we don't really get that in the majority of dystopians.
I really appreciated the hopeful note this book contained, and the equally hopeful ending it delivered. The books mentioned were another nice touch, and the world felt fleshed out. I grew very fond of Tessa and her brother and parents, and also of Miriam, her defiant and stubbornly lovable neighbor. Overall this was a very good read and I'm glad Lowry is still writing, because her books truly are a gift.
Content: It was really clean, actually! Some mild peril, mention of tattoos given as punishment, dystopian elements. I'm struggling even to think of anything else. I would feel perfectly comfortable handing this book to any kid over the age of about six, honestly. It would make a lovely read-aloud as well.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced reader's copy! I was not required to leave a positive review and all opinions are very much my own
May 4, 2026
ARC Review: Building 903 by Lois Lowry delivers a quietly unsettling, thought-provoking read that leans into the same eerie, controlled atmosphere that made The Giver so memorable. The story unfolds with a sense of calm that feels almost too perfect, slowly revealing a world shaped by strict systems and carefully curated truths. Lowry has a talent for making simplicity feel heavy, and here she uses that skill to explore how control can exist in subtle, almost invisible ways.
What makes this novel stand out is how it nudges readers to question the idea of choice versus illusion. It raises uncomfortable but important questions; what if a society believes it has a voice, but that voice is carefully managed? What if safety and order come at the cost of creativity, individuality, or curiosity? Without ever feeling heavy-handed, the book invites reflection on authority, compliance, and the quiet trade-offs people make in exchange for what they believe is stability.
Overall, Building 903 is a compelling, introspective read that lingers long after the final page. Fans of dystopian fiction, especially those who appreciated the moral complexity and emotional restraint of The Giver, will find a lot to sit with here. It’s the kind of story that doesn’t shout its message; it lets it settle in slowly, leaving you turning over its questions well after you’ve finished.
What makes this novel stand out is how it nudges readers to question the idea of choice versus illusion. It raises uncomfortable but important questions; what if a society believes it has a voice, but that voice is carefully managed? What if safety and order come at the cost of creativity, individuality, or curiosity? Without ever feeling heavy-handed, the book invites reflection on authority, compliance, and the quiet trade-offs people make in exchange for what they believe is stability.
Overall, Building 903 is a compelling, introspective read that lingers long after the final page. Fans of dystopian fiction, especially those who appreciated the moral complexity and emotional restraint of The Giver, will find a lot to sit with here. It’s the kind of story that doesn’t shout its message; it lets it settle in slowly, leaving you turning over its questions well after you’ve finished.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC for review. To be published September 29, 2026.
3 stars
Lowry is, of course, the author of THE GIVER, as well as lots of other books for young adults. I really enjoyed her Anastasia Krupnik children series too. This book wasn’t bad, but it was so abbreviated it seemed to only tell part of a story.
The book draws a bit from the current political climate, a fascist leader has taken over the country, refusing to give up power when his term is up, simply changing the laws to keep himself in power. Many things have changed in this new society, including no more marriage longer than ten years (mostly so the leader can have a new woman every decade,) mandatory elder care (except for the elite) and no more books, in fact, no more fiction at all.
Tessa’s brilliant twin Theo disappeared several months ago and her equally brilliant father has been trying to find him. Their next door neighbor is sent to Elder Care and leaves Tessa some items that might help her find him. But he’s in an unbelievable place….
This was a really nice idea but the book is so short (155 pages) that none of its ideas are fully fleshed out. That said, it could have been a lot more frightening and its brevity kept it from that as well, and, therefore, appropriate for younger readers.
3 stars
Lowry is, of course, the author of THE GIVER, as well as lots of other books for young adults. I really enjoyed her Anastasia Krupnik children series too. This book wasn’t bad, but it was so abbreviated it seemed to only tell part of a story.
The book draws a bit from the current political climate, a fascist leader has taken over the country, refusing to give up power when his term is up, simply changing the laws to keep himself in power. Many things have changed in this new society, including no more marriage longer than ten years (mostly so the leader can have a new woman every decade,) mandatory elder care (except for the elite) and no more books, in fact, no more fiction at all.
Tessa’s brilliant twin Theo disappeared several months ago and her equally brilliant father has been trying to find him. Their next door neighbor is sent to Elder Care and leaves Tessa some items that might help her find him. But he’s in an unbelievable place….
This was a really nice idea but the book is so short (155 pages) that none of its ideas are fully fleshed out. That said, it could have been a lot more frightening and its brevity kept it from that as well, and, therefore, appropriate for younger readers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I must confess I was never a huge Lois Lowry fan, but the concept of this one and the gorgeous cover really drew me in and I was eager to give it a try. Unfortunately a lot of the book focuses more on the totalitarian state and politics and punishments rather than the twins and books and magic. If the focus had truly been on the latter, as the blurb suggested it would be, I think I would have liked it a lot more. But I am generally not a fan of dystopian fiction - particularly when we are living in a world that feels like it is modeled on dystopian fiction - and the emphasis on that portion of the world building was not for me.
There is no doubt in my mind that this is a timely book. I'm not entirely sure how much it will appeal to its target audience, as opposed to the parents of its target audience though. I don't automatically think a book should be categorized based on the age of its protagonist - this doesn't feel like middle grade book to me despite the age of the twins. Still it is thoughtful and thought-provoking on a number of significant topics including technology, censorship, and totalitarianism - and those are important things in this current political environment.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
There is no doubt in my mind that this is a timely book. I'm not entirely sure how much it will appeal to its target audience, as opposed to the parents of its target audience though. I don't automatically think a book should be categorized based on the age of its protagonist - this doesn't feel like middle grade book to me despite the age of the twins. Still it is thoughtful and thought-provoking on a number of significant topics including technology, censorship, and totalitarianism - and those are important things in this current political environment.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I'll be the voice of dissent here. I did not enjoy this book, and to be honest I don't think it's a great book. I still give it 3 stars because I think the target audience, middle-grades readers, will likely find the book more engaging than I did, but I still don't think it's a great addition to Lowry's extensive body of work. (For the record and in contrast, I still love The Giver even as an adult reader.)
The world Lowry builds here is interesting, but the reveal about "imagination" and felt heavy-handed and cheesy to me. I felt like this book didn't know what it was trying to be -- is it science fiction? is it fantasy? The world-building and technology leaned strongly toward SF, but the last ~30% of the book, which really got into what was going on, was very much fantasy.
Lastly, the at the end felt like a forced addition to me. It came out of nowhere and made the whole story feel very rushed and unfocused.
I'm sad I didn't love this book by an author whose other work I often treasure. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC and the chance to review this book.
The world Lowry builds here is interesting, but the reveal about "imagination" and felt heavy-handed and cheesy to me. I felt like this book didn't know what it was trying to be -- is it science fiction? is it fantasy? The world-building and technology leaned strongly toward SF, but the last ~30% of the book, which really got into what was going on, was very much fantasy.
Lastly, the at the end felt like a forced addition to me. It came out of nowhere and made the whole story feel very rushed and unfocused.
I'm sad I didn't love this book by an author whose other work I often treasure. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC and the chance to review this book.
March 27, 2026
As a lifelong fan of Lois Lowry and someone who recently revisited the entire Giver Quartet as an adult, I had high expectations for Building 903. I was eager to find a new dystopian world to share with my daughter, and while this book has its strengths, it was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
The literary references and quotes were easily my favorite part of the story. Additionally, this book serves as a great tool for the next generation, encouraging young readers to question the status quo and look critically at the world around them—a hallmark of great middle-grade fiction.
Unfortunately, I found the world-building and character development a bit thin, although I do recognize that it is specifically written for a middle-grade audience, which might explain the lack of density. My biggest point of confusion was the role of religion and prayer at the end. I wasn’t entirely sure how it fit with the rest of the story.
Despite these flaws, this book was a decent entry-point for young readers into the dystopian genre. It was just lower than my expectations after reading other works by Lois Lowry.
The literary references and quotes were easily my favorite part of the story. Additionally, this book serves as a great tool for the next generation, encouraging young readers to question the status quo and look critically at the world around them—a hallmark of great middle-grade fiction.
Unfortunately, I found the world-building and character development a bit thin, although I do recognize that it is specifically written for a middle-grade audience, which might explain the lack of density. My biggest point of confusion was the role of religion and prayer at the end. I wasn’t entirely sure how it fit with the rest of the story.
Despite these flaws, this book was a decent entry-point for young readers into the dystopian genre. It was just lower than my expectations after reading other works by Lois Lowry.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Building 903 by Lois Lowry is a dystopian story set in a tightly controlled society where the Koziris regulate knowledge, limit scientific progress, and ban books entirely. People live past one hundred years, but at the cost of freedom and curiosity.
The story follows siblings Tessa and Theo. Their paths split when Theo is placed in a higher classification, X-Cogni-Superior, and his journey carries a quiet mystery that keeps you questioning what is real.
One of the most powerful elements in the story is its focus on books. In this society, owning, reading, or even hiding a book is a punishable crime. That rule defines the stakes. Books represent freedom, emotion, and lived experience. The story shows how literature allows people to feel, imagine, and connect beyond imposed limits.
It also highlights family and friendship, and how connection can push back against control.
Overall, this is a thoughtful and emotional read that blends mystery with a strong message about imagination, stories, and human connection. I genuinely enjoyed it.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the opportunity to read it.
The story follows siblings Tessa and Theo. Their paths split when Theo is placed in a higher classification, X-Cogni-Superior, and his journey carries a quiet mystery that keeps you questioning what is real.
One of the most powerful elements in the story is its focus on books. In this society, owning, reading, or even hiding a book is a punishable crime. That rule defines the stakes. Books represent freedom, emotion, and lived experience. The story shows how literature allows people to feel, imagine, and connect beyond imposed limits.
It also highlights family and friendship, and how connection can push back against control.
Overall, this is a thoughtful and emotional read that blends mystery with a strong message about imagination, stories, and human connection. I genuinely enjoyed it.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the opportunity to read it.
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