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Meg

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Meg’s Bookshelves

to-read‎ (230)
currently-reading‎ (5)
read‎ (942)

did-not-finish‎ (14)
favorites‎ (223)
audiobooks‎ (219)

read-alouds‎ (122)
re-reads‎ (58)
for-the-soul‎ (40)

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Meg is Currently Reading

Meg is currently reading

Every Reason We Shouldn't (Every Reason We Shouldn't, #1)

by Sara Fujimura (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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(47%)
— Sep 18, 2026 07:07AM

Sep 18, 2026 07:07AM

Meg is currently reading

The Road to Tender Hearts

by Annie Hartnett (Goodreads Author)

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(page 51 of 384)
"I heard that if you're in a reading slump, you should read this book. Too true! I started it yesterday and have been sad every time I've had to put it down...!" — Sep 08, 2026 05:15AM

Sep 08, 2026 05:15AM

Meg is currently reading

The Giver (The Giver, #1)

by Lois Lowry (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: re-reads, favorites, read-alouds, currently-reading, audiobooks

Reading for the 7th time

read in January 2017

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Meg said: " Just as good, if not better, the second time around!

*2022 EDIT* I decided to read this book as my 3rd novel study with my 6th grade students this year, and I'm so glad I did! They had so many insightful observations and questions as they discovered t Just as good, if not better, the second time around!

*2022 EDIT* I decided to read this book as my 3rd novel study with my 6th grade students this year, and I'm so glad I did! They had so many insightful observations and questions as they discovered this story for the first time. The Giver is about a boy named Jonas who has grown up in a dystopian community where everything is the same - there is no color, there are no memories of the past, there are no animals, and no freedom of choice. Everyone is assigned a family and everyone is assigned a job. Jonas is selected to be the next "Receiver of Memories." His training begins when he is 12 years old. He meets with The Giver regularly to receive memories of the past. The first memory he receives is of sledding down a hill on a snowy day. My students were shocked that Jonas had never experienced snow in his community - no weather, either, thanks to "climate control." With good memories like these, Jonas felt that his community was missing out on experiencing the good, but he realized he could not share these memories with his friend of family. One member of the community that he accidentally realizes he can share memories with is a newchild named Gabriel. Gabriel has trouble sleeping at night and when Jonas rubs his back to calm him, he ends up giving a memory of calm to help Gabriel sleep. Eventually, Jonas learns what it means to be "released" as well as what happened to the last "Receiver of Memories." With The Giver, he executes a plan that will bring change to both him, the newchild, and the entire community he grew up in. The book ends with some ambiguity, which is always fun to see how students react to the unknown! Reading this book again a third time made me realize how much of life we take for granted, how much of it we see as just black and white or "the way it's always been." It reminded me of the quote by Maya Angelou - "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better" and that's exactly what Jonas decided to do by the end! I recommend this book to both young and old readers alike!

*2023 Review* Just finished with my 4th time reading this novel with a group of 6th graders. This year, we are working on an extension activity to analyze memories that The Giver could have given Jonas, events from history, that aren't mentioned in the novel. Students need to decide if the memory is worth sharing or if it should just be lost to time. We've had some interesting conversations so far and I look forward to seeing what big ideas they come up with!

*2024 Review* This time, I read this novel with my 13yo daughter. She really enjoyed it and wanted to read the rest of the books in the series, but then changed her mind when I told her Jonas' story ends with The Giver. I love this book and love reading it over and over again with different groups of kids!

*2025 Review* Great discussions came from this group of kids! We had a really philosophical discussion about the ending, which is intentionally left to be ambiguous. I have typically taken a more optimistic view on the end, but most of my students were set on a more pessimistic view. I loved the discussions and how excited they always were to find out what happened to Jonas! ...more "

progress:

(page 174 of 225)
— Sep 18, 2026 07:06AM

Sep 18, 2026 07:06AM · see review

See all 5 books that Meg is reading…

Meg’s Notes & Highlights

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lại

1 highlight

No one would believe me but at times I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama.

See Meg’s 4 books with notes and highlights…

Meg’s Quotes

“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”
― Nicolas Chamfort

tags: philosophy

14997 likes

“But books–they’re different. When you watch a film, you’re sort of an outsider looking in. With a book–you’re right there. You are inside. You are the main character.”
― Alice Oseman, Solitaire

564 likes

“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
― Marthe Troly-Curtin, Phrynette Married

tags: happiness, misattributed-john-lennon, procrastination, time

21021 likes