Messenger

In teaching my university courses, I have found the book The Giver to be one of the most popular books around. This is a book that seems to make a big impression on those who read it, and I have been in more than one lively conversation speculating about the ending of the book.

Last summer I read Gathering Blue, which is the "sequel" to The Giver. Sequel may not be the correct term, but the two books are similar. Well, recently I read Messenger, which is the third book in the collection. This one clearly ties together all three books as you do find out what happens when a person leaves for another world. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but this one had a much more satisfying ending - one with some religious undertones if you read between the lines.

I think these three books are most appropriate for adolescents, although there are lots of upper elementary teachers who use them quite successfully with their students.