Book Summary:
Matty is a young man that lives in village. A place where many of the people are outcasts or maimed in some way. Matty arrived in village from the outside and now lives with a old man named Seer. Seer got his name because of his ability to remember things. Matty wants his new name to be Messenger because he has the ability to go into Forest and survive. People in the village are beginning to change and becoming less welcoming of outsiders. They even consider closing the village to new settlers. This prompts Seer to send Matty to bring his daughter Kira from a far away town before the borders are closed. Matty must travel through Forest on his journey, and forest has started to become more dangerous because it has become alive and hostile. It is a warning sign. Matty brings Kira through the Forest and it soon starts to attack them. Matty uses his ability to heal by placing his hands on the Forest and allowing healing to enter the Forest and the villagers. Leader gives Matty his new name and calls him Healer.
APA Reference:
Lowry, L. (2004). Messenger. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Impressions:
This sequel to The Giver seems almost forced; however, it is still a book that should be read in order to complete the series. In the story the villagers start to change because of something called Trade Mart, but there is no explanation as to why they are changing. People are also interested in the gaming machines, and there is also no explanation as to why people want them or where they are made. If a company is making them then why not make other products as well like refrigerators. The forest is temperamental because of the villagers change in personality, but this is never explained either. Who created the forest? Why did it become that way? This book raises more questions than answers. It even ends without a clear ending. Matty uses his gift to heal the forest and the people, but it seems that this drains him and he dies. However, the story does not come out and say he did died. It's an interesting book, but I would not want to read it a second time.
Professional Review:
Gr 6 Up-- Matty, who has lived in Village with the blind Seer since running away from an abusive childhood, is looking forward to receiving his true name, which he hopes will be Messenger. But he is deeply unsettled by what is going on. He has discovered his own power to heal others and learned of disturbing changes within his community. Under the gentle guidance of Leader, who arrived in Village on a red sled as a young boy and who has the power of Seeing Beyond, the citizens have always welcomed newcomers, especially those who are disabled. But a sinister force is at work, which has prompted them to close admission to outsiders. Also, it seems that Matty's beloved Mentor has been trading away parts of his inner self in order to become more attractive to Stocktender's widow. When the date for the close of the border is decided, Matty must make one more trip through the increasingly sinister Forest to bring back Seer's daughter, the gifted weaver Kira. On the return journey, Matty must decide if he should use his healing but self-destructive power to reverse the inexorable decline of Forest, Village, and its people. While readers may be left mystified as to what is behind the dramatic change in Village, Lowry's skillful writing imbues the story with a strong sense of foreboding, and her descriptions of the encroaching Forest are particularly vivid and terrifying. The gifted young people, introduced in The Giver (1993) and Gathering Blue (2000, both Houghton), are brought together in a gripping final scene, and the shocking conclusion without benefit of denouement is bound to spark much discussion and debate.
Orlando, M. (2004, April 1). [Review of the book Messenger, by Lois Lowry]. School Library Journal, 50(4), 156-157. Retrieved from www.slj.com.
Library Use:
The Messenger would make a good study and discussion book for the different types of governments such as the authoritarian as opposed to the so called utopian. Students can study the differences and then have a discussion about them.
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