Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry

For those of you who liked The Giver, this book is a must-read! It is advertised as the sequel to The Giver, but does not continue the story. Therefore, you can enjoy this book even without ever having read the first.

Lois Lowry explains that, "in the distant future, after the world we know has wrecked itself, . . . new kinds of societies will emerge." Gathering Blue is about a girl named Kira who lives in one such society. The story begins with Kira mourning her mother's death. She is left with nothing: no house, no money, no family (her father died before she was born). Kira's story is one of courage as she does what's "right" in the midst of danger.

Lowry's writing is so simple yet captivating that you will not be able to put the book down. With 215 pages and having been written for young adults, you can easily finish it in one day. The concepts portrayed are thought-provoking and applicable to our own lives, despite the sci-fi genre.

I highly recommend Gathering Blue and look forward to reading its own sequel, Messenger.