Yet another favorite of mine.
Gathering Blue is set in the same universe as
The Giver, but Kira lives in a very different world than Jonas. Kira is lucky to be alive. She was born with a twisted leg and as she was perceived to be a burden on society, the rest of the community wanted to be rid of her. However, her mother knew that Kira was strong and fought to keep her daughter. The book is set many years later. Kira's mother has recently died. Once again, she is faced with those that want to push her out of the community, but this time is rescued by the Council of Edifice. She is known for her skill with threads and is put to the task of restoring the Singer's robe. Each year, the Singer shares the story of the past with the robe and a special staff. She meets Thomas who is responsible for the staff. Also in her life is Matt, a poor boy that has a lot of spirit but also gets into a lot of mischief. As time goes on, Kira begins to realize that there is more going on than meets the eye and that everything is not what she has been raised to believe.
I really love this book. It's not quite as good as
The Giver, but I enjoy it more than
Messenger or
Son (though it is nice of the series to have conclusion). For the most part,
Gathering Blue can be read as a stand alone, though I think I appreciated it more because I read it after reading
The Giver. Though Kira's existence is completely different from Jonas', her journey is not so dissimilar. Like Jonas, Kira comes to discover that society has been lying to her and those around her. She begins to see the world through new eyes and starts to work towards changing it. I feel like I highly recommend a lot of books but this is one that I feel very strongly about. If you have read
The Giver, I strongly suggest finishing out the quartet. And even if you haven't read/liked it, I still suggest this title. It is similar enough content wise, but still feel that it has it's own unique voice and can appeal to many readers.
Happy Reading!
-Melly
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