The Messenger
Written by Lois Lowry
Reviewed by Caroline S (age 10)
The Messenger is the story of a fifteen year- old boy, Mattie, who lives in a peaceful town called Village. Village is a town where everyone is accepted and where the crippled and disabled are rescued from being thrown away. They live in peace for the rest of their lives. Mattie enjoys living in Village and his task; to take messages through Forest, a violent, tangled mass of trees and vines. He dreams of taking the title of The Messenger. Little does he know that he has a powerful talent. He lives with the old man, Seer, who makes up for his blindness with his incredible hearing. But these good times are being swept away. Village has begun to close against newcomers. Everyone knows that it is only a matter of time before Village is closed away from the rest of the world forever. Seer begins to worry desperately about his daughter, Kira, who is crippled and lives on the other side of Forest. Seer is desperate but he knows that he cannot go through Forest. So Mattie begins a long and dangerous journey to rescue Kira, a journey that will change their lives forever.
The Messenger is a suspenseful tale that will mystify readers everywhere. I absolutely loved this book up until the bittersweet ending. This book has surprises around every corner that will change the whole book and the way you think. Lois Lowry does an amazing job of slipping emotion into every crack. You will feel what the characters are feeling and you will bond with some and utterly hate others. I think that during this book, Mattie changed a lot. I think that he learned a lot about the secrets of the world he lived in and that there are powerful forces just waiting to suck you in. I think that Mattie has also learned about himself in a way that only he could explain. While reading this book, I began to wonder what the future would really be like. I don't want the world to be changed by cruel and evil forces. I also really like the way that Lois Lowry writes because she doesn't tell you exactly what happens but gives you one small hint that tells you though you want to pretend it wasn't true. This book takes characters from The Giver and Gathering Blue, but you can read it without reading those.
I will recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark stories and can handle an intense plot. This is a mature book that I won't recommend to anyone under fourth grade.