He Hunched His Shoulders And Tried To

I Believe Without A Single Shadow Of A Doubt That It Is Necessary For Young People To Learn To Make Choices. Learning To Make Right Choices Is The Only Way They Will Survive In An Increasingly Frightening World.

When I Wrote 'the Giver,' It Contained No So-called 'bad Words.' It Was Set, After All, In A Mythical, Futuristic, And Utopian Society. Not Only Was There No Poverty, Divorce, Racism, Sexism, Pollution, Or Violence In The World Of 'the Giver'; There Was Also Careful Attention Paid To Language: To Its Fluency, Precision, And Power.

I Often Compare Myself As A Kid To My Own Grandchildren, Who Are Around 11 And 14 Now. That's The Age Kids Usually Read My Book. And I Remember Myself, We'd Gone Through A World War. My Father Was An Army Officer So I Was Aware Of What Was Going On. But I Wasn't Bombarded With Images Of Catastrophe Like Many Kids Are Today.

I Think When You've Had Success, Publishers And Reviewers And Readers Are Willing To Let You Try Something New If You've Already Proven Yourself. They're Excited About What You're Doing, You Have People Interested In It, And Actually Waiting For It. It's Empowering.

Today Is Declared An Unscheduled Holiday.