27 Feb Author Spotlight: Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has written numerous novels for both children and young adults, including The Windeby Puzzle, Number the Stars, and the Giver series of novels. Lowry received her first Newbery Medal and The Jewish Book Award in the children’s category for her work Number the Stars. She received her second Newbery Medal for her book The Giver, which is required reading in many middle schools in the United States, Canada, and Australia. The Giver was also ranked as the 11th most challenged book in the 1990s and 23rd in the 2000s, according to the American Library Association. Lois Lowry is still an active writer and speaker.
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The Giver follows the story of 12-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly utopian society. Everyone is assigned a family unit, a partner, and a job. Their community is precisely organized, and everyone’s life is planned out from childhood through adulthood and beyond. It’s a world without conflict but also without choice. At the community’s Ceremony of Twelve, those who have reached the age of twelve receive their life assignments. But Jonas is selected for a unique assignment to receive instruction from the mysterious Giver, which leads him down a path he never knew could be possible.
Set in 1943, Copenhagen, Number the Stars tells the story of 10-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen. In a terrifying time, where everyday things like school and home life sit in contrast with rationed food and the constant presence of occupying Nazi soldiers, it’s a time where it’s truly hard to be brave or see the good in the world. But when the troops begin to relocate all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie and her family take in her friend Ellen and present the two as sisters. As the relocation continues, Annemarie and her family must think fast to protect those they care for.
A story inspired by the discovery of the 2,000-year-old Windeby bog body. The Windeby Puzzle follows the tale of a boy and a girl living in a time where those who are different may not survive. Estrild is a girl who yearns to be a warrior like her father and uncle before her. Varick is an orphan boy who helps her train and survives despite his twisted back. It is a story that blends history and fiction to tell a tale of what might have been.
-written by Alex B, Teen Central Library Assistant
