which the injured and the impaired are seen as worthless wastes of space. He continues to tell her about a boy from the Village who has blue eyes, is around her age, and is not injured in any way (alluding to Jonas from The Giver) in the hope that will entice her to come with them. Kira declines to go with them to the Village, but it is decided that she will follow once her work in her current task is eventually finished. In the meantime, Matt will travel back and forth between Kira and her father Christopher, being called their Messenger, relaying their messages. Reception The book appeared in the 9th spot on the Children's Books version of The New York Times Best seller list on October 8, 2000, and again on October 29, this time in the tenth spot. Gathering Blue also received the 2001 award for Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults. References External links Lois Lowry's web site 2000 American novels American children's novels American young adult novels Children's science fiction novels Dystopian novels Lois Lowry Giver series Novels about orphans Novels by Lois Lowry 2000 science fiction novels Houghton Mifflin books 2000 children's books