Negative Positive
Title: How this has become a classic is beyond me
Review: When I read this book for the Children's Lit class that I teach, I was horrified. Not only is the story ineptly constructed, but it also portrays the blatant manipulation of the child protagonist by the very person who's supposed to train him for his designated job. I had had high hopes for this book when I started reading it, but clearly Lois Lowry needs some instruction in how to create a functional alternate worldview. Her utopian world makes little sense because she fails to explore it in enough depth. I think if the book had been another 100 pages or so, it might have been worth the reading, but as it is, I'm horrified by both the popularity of the novel and by the uncritical manner in which it is approached by teachers and students alike.
Is the review positive or negative? 