Discount Salt Water Car Kit

Customer Ratings:

I expected that the car would just crawl around, but to my and my 4 year and 6 year old grandchildren surprise they had a great time chasing it around the kitchen. A good example of how a battery works, also wiring is easy but interesting. Well worth the effort to assemble, make sure and "deburr" as stated in instructions.

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Review of Pathfinders Leonardo DaVinci Ornithopter Wood Kit

Customer Ratings:

This was an amazing gift for my husband. He loves building complex models. He enjoyed this one especially and even made it his own by staining it and adding material over the wings and tail for a more authentic look. There were no missing pieces and hardly any of them needed adapting to fit.

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Purchased this for my husband as a x-mas present and he love it little hard putting in together but he loved every moment of it would recommend this for anyone who love to construct something

Creative Charms - Vintage Brads 9/Pkg Reviews

Customer Ratings:

These brads will lend an elegant, vintage look to your greeting cards. I subtracted a star only because the prongs that hold the brads in place are a bit short.

There are nine brads per package, six small (about 3/8" in diameter) and three medium (9/16" in diameter). Three of the brad jewels have a light violet opalescent sheen and the rest are faceted dark-amethyst-colored glass.

The brads can be used on all types of greeting cards. See above customer image for an example of a sympathy card using one of the small faceted brads.

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Nice addition to pages or cards. Metal has a tarnished look that goes well with different

styles of projects for a vintage look.

Buy PlanToys Pull-Along Caterpillar

Customer Ratings:

I bought this cute caterpillar for my daughter when she was about 13 months old. She loves pulling this little caterpillar all over the place. It has the cutest little wobble and is just so darn stinking cute! It's a good weight because of it's high quality materials. Which is good because it keeps the toy from flipping over when my daughter decides to run and pull it. Smooth round corners with very durable paint. It has a kind of rubber on it's feet/wheels so it can grip/crawl on the smoothest of surfaces. My only slight complaint is that I wish the string was a bit longer. But that is because my daughter is really tall. It would also be nice to see it come in other colors. Those two things though have no impact on me recommending this toy over and over again to any parent. My daughter plays REALLY rough with toys! This little caterpillar still looks new after all my daughter has put it though. Because of it's great quality, I've decided to buy all my daughter's toy foods for her kitchen from this company as well. Great product, you won't be disappointed!

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Very sweet little catepillar-I would definitely recommend if you've got a "puller" in your brood. I have realized now, after a few attempts of different kinds of pull toys, that I have two "pushers", so neither of them wanted to pull this little guy behind them. That was a little disappointing because it's never ever been played with and while it's not expensive, it's still not cheap. I can't find the receipt because it got lost amongst the Christmas mayhem, so we'll give this to someone else eventually.

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Movement is rather subtle, but still cute. Does not flip over easily and is made of high quality materials. Seems very durable.

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My toddler (16 months) uses Mr. Caterpillar like a little push car. When he tries to pull Mr. Pillar, Pillar tips easily and often ends up being dragged along on his side. Mr. Pillar is not easily righted. However, Mr. Pillar is exceptionally cute, and my son seems to enjoy pushing him around the floor with his other cars. Perhaps when he's a little older, my child will be less enthusiastic with his pulling, and Mr. Pillar will be able to wobble along sedately (and adorably) behind him.

ETA: AT 18 months, my son is rocking this all over the house.

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My child still loves this toy and pulls it around the house at least a few times each week. Would definitely recommend for a toddler!

Reviews of LeapFrog Read and Sing Little Leap

Customer Ratings:

My children, a 13 month old and a 32 month old, and admittedly, myself, LOVE this adorable little frog! The eldest received this toy for Christmas last year, and I have to admit, I was a little skeptical looking at it in the packaging. So many electronic toys can be too loud, too tin-y sounding, and just overall annoying. Not this little guy. I find the volume to be an acceptable level, the voice is amazingly clear and easy to understand, and cute to boot. At less than 3 years old my daughter can sing the entire alphabet from start to finish without prompting thanks to Little Leap. I was going to detail all of the games that Little Leap can play, but as I took it out to inspect it, the 13 month old came over and grabbed it out of my hands so he could play with it! =) One of the most fought over toys in my house, and provides long periods of educational entertainment. Highly recommend for children ages 1-6 because it is cute and fun enough to catch the attention of a young child, but some of the games are advanced enough to hold the attention of an older child. Since receiving this toy, I have branched out to other Leap Frog toys for my children, and I have to say I recommend the whole line!

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I havem mixed feelings regarding this toy.

First the positive:

First it is educational. It provides the letters, phonic sounds and numbers. It also has the double sounds of the vowels. It has games that you can play that reinforce the learning. It is very cute. It sings songs. Both of my older children (age 4 and 2) enjoy this toy. It turns itself off with no use. This toy is really not very loud.

The not so positive:

It is not the clearest voice and sometimes I have a hard time understanding the letters. My son does not though. It also takes very little for it to come on, if you just bump one of the litle buttons, it comes on.

I'd say overall, that this is a quality toy that lives up to the Leap Frog name.

I look for toys that are fun and easy to play with. I look for toys that have more than a button to push to make a sound. I look for toys that are not too loud. I look for toys that encourage exploration of the world and encourage creativity.

Although this toy does not meet all of these requirements, it is a fun toy. It is one I would probably buy again.

Enjoy.

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Little Leap is not only cute but offers educational entertainment for our little ones. The nice part about this toy is that the older your child gets the more interesting Little Leap becomes. At three and a half our youngest still keeps Little Leap in active play which prevents him from moving to the bottom of the stuffed animal bin. Little Leap is great for car trips and we soometimes catch our six year old interacting with Little Leap.

This toy is definately not a waste of money. It is played with more than it is ignored. We are very satisfied with Little Leap and our children are too!

Honest reviews on LeapFrog Read and Sing Little Leap

My in-laws gave this toy to my son for Christmas when he was 19 months old. I thought he was a little young, but he did enjoy pushing all the buttons and making the frog sing.

To my amazement, this toy taught him all the letters of the alphabet well before he turned 2. After just a few months of playing with this toy, he could correctly point to any letter I named ("Where is X") and correctly name any letter I pointed to ("What is this?").

The song to teach each letter is the same, so to an adult the singing is rather repetitious. But this doesn't seem to bother children. After several months of play, a couple of the letters became hard to push, but that bothered me more than it did my son.

I was impressed with how effectively an electronic toy could teach such a young child. I never set out to teach my son the alphabet so early, he learned it all on his own by interacting with this toy.

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Yes, I love toys that teach and I love this toy. Kids love music and songs and I think that that's the best way to teach. Froggie sings some catchy tunes while he teaches so the knowledge sticks. It also has a wonderful interactive feature that teaches while playing games. A nice response comes with a correct answer.

Unfortunately the durabilty of this toy is poor. Don't hit the buttons hard enough and you won't get a response. Too hard and the toy can break. There is just too narrow a range between the two points. Still, it's an inexpensive toy so I don't mind having bought a second one.

Cheap LeapFrog iQuest Grades 6th-8th Math Cartridge

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Iquest has many review lessons from many popular math books. The book my son uses is Saxon Math 76. He can go to his iquest, select Saxon 76, and pick the current lesson he is working on. The questions are based on the actual book and lesson. This product is working very well for us

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This is a good product. I would order it again. However, the picture on this website shows (or did) two cartridges. It is only one cartridge, but does include a lot of textbooks and questions.

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There is an element of FRAUD used in the photos shown on MANY of the iQuest cartridges on AMAZON. Almost ALL show TWO cartridges. However, you frequently only get ONE. The difference is the package that only has ONE, is an OLD outdated one and covers textbooks so old they are no longer used in the schools. They are primarily designed to be used by entering the PUBLISHER of your child's textbook, and then selecting the title of the TEXTBOOK so you can test yourself on the chapter you are doing in class, which makes the single cartridge useless.

However, you can still use them as just a questio and answer game, and just not enter the textbook info, but you should not have to pay the same price for them, as they only have about 50% as much info on them and do not co-ordinate with currently used textbooks.

I had to order 3 times before I got the current 2 cartridge pack. Amazon knows the photos are deceiving and refuses to correst them, which is FRAUD. Even after I called Amazon, BEFORE I ordered each time, to ask if I would get TWO or ONE, I was assured I would get TWO, and I only got ONE . . . .

IF you get the current 2 pk. edition, it is a GREAT deal and a wonderful educational tool. I homeschool and use these as part of our curriculim.

Cheap Spanish Chart Pack Assortment of Five Spanish Charts ?

Customer Ratings:

On the plus side, these posters are large and in Spanish. I did laminate them to make them more durable. I am not a teacher but I work in a school; the problem is that they are so large that I can't display them all at once due to the size of my office. I do use the months of the year with the birthdays written down.

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Buy DIG! DISCOVER: Egyptian Relics

Customer Ratings:

This was a really fun project to enhance our homeschool study of archaeology. It definately proved that my kids won't have the patience to be archaeologists, but they had fun and learned quite a bit from this well made kit.

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ALEX® Toys - Alex Jr. Wooden Whimsy Blocks -Baby Wooden Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $26.00
Sale Price: $16.17
Today's Bonus: 38% Off

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Where do I start when listing the appeal of this set of blocks? I fell in love with them at first sight. I'm even buying an extra set for an architect friend without kids who likes creative, artsy structures. But of course they are designed for babies, toddlers, and even children and they also love them.

Other features and benefits:

1. These go WAY beyond a standard set of blocks. You know the ones I mean: the traditional ones which consist of simple solid-colored squares or perhaps a mix of rectangles, cubes, and circles and a limited number of colors. Of course, there is nothing wrong with basic blocks but Whimsy Blocks encourage extra creativity. Images of human faces, flowers, hearts, and more allow youngsters who want to go beyond building houses to design people, gardens, and a mix of creations. Fun! And yes, I had to have my turn with these after the visiting kids were in bed.

2. Whoever created the designs on each of these "Whimsey Blocks" (and they truly are whimsical) really understands what appeals to young ones. The images are easy to see, the colors are vivid, and the shapes are amazingly varied. I particularly liked the blocks with the smiling faces because mobiles and toys with face designs were among the first which grabbed our young ones' attention.

3. These are made of thick wood which is easy to grasp. Even the smaller pieces are simple to pick up by small fingers. And no splinters (probably something you'd assume but I'm pointing it out anyway).

4. Photos on the back of the box provide design inspiration for parents who want to demonstrate stacking skills.

5. If you live in a small space, the 15 blocks have a very small footprint and store compactly. Even a tiny bedroom or play space should have room for these.

6. This is one of those toys which can last for years. Even 4 and 5 year olds can practice balancing skills with the various shapes. So your baby or child could get years of use out of these, a bargain for the dollars spent. They can begin to use the blocks as babies and keep using them through preschool or perhaps even beyond then.

7. Finally, a real selling point for us is that these are so lovely they can be displayed in any room where a dose of color is desirable. Visitors don't automatically know these are toys and usually can't resist touching and experimenting with these themselves. As noted above, I'm giving a set to an architect friend.

Classy move by Amazon: In the description, Amazon literature notes: "Our testers .... did notice that a few of the decals on the blocks were beginning to flake around the edges. This didn't cause any unsightly peeling at the time of testing, though it could be an issue after a few months of well-loved play."

We haven't experienced this yet but I sure do appreciate the "heads up" from Amazon's product info on this. Impressive!

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My 10-month old loves these blocks almost as much as I do. We are regularly fighting over who gets to play with the block that has a hole in it. She always wins and its not fair. Also, I can build really cool block towers and she just knocks them down. Great colors (on both sides), super durable construction, and not too small features all make these a great product. Fun!

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My daughter LOVES these blocks! Mostly for knocking them down every time I build something for her, but that's what they're made for, right? :) I know when she's older she will have so much fun building things on her own, especially since they are painted with such cute designs and with so much color.

My one and only reason for not giving this toy 5 stars is that the paint chips off the edges of the blocks very easily. Yes, my daughter is rough with them since she knocks them over all the time, but I worry that after a year of use there won't be any paint left on the edges with how fast it's chipping off right now!

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program These are pretty blocks, but there aren't a lot of them. I suppose I shouldn't complain -it's not like I don't have enough kids stuff cluttering my house -but for the money, I want more blocks.

My 13 month old likes them. He's not old enough yet to really stack them, but they are colorful enough to catch his eye, pleasant to touch and pass from hand to hand, and from his hand to mine. I think they are actually pretty fun to stack, as they come in non traditional shapes which make building kinda cool.

The only downside is 1) as stated earlier, I wish there were more, and 2) some of the pieces -especially the little flower one -seem to already be chipping their paint, and we've only had them for about 6 weeks. But I have nothing to compare the blocks to, so I'm guessing that's par for the course with a block a kid plays with as much as mine does with these.

Recommended (with reservations as to cost/block)

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program When most people think of blocks for their toddlers, they think about the classic embossed alphabet ABCs. No doubt they are wonderful, but The Alix Jr. Mix `N Max Whimsy Blocks simply sparkle, literally in a couple of them. I absolutely love the concept behind these artistically rendered blocks. There are fifteen blocks, no two alike with an assortment of geometric shapes.

What I like about these blocks:

++ These block encourage creative thinking in that there are numerous ways to stack them. Each attempt will be a unique experience.

++ They encourage problem solving. How can I stack or arrange these unusual geometric shapes without them falling over?

++ They encourage the development of fine motor activity in a variety of ways due to the unusual shapes of many blocks.

++ Visual-spatial abilities can be nurtured with assistance.

++ The assorted patterns on these blocks are a perfect introduction/exposure to artistic design.

++ These blocks are heavy, quite durable, and provided they are stored properly can be handed down to siblings. The glitter probably will not last, but the underlying color will be fine.

If you like a little flair to blocks for your toddler, I'd definitely recommend these blocks. No harm in adding a set of the Classic Embossed Alphabet Blocks ABC blocks while you're at it. These would make the perfect shower gift or, if you're a grandmother like me, to keep them at your house for when your grandchild comes over. These will definitely be a winner, especially for the older toddler who is getting into more creative, constructive developmental playtime.

Reviews of Prestan Products - Prestan Professional Infant CPR-AED Training

Customer Ratings:

Pros: "realistic" body features and weight, monitor is awesome for the students and instructor, easy to use.

Cons: Setting up the lung bag could be tricky. The belly isn't so simple to open up and once you open the belly it bulges at the sides after you close it.

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Discount Wonderworld Rocking Crocodile

Customer Ratings:

My son got this rocker for his 1st birthday and he loves it!!It's not only REALLY beautifully made but can be also removed from the wooden frame and WASHED!!!Another great feature is that when the rocker is outgrown, the plush-animal can be removed and used as a stuffed animal pillow for the floor or playroom...+ it's made of organic materials and replantable wood from old rubber trees, that no longer produce latex...!!ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY :D

I love love love this product!

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I purchased this crocodile for my 13 month old baby boy, for Christmas. It is a beautiful toy. I keep it in our leaving room. I love the vibrant colors and the fact it is a very "nature friendly" product, safe for my baby. I also love the fact that when he grows out of it, the crocodile can be removed from the base and just be used as a pillow :) My son is still a bit too young to be interested in it, and he does not walk yet, but he often climbs on it and if I sit him in it, he is just rocking and happy. It may take him a few more weeks but it is coming. It is also very well designed and built, the different fabrics are nice and the overall quality is more than great. The wood is also wonderful, so much better than plastic!!! Anyway, I would purchase it again. It is simply a gorgeous toy!

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We bought this for our 9 month old son (disclaimer: he is in the 97% for height and weight so please do take that into account) for Christmas. He LOVES it. He fits the rocker fine and can lean back on the tail if he likes (although he is fine grabbing the handles). It is very low on the ground, so if he falls off, the impact would be minimal. He is strong enough to rock it back and forth even at his age. It is a beautiful, well-built toy. Feel confident buying it.

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My little girl loves this & it comes off the rocker for easy cleaning. Only thing is that it the handle does come a little loose.

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I chose the Crocodile Rock for my grandson's 1st Birthday. It is so cute and very versatile. Soft and plush, easy to crawl on for a toddler and very well made. Nice that it comes apart for washing and can later become a stuffed toy when baby outgrows the rocker. I was very please with this cute toy and the baby loves him!

Best LeapFrog Tag Game Book: Penguins of Madagascar Puzzle Time Deals

Customer Ratings:

First of all, this is just a game book not a reading book. The games that are in this book are great, it has wordsearch, memory match, what do animals eat, build it blueprints, dance party (you have to touch the forward, left, right, ect) bounce & count and simian spelling. The spelling game is awesome, it says a word and you have to spell it out on this ABC picture. Other Tag books are nice too, they read a story and play afew games but this book has more education games. (In my opinion) It seems like the other Tag books are more about reading which is great but the games are just that games. In this game book the games are more educational. My son has several Tag books that he likes to read, but this book is helping him without him knowing that its work.

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I ordered this for my daughter soon after she received her new Tag system for Xmas. She loves the Penguins of Madagascar so she was super excited to get this one. She already had the Penguins activity book with the story so she really wanted to be able to play more games with them. Even though there is no story, it still kept for busy for hours. It's not hard to find toys that keep her attention, however, it's great when you can find one that is also educational. Overall, I would recommend this book but if you want a story, then go with the other Penguins book instead.

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This is one of my son's favorite LeapReader books. He really enjoys the games inside, and I love to see him having fun learning.

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This is a Great product, and is at a very good price, I rate it at a 5, I recommend this product

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we like it, but not great. overall It's a so-so product. Need to add more stories to it to make it more fun.

Reviews of 2013 - 2014 Dental Decks Part 1 National Boards Dental Exam

Customer Ratings:

Pros:

These are easy read and learn.

You can take them wherever you want.

Cons:

Needs to be bundeled every time and is is easy to lose any one.

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SainSmart UNO R3 Starter Kit With 16 Basic Arduino Tutorial Reviews

Customer Ratings:

This kit comes with all the components you need to start learning Arduino and open source hardware development. The problem I had with this kit is that it came with no instructions. I ended up having to do some searches to find the documentation and 16 example projects. Eventually I found them at the Sain Smart website, available on this page:

After getting the instructions, programming was a breeze and everything worked as described. There are a couple of things that I would do to this kit to give it a 5 star rating:

1) The wire assortment doesn't contain very many long wires so its hard to use the entire space of the breadboard.

2) The LCD does not come with header pins. You will have to solder your own pins.

3) Some of the examples/tutorials use parts that are not included with this kit.

Other than those things, I think this is a good kit for a beginner.

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This is my first experience with OpenSource hardware. I must say this kit, is pretty cool. It has everything to get you started and is easy to learn. Even my 5 year old was interested in learning about the Arduino. The SainSmart kit is a good value for any beginner.

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It is a nice kit! Very helpful seller with great communication. Looking forward to completing all of the tutorials. Had issues but they were quickly resolved. Have trouble connecting the power supply, it appears that the inside of the plug is too small to fit. Trying to make it work though.

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The instructions (which you have to download from the site, they arent included in the kit) are barely english. Also the instructions will show you how to wire a project and includes the coding for each project, but it doesnt explain WHY to wire it that way or WHY to code it that way. Its more of a 'have already started kit' as opposed to a starter kit.

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This is an excellent educational tool to learning electronic programming which can lead to robotic programming, the goal for my students. The breadboard is large, there are plenty of wires and leds to get started. Everything arrived quickly. One minor point: one of the hinges of the storage box everything comes in was crack so the box doesn't close perfectly. If I was a kid receiving this I would have been more disappointed but plan to upgrade to a larger "tool" box in the future.

Reviews of The Giver

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Jonas lives in a "perfect" world where war, disease, and suffering have all been eradicated. Everything is in order; everything is under control. The people have no worries or cares. The Community strives for "sameness," in which everyone and everything are the same and equal. To help the Community function as a cohesive unit, each member is assigned a position in society. When Jonas turns twelve, the Community selects him to be the new "Receiver of Memories." Only the "Giver" knows the truth and memories of the past, and now he must pass these memories on to Jonas.

The Giver is a wonderful book. Lois Lowry skillfully crafted an intriguing and profoundly thoughtful story. She subtly creates an uneasy feeling that something is wrong with this "perfect world." The Community's advisors intend to establish security within utopian society, but they really establish a stifling dystopia. To protect people from the risks of making poor or wrong decisions in life, the advisors plan and dictate the lives of the people. In effect, the citizens have no freedom of choice; they do not choose their job or even their spouse. Moreover, the advisors inhibit the people's ability to feel because they want to spare them from the hardships and pain of life. For instance, individuals must take a pill everyday, which suppresses passionate feelings. The citizens do not know or experience true emotions like love. One of the goals of the Community is to achieve "sameness" so that no one feels embarrassed or gets excluded for being different. However, this limits individuality and freedom of expression because everyone conforms to a certain desired image. Finally, to relieve the population of the horrors and devastation of the world and the past, the advisors isolate the Community from the rest of the world (also known as "Elsewhere) and give the burden of holding the memories of the past to a single member of society: the "Receiver." Therefore, the Community lives only in the present, and the people have a narrow perspective of life because they only know their community and way of life. They are naive; they do not gain knowledge or wisdom from the memories. While receiving the memories, Jonas learns a different and better way to live and realizes what he and the Community have been missing. He decides that something must be done to change the current conditions and enlighten his community.

Although it is a Newbery Award Winner, The Giver is a controversial book that has been challenged and even banned. After parents complained that the violent and sexual passages were inappropriate for children, the Bonita Unified School District in California temporarily banned the novel from classes. The Giver has been challenged in other school districts around the country for its "mature themes" of euthanasia, infanticide, and suicide. I do not agree with banning and challenging of this novel. It is a great book, and part of what makes it so great is the incorporation of these controversial issues. They force readers to wrestle with their own thoughts and figure out their stance on the issues. Good literature makes readers think. Banning this book takes away the freedom of speech, the freedom to read, and the freedom to learn and explore. The banning of The Giver is ironically similar to the actions of the Community that lead the Community to its suppressive and stifling state. A powerful story, The Giver keeps readers in suspense, touches them, and stays with them for a long time. I love this book, and I encourage everyone to read it.

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Jonas, an Eleven when THE GIVER opens, lives in a Community where everything is meticulously ordered: houses look alike, people dress alike, each family unit includes a father and a mother (who can apply for one male and one female child). Children begin their volunteer hours when they are Eights, and the Committee of Elders assigns them their roles in the Community at the Ceremony of Twelves. Because the people have chosen Sameness, nothing in their Community is unexpected, inconvenient, or unusual. They have no hills, no color, no cold, no sunshine. Their feelings are only superficial; their memories encompass only one generation. Pain is relieved instantly by taking a pill. They have abdicated choices.

The Receiver of Memory holds the position of highest honor within the Community, serving as the repository for the memories and knowledge of generations. Whenever the Committee of Elders are faced with a new situation, they are able to seek the counsel and advice of the Receiver. They have the benefit of experience without having to bear its pain.

Because of his intelligence, integrity, courage, wisdom, and Capacity to See Beyond, Jonas is selected to be the next Receiver of Memory. The current Receiver, who has held the position for decades, then becomes the Giver.

Ms. Lowry paints a vivid picture of this Community. Referring to everyday concepts in a slightly unusual way helps to set that society apart from our own. Babies younger than one year are called "newchildren," for example; children of the same age are "groupmates"; the elderly, the unhealthy, or those who have broken the rules three times may be "released."

Why might parents or teachers consider THE GIVER inappropriate for their children? I can only speculate on this since I find the book profoundly original and commendable:

1. The setting being a community without freedom. It should be noted, however, that citizens relinquished their freedom years earlier in order to escape the accompanying chaos. They are perfectly satisfied with their arrangement and are not oppressed.

2. The family being depicted as a temporary sociological unit rather than a permanent socio-biological unit. Nevertheless, this family unit provides a very nurturing atmosphere.

3. References to "Stirrings" (sexual arousal). These occur only a few times in the book and are only vaguely described. Since Stirrings are forbidden in the Community, young people begin taking a preventative pill upon first experiencing them and continue taking it daily until they enter the House of the Old.

4. The idea of young people bathing the elderly of the opposite gender. This happens only once in the book. It is a gentle, caring, and (given the ages of the participants) asexual experience.

5. The concept of "release." This pervades the book, but its meaning remains uncertain until Chapter 19, when Jonas witnesses a release.

I would think that for many readers these concerns would be assuaged by Jonas, the young protagonist who, in the course of his instruction, recognizes the advantages of previous systems and selflessly tries to better his Community.

Although there are aspects of this Community that we may find unsettling, we must remember that Lowry is not advocating this system. She is, in fact, inviting us to consider whether our own society has any of the characteristics of the Community that disturb us:

Do we attempt to make our lives pain free?

Do we attempt to erase unpleasant memories?

Do we use euphemisms?

Do we use robotic phrases, as for apologies?

Do we have anything resembling the "House of the Old"?

Do we have a ritual that might be called a "Ceremony of Loss"?

Do we attempt Climate Control?

Do we avoid talking about ways in which we differ from each other?

In our own Society, without a designated Receiver of Memory, that responsibility -with its inherent pain and exhilaration -falls to each of us. Vital questions for us to consider are Which memories will we receive? Which will we give?

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In a community that is all the same lives Jonas, who discovers he is very different. Jonas is the main character in the book The Giver, my favorite book. I loved The Giver because the plot was very creative, the theme was magnificent, and the setting was vivid. I think you should read this book for many reasons. The theme of this book is clearly represented: freedom, the right to make your own choices, uniqueness, and individuality are worth dying for. In Jonas's community, a commitee selects one's job, war is unheard of, all people wear the same attire, and all are assigned spouses and families. When Jonas is given the special, wonder-filled occupation of becoming the Receiver of Memory, he finds that there is much more to life. Through his task of becoming the Receiver of Memory, he discovers the meaning of love, pain, frustration, color, and cold. That is when Jonas realizes how much more there really is. Life soon becomes overwhelmingly unbearable in his world of "sameness." He finds life isn't worth living without the qualities (often that we take for granted) he discovered. That is when Jonas goes on a dangerous journey to find a land that is different. The setting in this book made it quite a pleasure. Everything in the community was predictable and pre-planned. The housing units were all the same. There were designated spots for everything. The setting helped develop the plot and theme. The mysterious ending leaves one filled with curiousity and wonder. The book, The Giver, by Lois Lowry is guaranteed enjoyment, especially for someone who likes a good theme and plot that ties in with the setting. I loved the boook The Giver, and I truly believe that everybody should read it!

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One of the few books that I can ever read past the first few chapters, Lois Lowry's "The Giver" has easily made its way into one of my favorite books. It's amazing how many only 170 some odd pages can work on so many levelsemotionally, socially, politicallyand still pull it off. Lowry perfectly brings a coming-of-age boy (Jonas) forced to live in a seemingly "perfect" community into receiving the truth about the past, a past where pain existed, a past where feelings existed. Jonas' own naivete towards the world is the most interesting part of the book; watching him come to his own revelations about the very society he lives in, and the pure simplicity of his convictions: "But we SHOULD have choices!" Lowry leaves a lot of the book open for you to fill in the structureshe never really explains the whole concept of why people moved to "Sameness," and I really think that's for the best. I think it gives the message that maybe we really aren't made for perfectionbecause, perhaps, beauty comes in imperfection. A classic.

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At first when i had to read The Giver for my english class, I was "This will be boring!". When I came back from school, I started reading...and i couldn't stop! This is a unique story, the people are all the same. They live in a world with no music, or color or differences or true love. They take a pill to make them act like robots. The community gives them a job and a spouse and a family. They get their jobs at the 12th year. There is peace, but they don't have almost any feelings! Jonas is choosed to be the Receiver. He will have all the memories of The Giver. He will have all the memories of the old times (colors, love, pain, loneliness, hapiness...), so he can be the wiseman of the community, he will make the best decisions for the peace of the community. But only one person cannot handle all these feelings and he feels apart from the others, he feels he can't fit in anymore, like when he was still a child. He grows too old for a kid of his age and the other kids don't understand him. Then he learns the end of every person released in to the "Community's Elsewhere". But he decides to control his own future. With the help of the Giver, he discovers that there is a different "elsewhere" for everyone, some place beyond the community, where the past, the present and the future are. This is a wonderful book, that made me smile and cry. I will never forget this book, who has strong feelings to communicate to the reader. I stopped reading sometimes, for a minute, and look around me, enjoy the colors, the music and the happiness of be free of my own feelings. This book is one of the best books I have ever read, i really love this book and I think everyone should read it.