(2) YA Readers of Gathering Blue first met Matt as an exuberant child who found Kira's father (Seer), thought to be dead but instead living in Village, a utopian community of "broken" people. Now, years later, Matty is acting as a messenger for Leader, the blue-eyed Jonas from The Giver. Lowry's serene storytelling nurtures a compelling plot that allows her themes to flourish.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2004

(2) 4-6 Looking back from a distance of many decades, Katy Thatcher recalls her small-town childhood in 1910 when she was eight years old. Katy describes her fleeting, yet tender interactions with young Jacob Stoltz, who seems to be autistic (though the book doesn't specify), and an inevitable tragedy that Katy's intuitive understanding is unable to prevent. Special readers will find the novel emotionally devastating and infinitely haunting.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2003

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Middy Thomas. Gooney Bird Green, a self-possessed second grader, captivates her new classmates with "absolutely true" tales of how she acquired her unusual name, traveled on a flying carpet, and directed a symphony orchestra. Though somewhat overdrawn as a character, Gooney Bird is a fine storyteller, and her message to her classmates--that they, too, have stories to share--is a good one. The text is accompanied by banal illustrations.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2002

(2) 4-6 In this speculation on the nature of the future of human society, life in Kira's community is nasty, brutish, and, for the ill or disabled, short. The thematic threads are not always woven as securely as they might be into the fabric of the story. However, the richly imagined story contains a number of good questions that will reward contemplation.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2000

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Diane de Groat. It's Future Job Day at Sam's nursery school, and Sam, who has zookeeping aspirations, is thrilled when his teacher says he can tell the other children about a series of zoo animals: "For six weeks he could stand in front of the circle and feel that feeling of being the most interesting person in the room." Lowry spins interesting variations on her theme, and the book ends with a swell (and well-prepared) surprise.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1999

(2) 4-6 Lowry's autobiography has a snapshot quality as it leapfrogs through time, recalling childhood memories as well as experiences from the author's adulthood. Black-and-white photographs, taken at various stages of Lowry's life, are accompanied by a succinct, thoughtful text that often makes subtle connections with her published works.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 1999