The Giver

So, let's talk about that scene in "The Giver." The one with the baby. The movie, which had a soft $12 million opening this weekend (from a $25 million budget), is based on Lois Lowry's controversial young adult dystopian novel that's been taught in schools for years.

Before the Hunger Games, before Divergent, before young adult dystopia became the next big thing, Lois Lowry published " The Giver. " It's the story of a seemingly utopian society where there is no suffering, no pain, no hunger. But there is also no love or individual freedom, no color, no emotion.

Audiences should know that "The Giver" was in the works long before the dystopian tales that preceded it onto the big screen. New England author Lois Lowry's Newbery Medal-winning novel was published in 1993, about 15 years before "The Hunger Games." "The Giver" was optioned for a film by Jeff Bridges 18 years ago.

The first time I read The Giver, Lois Lowry's 1993 dystopian children's novel, I was in the fourth or fifth grade. My biggest concern was whether my parents had packed a Fruit Roll-Up or a bag of Cheetos in my lunch; the dangers of freedom-quashing authoritarian regimes were not things I...

There is a reason that Lois Lowry's 1993 book won the prestigious Newbery Medal and inspired millions of readers-as well as other dystopian YA best-sellers like The Hunger Games: It features children asking important questions and challenging draconian authority.

Just for a second, imagine a world without war, conflict or grief. Refreshing, right? But it's also a world without memory, at least in the premise of Lois Lowry's 1993 novel The Giver. The movie adaptation opened this week and stars Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges.

Lois Lowry on THE GIVER film "THE GIVER is a triumph for book-lovers and movie-goers. It is a movie that reminds us of the power of memory and books and stories and love. It shows us, gloriously, the privilege and the pain and joy of being alive, fully human."

See, hear, and read more about what's going on at Annual-in real time and after. American Libraries Coverage: http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/alaac14 Twitter: @alaannual and #alaac14 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/551745778246833/ Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/groups/alaac14/ Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/alaannual/

At this year's American Library Association annual conference in Las Vegas, librarians lined up to see two-time Newbery Medal winner Lois Lowry in conversation with ALA president Barbara Stripling and actor Jeff Bridges, who stars in the film adaptation of Lowry's The Giver, which hits theaters August 15.

The Edwards Award-winner talks about The Giver's controversial past and, yes, its enigmatic ending Who would've guessed that the author of a sci-fi masterpiece would live in a Federal Colonial house with a picket fence? But then again, it's never wise to second-guess Lois Lowry.

Since Lois Lowry's The Giver was first published more than 20 years ago, it's earned a Newbery Medal, become a staple of the classroom, sold millions of copies, and taught multiple generations to battle conformity. With the book, set in a totalitarian community in which "sameness" is championed and there...

Before "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent" series zoomed off bookshelves and onto movie screens, where they became blockbuster franchises, there was a quieter dystopian novel that entranced millions of young readers: 1993's "The Giver."

By the time the sounds of the Von Trapp children warbling "Silent Night" drift through "The Giver," you may find yourself wondering what fresh movie hell this is. In truth, the enervating hash of dystopian dread, vague religiosity and commercial advertising-style uplift is nothing if not stale.

Two decades ago, author Lois Lowry published her best-selling novel, "The Giver." Today, "The Giver," the movie, finally comes to theaters - 18 years after the film rights were first optioned.

The author talks to Jessica Gross about all the ways young-adult fiction has changed since she published "The Giver" two decades ago. Your young-adult novel, "The Giver," was adapted into a feature film, which comes out this month. How involved were you with the process?

" The Giver," an adaptation of Lois Lowry's Newbery Medal-winning young adult novel, may seem like it's riding on the coattails of such dystopian action hits as " The Hunger Games" and " Divergent." But in reality, Lowry's book may qualify as the ur-text of the form, a slim, futuristic allegory that, since it was published in 1993, has sold more than 10 million copies.

Scenes in black and white! My worries about this adaptation are mostly assuaged, and now I'm just straight-up excited. What do you think?

The Report wins the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series, Stephen chats with Rep. Marcia Fudge about Ohio's 11th District, and Jeff Bridges and Lois Lowry talk "The Giver."

The amazing Jeff Bridges returns to The Nerdist Podcast! He talks about his upcoming role in The Giver, how he met his wife, and making tough decisions in life! See The Giver in theaters on Friday August 15th! Photo Credit: Siebbi...

This article discusses whether the movie release of The Giver may lead to more book challenges.

During a panel moderated by The Washington Post's film critic Anne Hornaday - Great Books to Great Movies on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. during the National Book Festival - authors E.L. Doctorow, Alice McDermott, Paul Auster and Lisa See, whose books were made into movies, will discuss and present in a multimedia exhibit clips from films based on their writing.