The Giver by Lois Lowry

In the current issue of Harvard Ed. Magazine, writer Katie Bacon discusses how Harvard professor Robert Selman and doctoral student Tracy Elizabeth explore movies based on novels. The team is conducting research to determine the relationship between watching a movie based on a book prior to reading the book. In the article, Professor Selman explains that "there is a certain amount of engagement in a really good book and a certain amount of engagement in a really good movie, and if you put those two together, you get exponential engagement.” Research conducted by Selman and Elizabeth show that watching movies based on books spark a new interest in reading in many students. 

Much of the article is dedicated to The Giver. Selman and Elizabeth were asked by Walden Media to create a resource guide for The Giver that is available online free of charge to educators. The resource guide can be found here:  Resource Guide. In addition, an activity poster and Lois Lowry's Newberry Award acceptance speech can be found at the Walden Media site.