Gathering Blue Review -A Powerful Dystopian Story for Young Readers

What is Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry about?

“I cannot change the past, but I can influence the present to shape the future.”

Gathering Blue is a thought-provoking dystopian story about a girl called Kira. Kira is a brave and talented girl living in a harsh society where people with disabilities are rejected. After her mother’s death, Kira is taken to live with Council Edifice, where she is given the important task of restoring a symbolic robe that tells the story of her community. As she uncovers hidden truths, she begins to question the fairness of the world around her. This book explores the themes of inequality, power, courage, and hope.

Discover our Review and Summary of Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Kira and her mother live a harsh life, yet they are happy in each other’s company. When Kira was young, her father passed away. Because of her disability, she is treated differently and could never be fully accepted as part of the community. However, she is spared from the usual fate of those considered “crippled” due to her family’s influence and her mother’s defiance. In this society, those born with disabilities are usually sent to the fields and left to die a gruesome death.

Life continues as normal until Kira’s mother – Katrina, suddenly falls ill. Following her death, Kira is taken to live with the Council Edifice. There, she makes new friends and develops her talent for sewing. As she settles into her new life, she begins to uncover deep secrets hidden behind the closed doors. She starts to see true face of who she once trusted, and finds herself questioning what she has always believed in.

My favourite character in this book is Kira, because she is very kind, smart and thoughtful. I like how she can sense when things are wrong and understands the importance of family. This made me think of how we sometimes take our own families for granted and don’t realise their significance in our lives.

My favourite part in this book is when Kira first visits the Council Edifice. She is amazed by its beauty and luxury, which contrasts with how different the people in the poor village lived compared to the Council Edifice and their luxuries. I like this part because the writer made me think about unjust inequalities in their society and how few people have more than they will ever need, while others struggle with even basic necessities.

Is Gathering Blue Worth Reading?

The story ends on a cliffhanger, when Kira decides it’s time for things to change. Will she succeed? I guess this will be revealed in the next book – Messenger.

Gathering Blue is for readers who love fiction stories with a twist. Overall, I liked this book, although some parts felt a bit abrupt in my opinion. This made the story somewhat disjointed and difficult to follow at times. For this reason, I have given this book a rating of 4 out of 5.

The Giver quartet – full series by Lois Lowry includes, The Giver | Gathering Blue | Messenger | Son. Each book has a different main character and takes place in different communities, but they are all connected across the series.

If you enjoyed Gathering Blue, you might also like other thought-provoking reads on my blog:

1984: A powerful dystopian novel that explores what it means to be a human in a society built on fear.

Animal Farm: A powerful political satire that uses a simple farm story to show how power can lead to corruption and inequality.

The Hunger Games: A powerful story of survival in a Dystopian government controlled districts.

Sunrise on the Reaping: A gripping prequel (Haymitch’s story, 50th Hunger Games) in the Hunger Games Series.

The Book Thief: An emotional story from a child’s perspective in a controlled/harsh society.