What Book Is After The Giver

So you just finished The Giver and now you’re sitting there, staring at the wall, wondering what on Earth happens to Jonas and Gabe. Did they freeze to death in the snow, or did they finally find a warm sledding hill with actual music? The answer is infuriatingly vague, and that’s exactly why Lois Lowry wrote three more books to mess with your head.

Meet the Sequel: Gathering Blue

The next book in the series—set in the same universe but not a direct sequel—is Gathering Blue. It’s like the Giver’s weird, slightly dystopian cousin who lives in a different village with a bum leg and a talent for embroidery. You follow a girl named Kira, who has a twisted foot but a magic skill for sewing stories into fabric.

Don’t expect to see Jonas right away. Lowry pulls a bait-and-switch and makes you fall in love with a new character before she even hints at a connection. It’s frustrating, but in a good way—like waiting for your coffee to brew while smelling bacon.

The Third Book: Messenger

Book three is Messenger, and this is where things get weird. Suddenly, Kira and Jonas (yes, that Jonas) show up in a village called Village, which is basically a hippie commune that starts to get corrupted by greed. There’s a boy named Matty who has a superpower—he can heal people by touching them, like a sweeter, less dramatic Wolverine.

This book answers some big questions, like whether Jonas survived, but it also introduces a villain named Trademaster who is basically a demonic used-car salesman. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll wonder why no one just locked the creepy guy in a shed.

These books are a series, so after reading all 4 The Giver's ending

The Finale: Son

The fourth and final book, Son, is a wild ride that brings everything together. It follows Claire, the birth mother of Gabriel (remember baby Gabe?), who gets kicked out of the community and spends years trying to find her son. It’s like The Odyssey but with fewer cyclops and more creepy boat rides.

By the end, you get a real, satisfying conclusion—no more ambiguous snow sledding. Jonas gets a cat, Claire gets her kid back, and the series finally ties up its loose ends like a Christmas bow made of dystopian tears. Surprising fact: Lowry based the community on a real behavioral psychology experiment called the Milgram Experiment. So yes, your childhood trauma is legitimately science-based.

The Giver Quartet, Lois Lowry, 4 Book Set --or-- Choose Your Own!! - Etsy

Should You Read Them?

Absolutely, but be warned: the tone shifts drastically. The Giver is all about cold, gray sameness; the sequels are full of magic, forest spirits, and boat pirates. It’s like starting with 1984 and ending with Harry Potter.

If you’re impatient, you can read them in order (Gathering Blue, Messenger, Son), but feel free to skip ahead to Son if you just want closure. Just remember: no one knows for sure if that sled at the end of The Giver was real or a hallucination. Lowry’s said in interviews it’s “open to interpretation,” which is author-speak for “I love watching you suffer.”