Rumbo Gumbo

I had to read this book for school, like most people. And I was.. surprised? The first half was intriguing, with the plane incident and the upcoming ceremony. I was pulled in very quick by this part and enjoyed it. The ceremony, however, felt extremely rushed and quick. I mean, this is supposed to be the most important moment for these kids, so why was it so rushed? The first few scenes with the Giver was great and watching their bond improve was nice. But the more the book went on, the more times they would introduce something and then never mention it again. Jonas barely spends any time trying to figure out anything. He just nods his head and goes on. It was infuriating how many interesting plot lines they dropped. Who are the Elders? What was the world like before? Why do they need to keep everything a secret? Why are Gabe, Jonas, and that girl different? So many things that were taken out. This book was just way too short to fit its ideas inside of it. Jonas is also really boring and every other character besides from the Giver were actually terribly written. They are just plot devices, not characters. Overall I have to give this a 3/5.