I write books because I have always been fascinated by stories and language, and because I love thinking about what makes people tick. Writing a story... 'The Giver' or any other... is simply an exploration of the nature of behavior: why people do what they do, how it affects others, how we change and grow, and what decisions we make along the way.

What's important is the preparation for adult life, and the training you'll receive in your Assignment.

I have been fortunate. I have done so many things and enjoyed so many things and had such a great life, not to imply that it is ending, but that there aren't many things that I feel I have left undone.

So actually, there could be parents-of-the-parents-of-the-parents-of-the parents?

I'm not terribly conversant with children's literature in general. I tend to read books for adults, being an adult.

The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.

It is so good to have friends who understand how there is a time for crying and a time for laughing, and that sometimes the two are very close together.