" "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry is a companion book to her better known "The Giver". It is set in the same time-frame but in a different place, one where the people have regressed instead of becoming more technologically advanced. The main character is Kira, a crippled teenaged girl who has just lost her mother. After an altercation with a cruel village woman she is given the job of restoring a special ceremonial robe, as she is a talented at embroidery, and goes to live in a building where she meets 2 other talented artists. She begins to doubt everything she has ever known.... It was okay, but not brilliant. It was a childrens' book, which I often enjoy, but it didn't seem terribly original to me. I really loved "The Giver" but this one just seemed lacking. The "surprises" weren't surprising, the "twists" were predictable. "
— Rebecca, 1/20/2014