CapaCapa
Scan Sign in
Cover of Building 903

Building 903

Lois Lowry

Ages 10–15

Readers rate it 3.5 (1 on Hardcover)

Released Sep 29, 2026

Content report card

What's inside

Medium confidence

Language

Sexual content

LGBTQ+ themes

Substance use

What it offers

A note for parents

Building 903 is Lois Lowry's latest dystopian novel exploring themes of censorship, imagination, and resistance to tyranny in the tradition of The Giver. While the story contains some mature themes (a disappearance, social tension, references to societal injustice), it ultimately celebrates the transformative power of books and human connection. The book is best suited for mature middle-grade and early YA readers comfortable with philosophical complexity and some darker elements.

Analyzed by AI · 19 hours ago

Read it with your kids?

Rate it and suggest an age to help other parents.

Log in to review

From the publisher

In the tradition of her bestselling, award-winning phenomenon, The Giver, Lois Lowry delivers a story about censorship, comfort, complicity, and the radical power of books to open portals and unlock our humanity through our most powerful tool: the imagination. Twins Tessa and Theo live in a world ruled by the tyrannica... In the tradition of her bestselling, award-winning phenomenon, The Giver, Lois Lowry delivers a story about censorship, comfort, complicity, and the radical power of books to open portals and unlock our humanity through our most powerful tool: the imagination. Twins Tessa and Theo live in a world ruled by the tyrannical Koziris, where there are no dangers or rebels... or so they've been told. In this world, citizens live long lives, and while many hate Koziris, they are comfortable and safe. So, when Tessa's brother disappears, nobody wants to discuss it. But then Miriam, their 135-year-old neighbor bound for the retirement community, slips Tessa a key--not only to her brother's disappearance, but to the source of all real magic . . . books. As Tessa and her parents begin their search for Theo, Tessa learns that books not only tell us stories--they open portals and unlock our humanity through our most powerful tool: the imagination. Once that truth has been revealed, Tessa won't be able to rest until she has retrieved her twin and society itself has been transformed. Two-time Newbery-winner Lois Lowry has crafted a narrative that feels at once prescient and eternal: in this world, the imagination is the revolution. Not only does Building 903 sit in the same resonant space as The Giver Quartet, but it is also a profound addition to Lois's enduring body of work--and a testament to the strength and value of her voice, vision, and legacy.

Shelved under

  • Juvenile Fiction
  • Not Diverse Characters
  • fast-paced
  • hopeful
  • mysterious
  • Adventurous
  • tense
  • inspiring
  • Science Fiction
  • Dystopian
  • Fantasy
  • Christian Fiction

Share this guide

ISBN 9780063515109 · Clarion Books