By 2000, eight of her books had been challenged in schools and libraries in the United States. In particular, "The Giver" (the first novel in the quartet) met with a diversity of reactions from schools in America after its release in 1993; some schools adopted it as a part of the mandatory curriculum, while others prohibited the book's inclusion in classroom studies. According to the "New York Times" in 2012, "The Giver" had been since its publication perennially near the top of the America Library Association's list of banned and challenged books. In a 2012 review of "Son", the "New York Times" said the 1993 publication of "The Giver" had "shocked adult and child sensibilities alike". "Time" in 2020 called The Giver "a staple of both middle school curricular and banned book lists."