Children's Books Too Cool for School

The Giver by Lois Lowry (A "Top 50 Post")

This remains not just one of my favorite children's book, but one of my favorite books or all time. Dystopia never read so well.

A "modern classic" if you will, The Giver tells the story of Jonas, who lives in a perfect world. All the parents have 2 children -- a boy and a girl -- and are the perfect parents. There are no smoggy cars, instead they all ride bikes and are all trained on the same schedule. And everyone is assigned the perfect career.

In Jonas's case, this means he's apprenticed to the Giver -- a keeper of memory of sorts. And through the Giver, Jonas begins to learn that utopia isn't so perfect, after all.

This book has lovely subtleties even an adult reader can enjoy, and from my first read in middle school, I've never ceased to enjoy re-reading this novel. As a side note: This was my first book I ever read that didn't have a definitive ending. I'm always curious what readers think happens.