My roommate read The Giver on a whim and then dropped the book in my lap, saying, "Read this right now." I did so reluctantly at first, unsure about what I would think of a book of twelve-year-old children. I was pleasantly surprised. Lois Lowry paints a world far more fascinating than most dystopian novels I've read. I love how the use of simplification to help the reader see the underlying cruelty of the city's government more than if it was described in great detail. This is a book I will recommend to children for a long time.