Lois Lowry's Gathering Blue is a great read. While the book itself is part of The Giver Quartet it can definitely stand on its own. I say this because there is no true connection to The Giver. The story is written in the same manner as The Giver but it is more of an post-apocalyptic world than a dystopia that is seen in the previous novel. 
 The novel follows a young girl, Kira, who has recently been orphaned. She is taken in by the Council of Elders instead of being taken to the field due to her crippled leg so that she can use her unique sewing talents. The story follows Kira from the last day of her mourning to the day she makes the realization about her world, as Jonah did with his. 
 There are a lot of lovable characters in the book. I think outside of Kira, my favorite is Matt, a boy from the Fen who is always making people laugh and getting into trouble. The plot follows the same lines that Lowry created in The Giver but at the same time takes a longer route to see the whole picture.