Me, All Alone, at the End of the World by M.T. Anderson, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes is the story of a boy who lives all by himself at the end of the world.  He lives a slow-paced, simple but wonderful life, until Mr. Shimmer shows up and decides to create World Tours of the End of the World.  The changes start slowly and the boy makes friends with other children for the first time in his life.  He shows them all of his special places, and they have great fun in the amusement parks being built at the End of the World.  But eventually the boy decides that he must leave.  “I miss the wind. So I left.” 

This is a book appropriate for sharing with older elementary students that can lead to discussion on the distractions of the modern world vs simple joys.  I think that it will speak to most people on a very deep level.