Getting the Most Uninterested Students Engaged

I once posed a question to students as an introduction to The Giver by Lois Lowry. “What would it take to make your world perfect?” The most common answer, no school! School can be boring for many students. Well, let me state that differently, the social aspect for students is the highlight of their school day. It's the sitting in class and the actual learning part that they would rather do without (go figure). Wouldn't it be great to push a button that allows students to obtain all knowledge? I wish I could just pour a fountain of smartness into the little darlings. Maybe in the next lifetime.