Matched

Matched by Ally Condie
384 pages
Publisher:  Dutton Juvenile (2010)
ISBN:  0525423648
Reading Level/Lexile:  7th grade and up/ 680L
Genre:  Science Fiction/Dystopian

Annotation/Teaser:  Living in the Society nothing is left to chance.  Cassia's life is predetermined from what she will eat to who she will marry..  Until in one brief moment a different boy flashes across the screen and her life takes a turn.  Will she rebel against the Society and her predetermined future?  What will happen as she finds that freedom is precious and there is great sacrifice in her choice.

Plot Summary:  Cassia lives in a world where the society makes all the decisions for its members.  From what to eat, where and when to sleep to who they will marry.  Cassia is about to turn 17 and she will find out who she will marry.  There is a special Match Banquet for all 17 year olds.  She is thrilled with the choice of her best friend Xander and can't believe the good fortune that they have.  That night she receives a microcard with all the pertinent information about her husband to be.  But to her surprise after she hears about her future husband, another boy's face appears on the screen.  The next day, an official comes to visit her and assures her that her match is Xander.  The other boy is Ky Markham and he is not allowed to marry because he is an Abberation.  An Abberation is a person who must remain single because someone in his/her family has committed a crime against the society.  Cassia is asked to keep this mistake a secret.  But then something happens that forces Cassia and Ky to spend a whole summer together.  This makes Cassia question everything she knows as she learns that there is more to life than what the government allows her to see.

About the Author: Ally Condie  Ally Condie is the author of the MATCHED Trilogy, a #1 New York Times and international bestseller. MATCHED was chosen as one of YALSA’s 2011 Teens’ Top Ten and named as one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Children’s Books of 2010. The sequels, CROSSED and REACHED, were also critically acclaimed and received starred reviews, and all three books are available in 30+ languages. Disney has optioned the film rights for the series.
A former English teacher, she lives with her husband and four children outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. She loves reading, writing, running, and listening to her husband play guitar.

Ally Condie Bio (n.d.) Retrieved from www.allycondie.com

Critical Evaluation:  In this book, Cassia must face a decision.  There arises the conflict that Cassia must deal with.  Cassia's external conflict is that she cannot choose to marry Ky because the government controls everything and Ky is not to be married because he is an Aberration.    She has been matched to her best friend but a glitch in the system that matches them causes another face to pop up on the screen.  This external conflict causes Cassia's internal conflict to choose between what she feels is right and what she feels is wrong.  It is a constant battle for her and the following quote from the book sums up her conflict, both external and internal. “It is one thing to make a choice and it is another thing to never have the chance.”
Another interesting part of Matched is the use of Dylan Thomas' classic poem, "Do Not Go Gentle"  This poem is woven through Conde's book and is symbolic of Cassia's life.  Just the mere knowing of this poem puts her life, as well as the life of her family in jeopardy.  Because the poem is given to her by her grandfather as he is dying, it is special and she feels she owes it to him to keep it.  But as her relationship grows and develops with Ky, so does Cassia's understanding of the poem.  She comes to realize that this poem is symbolic of her life and her fight against the Society.  This poem is one of my favorites and I love that Condie chose to use this as a parallel to Cassia's life.  This book is another good dystopian fiction but I found it was a little slow after reading Divergent and The Hunger Games.  I would still recommend it because it a well written work of Dystopian fiction. 

Curriculum Ties:  English, Government

Book Talk Ideas:  What does the future hold for Cassia?  Who is she meant to be with?  Talk about not having the freedom to make those choices for yourself.

Controversial Issues: N/A

Defense: 

*I will keep the library's selection policy on hand and memorized with a good understanding  of the standards and policies to show that the selection meets the standards. 

*I will keep good and bad reviews (both electronic and print) and make sure they are from reliable and respected sources such as School of Library Journal, Booklist, and YALSA. I will have copies of these reviews to give away. 

*I will confirm the library's position to provide intellectual freedom as stated in the Library Bill of Rights and keep a copy of this.

*I will keep a written rationale to justify the reasons this material is included in the collection, such as educational significance and curriculum ties.

*I will be respectful and calm and practice "active listening".

*I will make sure I read the material and are very familiar with it.

   

* I will keep a reconsideration form on file in the event that my other strategies don't work. 

Why I Chose This Book?  I chose this book because it is another book that could be recommended to Divergent and The Hunger Games fans.  While not quite as popular as the other two books, it is still a great read for all ages.