Condie, A. (2010). Matched.
New York, NY: Dutton Books.
ISBN-13: 978-0142419779
Genre: Adventure,
Romance, Dystopia
Reading level/
interest age: 14+
Plot summary:
Matched is set in
a dystopian society reminiscent of The
Hunger Games. In the book, Cassia visits her aging grandmother one final
time as elders are euthanized beyond a certain age. People in the society eat
only nutritious, bland food and are only given access to one hundred songs,
poems, and books. Teenagers are paired off during a matching ceremony upon
their sixteenth year. The ceremony is the only time in a person’s life where
they can indulge. Cassia is excited to wear a beautiful dress but apprehensive
over her matching. She wonders, though the possibility is extremely slim, if
she has met her match before. At the ceremony, Cassia waits before a screen
with others from her town until her name is called. A face flashes before her
for a split second before going blank. Officials tell her that there has been a
mistake and that she will be informed of her match later. What Cassia tells no
one is that she knows who the person she saw on screen is. Though it is
forbidden, Cassia decides to investigate the mistake even though she is paired
with someone else. Is Cassia prepared for what she might find or will she give
up the chase in favor of fitting in?
Reader’s annotation:
Cassia has reached her sixteenth birthday and goes to the
matching ceremony to meet her future husband. However, the face that appears on
screen is someone who is not eligible for marriage. When the system is never
wrong, how can everyone be telling her there was a mistake? Cassia is
determined to get to the bottom of the problem but is she prepared to face the
consequences?
Information about the
author:
“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, [Ally Condie] 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” (AllyCondie.com,
2014).
Curriculum ties: N/A
Booktalking ideas:
1.
How would you feel if you could not choose who
to marry?
2.
What would you do in Cassia’s place?
Critical evaluation:
Written in green ink, the text is a bit hard to read
sometimes. The imagery between Cassia’s ceremony dress and the matching ink
color is an interesting twist that somewhat makes up for the disorientation.
Perhaps the book would have been better designed if the pages were a different
texture as well to pay homage to the frugality of the dystopian society the
characters live in. Though this book has many good reviews, the storyline is a
bit unoriginal with so many other books like it in the Young Adult genre. Divergent, The Hunger Games, and Matched all have the same feel, pacing,
and somewhat misguided female main character. The three heroines also have
trouble at home, live harsh and simple lives, and have a love interest.
Despite being somewhat predictable, Matched still paints an interesting world. Perhaps if the books
focused more on the society and its rules rather than the life of the main character,
readers would be more entertained. The scene with the ceremony and the
behaviors of the characters leading up to it is the best part of the book
because of the rare display of finery in the culture. Good for a quick read on
a plane flight but choose something else if seeking deeper material.
Challenge issues: N/A
Why included:
Dystopias seem to be a popular theme at the moment. I
thought that teens would enjoy reading this as it causes them to question
society.
Reference:
AllyCondie.com. (2014). Ally
Condie. Retrieved August 22, 2014 from http://allycondie.com/bio
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