Matched by Ally Condie

Reviewed by Lori
Matched

 Title: Matched

Series: Matched Trilogy Book 1

Author: Ally Condie

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 47538

Description: Cassia has always had complete trust in the Society to make decisions for her, but when she is being paired with her ideal mate, a second face flashes on the screen, and Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility.

Rubric Rating: Level 2 - Like It


 Why I Read It: I read this title while reading a bunch of other dystopian selections.  I also really liked the cover.

Lori's Notes:  Cassia Reyes has turned 17 and is "matched" with her good friend Xander.  Not often do people in the same community get matched and she feels lucky that she has her best friend for a mate.  However, while looking at Xander's microcard Cassia sees another face - her friend Ky Markham.  Ky is an aberration from the outer provinces who is ineligible for matching.  Could society have made a mistake? Could Ky be her true match?  A dystopian tale, where society sorts its citizens and decides where you will live, who you will marry and when you will die.  An interesting story and quite engaging in portions.  The matching ceremony felt very much like a high school prom.  I could also feel Cassia's sense of confusion - who is her correct match? who should she trust?  should she follow her heart?  The inner turmoil of a teenager needing to make a decision that will have lifetime ramifications will have appeal to many readers.

Recommended Readers: Grade 9 and Up.  Most likely to appeal to girls.

Themes: Dystopian Series, Relationships, Parent/Child relationships, Partners, Workings of Society, Life Span,  Love Triangles, Coming-of-Age, Personal Decisions, Big Brother, Choices.

Cross-Genre Links: 
Music: Torn performed by Natalie Imbruglia
Music: If you're not the one performed by Daniel Bedingfield
Movie: The Giver (2014)
Movie: Logan's Run (1976)
TV Show: Married at First Sight
Poetry: Do Not Go Gentle into that Goodnight by Dylan Thomas
Websearch: Online dating and matching

Post Reading Discussion Questions and Activities: 

  • Would you want to be matched like Cassia?  Compare and contrast Xander and Ky?  Who would be the better match? Why?  Justify your decision.
  • Pretend you are a director for "the Society".  Give a speech to convince your citizens of the benefits of allowing society to choose where you will live, what you will do, and who you will marry?
  • Why does Cassia's grandfather give her a line of poetry and how does it affect Cassia?  Read and analyze the poem and discuss why this title might have been forbidden.
  • Would you let society make your decisions for you?  Would you rather be matched with someone you know or a stranger?  Have a discussion about arranged marriages.  
  • Design a new cover for the novel.  

Other novels in this Series: 
Book 2: Crossed
Book 3: Reached

Also by Ally Condie:




Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for Reading!

Popular posts from this blog

The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title: The Poet's Dog Author: Patricia MacLachlan Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 127678 Description:   An abandoned dog, able to speak only to poets and children, rescues a pair of young children stranded in the forest. Together, they find a way to overcome their losses. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It Why I Read It: Poetry and Dogs... what more can I say.  Notes: This is one of those novels that I absolutely love.  It is written for a younger audience but there are deeper aspects to the story that are very appealing to an adult reader.   The story is encapsulated within 88 pages, and spells out the story of Teddy, the poet's dog, whose master has passed away, and Flora and Nickel, two children he finds lost in a blizzard.   The children are left in a car by their mother as she goes to look for help after getting stuck in the snow.  The children get scared and leave the vehicle and get lost in the woods where they are found by Teddy who brings them home.  Flo
Read more

Brain Jack by Brian Falkner

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title: Brain Jack Author: Brian Falkner Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 128664 Description:   In a near-future New York City, computer genius Sam Wilson manages to hack into the AT&T network and sets off a chain of events that have a profound effect on human activity throughout the world. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It! Why I Read It: Interesting write up in the catalogue and a growing interest in tech-related reading. Notes: Sam is a seventeen-year-old Hacker, one of the best around.  So good that he is able to hack into the telecomerica head offices and order a couple of "neuro" headsets for himself and his friend Fargas.  The latest technology that allows you to directly access the computer network using only your brain.  But Sam's hacking brings down services for three days - something that will go down in history.  That's when the CDD (the cyber defence division) start watching him.  It's not long before they hack Sam back and he's arrested.
Read more

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title:  All the Light We Cannot See Author: Anthony Doerr Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 98669 Description:  A blind French girl on the run from the German occupation and a German orphan-turned-Resistance tracker struggle with their respective beliefs after a fortuitous meeting on the Brittany coast. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It! Why I Read it: This book has been on my reading list for awhile and it was recommended to me by several people. Lori's Notes: This was a fantastic novel.  It may seem overwhelming in terms of size but the individual chapters are very short and read almost like mini short stories within the book.  The characters alternate between Marie-Laure a blind Parisian girl, and Werner an orphan German boy. Marie-Laure's father, Daniel LeBlanc, works in a Paris Museum as a key master and designs intricate puzzle boxes for his daughter.  Werner lives in a children's home with his sister Jutta and because of his interest in radios is quickly recruit
Read more