August 21, 2017

On My Bookshelf: Matched by Ally Condie

In Matched by Ally Condie, the Society has chosen a match for Cassia, but a technological malfunction makes her question if he really is her match. The novel has similar themes to The Giver by Lois Lowry and would be a great next read if you loved the Hunger Games series. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.
In Matched by Ally Condie, the Society has chosen a match for Cassia, but a technological malfunction makes her question if he really is her match. The novel has similar themes to The Giver by Lois Lowry and would be a great next read if you loved the Hunger Games series. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

Why I liked it: I enjoyed that many of the themes and ideas in Matched paralleled The Giver, which my students read in 8th grade. Choice is limited and seen as dangerous. Sameness and equality are valued. Traits are screened and some individuals are labeled Aberrations or Abnormalities. 

Classroom application: This book would be a great add to a middle school or high school classroom library. There's no content in it that would make it inappropriate for middle schoolers as there is in so much of YA lit these days.

This is a great book to recommend to students who loved the Hunger Games series. The first big event in the novel, the Match Banquet, will remind students of the Opening Ceremony of the Hunger Games. There is also the division between the city and the outer provinces similar to the Capitol and the districts in the Hunger Games.

The society of Matched is simplified and clutter free. Only the best 100 poems, the best 100 songs, etc. remain. As a project, students could create similar best lists and give justification for why their choices were worth preserving. While not on the 100 list, Dylan Thomas's poem, "Do not go gentle into that good night" features prominently in the novel.  

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Matched for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

1 yorum:

  1. Matched is a required read in my district for 7th grade. The kids LOVE it! I love using it because I can weave my poetry unit in while reading the book. There are also a lot of nonfiction informational topics that you can include like global warming (they talk about "The Warming" in the book) and we studied the One Child Law in China and arranged marriage in India & the Middle East. I also did a little of Romeo & Juliet with my kids and did a compare/contrast. I like to tell my students that Matched is a futuristic R&J. I'm so happy that you brought this book to light. I think its underutilized in schools and can really get students talking about topics like freedom and choice. Many of my students also finished the trilogy. If you haven't read the other two, you definitely should. They answer a lot of questions that were left hanging in Matched. -Joely @high_heels_and_highlighters

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