Matched

 

A. Bibliographic Data

  Condie, Ally. 2011. Matched. Penguin Books.  ISBN: 9780142419779

B. Summary

In Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted Society’s choices. And when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, she is certain he’s the one - until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now she is faced with impossible choices: Between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s ever known, and a path no one has dared to follow...between perfection and the truth.

C. Critical Analysis 

 Condie wrote an interesting tale about a girl who lives in a world where they do everything from eating, who they marry, who they have as friends, what they wear, where they live, what jobs they have, and much more. It reminds me of The Handmaid’s Tale, but a more youthful romance and a world between utopia vs dystopia and Cassia is excited about her Match Banquet, except it goes differently. It is normally someone from another city, but she is matched with her best friend, but she gets another boy's information card. Now she is drawn to that other boy. The story is of a girl who starts thinking on her own and with the other boy- Ky becomes a good friend, and she’s so unsure of what life she should lead. One with Xander or with Ky.

D.  Book Reviews

“[A] superb dystopian romance.” – The Wall Street Journal
 
“Strong feminist ideals and impressive writing that’s bound to captivate.” – The Los Angeles Times  

“Love triangle + struggle against the powers that be = perfect winter escape.” —MTV.com
 
“Matched introduces a smart young woman attempting to make sense of her dystopic world, à la The Hunger Games. Ally Condie’s debut features strong feminist ideals and impressive writing that's bound to captivate.” —The Los Angeles Times 
 
“[A] superb dystopian romance” —Wall Street Journal 
 
“Matched is the hottest YA title since The Hunger Games.” —Entertainment Weekly 
 
“A Must Read” —Girls Life Magazine 

“Condie’s enthralling and twisty dystopian plot is well served by her intriguing characters and fine writing.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review 
 
“A fierce, unforgettable page-turner.” —Kirkus, starred review 
 
“The stunning clarity and attention to detail in Condie’s Big Brother–like world is a feat.” —Booklist
 
“Fans of The Giver will devour this book.” —School Library Journal

E. Connections

Penguin’s Classroom Classic Offers an educator guide with numerous activities.

-       Discuss who you would cast for characters.

-       What would you do if you were Cassia?

-       Do you feel like you relate in any way to Cassia?