Amazing New Novel! A Must Read!

I usually don't tell people that something is a "must read" but this book is. It is truly an amazing read.

Kyra is a thirteen year old girl growing up in a polygamist community. Her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters. Kyra's family belongs to a group called the Chosen. They live in the desert on a compound. They are not allowed to communicate with the outside world. Books are banned, and young girls are forced to marry older men.

Kyra's life begins to take a turn when she meets Joshua. They sneak off together, read forbidden books and kiss in the darkness. These things are not allowed according to the rules of the community. Kyra also visits the Mobile Library and begins to read banned books.

Things become complicated when she learns that she must marry her uncle. Sickened and horrified by the thought Kyra must now face some difficult choices. Can she be her uncle's wife? Can she live in a community that forbids books? Will she remain in the community if she is able to marry Joshua?

This book touches on a subject that I do not think has been explored before in a young adult novel. The characters are well written and the decisions Kyra must make are explored in great detail. Ms. Williams takes the reader into a world that few people know about.

I think reluctant readers will really enjoy this novel. It is timely and the book is faced paced. Girls will love the budding romance between Kyra and Joshua. The ending is nice as well. It isn't sappy or campy which I like. Too many young adult novels try to end things with a nice little bow. Not this book.

Overall, I was very impressed with this novel and I strongly suggest it to students.

This book will be released on May 12, 2009.

Sneak Peak: The Chosen One

Last week this book arrived from Amazon Vine. I have to say The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams is an amazing read. I highly recommend it and I'm not even done with it yet! This book covers a very interesting subject matter. The character, Kyra, is living among a polygamous group.

From Amazon:
Taking a story “ripped from the headlines,” Williams looks inside a polygamist cult and the dangers it poses for one girl. Kyra and her father, three mothers, and 20 siblings live in an isolated community under the thumb of a prophet, who controls every aspect of his apostles’ lives. The most shocking intrusion of all comes when the prophet decrees that Kyra is to become the wife of her 60-year-old uncle. A secret patron of a local mobile library, Kyra knows there’s a world away from the compound she might escape to, but first she pins her hopes on her father’s ability to change the prophet’s mind. Instead, her family is threatened, and the stakes for her refusal to marry are raised. The clandestine relationship Kyra is having with one of the compound’s teenage boys is a romance more convenient than convincing (everyone is carefully watched except this duo, it seems).

I will be writing a review soon. The book will come out on May 12. Keep an eye out for it!