By Ally Condie
Dutton Juvenile | 369pgs
Release Date: November 30, 2010

Summary:
The future is not as perfect as the ruling Society wants its citizens to believe in the new young adult novel Matched by Ally Condie. Seventeen year-old Cassia lives in a world free of disease and the stress of making difficult life choices. Everything, ranging from where people work, who they marry, and even when they die, is decided by the big-brother-like Society. When Cassia attends her matching ceremony and sees her best friend Xander appear on the screen as designated mate, she is thrilled at the pairing. Yet, her pleasure turns to puzzlement as the face of a neighbor boy, Ky, briefly flickers on the screen before it fades out. The Society is quick to pass off the incident as an unusual technical error, but Cassia finds herself inexplicably drawn to Ky, a mysterious orphan. As the budding romance grows, so does the young woman’s awareness of the world around her. No longer living unconsciously, Cassia cannot ignore the cruelty and control of the dystopian culture she lives in.

What critics are saying:
Ally Condie has taught high school English in upstate New York and Utah and earned her teaching degree from Brigham Young University. Matched is the first book in a planned trilogy and the second installment Crossed will be released in the fall of 2011. Early editorial reviews have been favorable for this young adult adventure, drawing comparisons to the Twilight and The Hunger Games series. “Matched is a brisk and intriguing book, and arrives with enormous advance buzz. It raises interesting questions about the role of government and free will while happily tapping into CW-friendly teen angst,” concludes a review from Entertainment Weekly.