New YA Releases in the Nook

New YA Releases in the Nook
Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

Friday, February 17, 2012

Love is in the Air

We didn't mean to pick a romance for our February book (the boys would not like that), but Cupid must have had a hand in things because Matched by Ally Condie proved to not only be another dystopian thriller, but a bit of a lovey dovey novel as well. We should have known. After all, what's a dystopian novel without a love triangle? Surprisingly, it still got nods of approval from the majority of our male Nooksters. In fact, one stated that this was the best book we've read in book club this year. While there were undeniable similarities between this book and the original dystopian blockbuster, The Hunger Games- ruthless futuristic society that controls their citizens, rebellious teen girl standing up to the government, two boys in love with her, etc.- we found that this book had less violence and evoked more questions about human freedoms. In our groups, we made lists of everything that is "wrong" with our world and then discussed how the Society in Matched had "fixed" all of these things. At first glance, the society in Matched really did seem like the perfect society, but what happens when a society goes too far in creating a controlled environment?

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, the kids took part in a Matched matching game. :) They had to match pieces of broken hearts by using their knowledge of the book. The game got pretty intense, and the kids had a blast.

Our next book is the final book of the Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay. The group will get a special treat by going to the movie premiere of The Hunger Games in March. May the odds be ever in your favor!