The Chosen One

This book is a middle school through high school book. Not for elementary students! The Chosen One is about Kyra, a girl who grows up in a polygamous community. Her father has three wives and she has over twenty siblings. They live in a secluded community where the leader's word is law.

Kyra loves her family but also grows to love a boy she wants to marry. When she finds out that she has been "chosen" to marry her uncle, she rebels.

Reading this book is like entering a foreign country. The lifestyle and morals of this community are not those to which we are accustomed. The hypocrisy is apparent: the leaders live in large homes with air conditioning while the others live in trailer homes with no air conditioning in the desert heat. The leaders have computers while the followers are told that computers are evil. The leaders have libraries while the followers are not allowed to read anything but the Bible.

I highly recommend this book.

The Secret Keeper

Just having read two adult books which take place in India, I was intrigued by the thought of a Young Adult book that takes place in India. This book is written from the point of view of a teenager, Asha, who was raised in an unusual manner. Her father treated her like a son in that she was allowed to participate in sports.

However, when she reaches puberty that all changes suddenly. She can no longer play cricket (a British, baseball-like sport) and wear shorts. Her entire life changes. And she does not like it.

When her father leaves them to try to find a job in America, they must move into her grandparents' house where the environment is even more restrictive. She meets a boy from next door while spending time alone on her roof. Their friendship is forbidden--innocent though it is.

Asha must make a desperate sacrifice to keep her promise to her father--to keep her family safe.

This is a wonderful book and the reader will laugh and cry over the events which transpire. Also, for the reader who enjoys learning about other cultures--this is a sure winner!