Great New YA Reads and Back to Work

What a wonderful December and Christmas season we have enjoyed. Lots of snow and fun and family. It's been a blessing all the way around. I've read a lot of not so good books (I don't know--I just hit an unlucky run!), but the last two books I read were amazing. I'm so excited to share them with you.

The first book I read and LOVED is MATCHED by Ally Condie. It's brand new, a dystopian YA novel (which, yes, I am getting a bit tired of the BAD ones, but this one is soooo good) that ranks up there with HUNGER GAMES. The novel opens with our protagonist about to attend her 'matching ceremony', the ceremony girls attend at age 17 to find out who the 'Society' has chosen to be her match (future husband). Her match is a surprise to everyone, but a good kind of surprise. It's only after a glitch in the computer program (one that allows her to learn about her 'future husband') that she begins to wonder if the Society is capable of making errors. As she begins to question her match, it leads to questions about every aspect of the Society, and it puts her family and their entire livelihood at risk. An excellent, compelling page-turner and leaves you hungry for a sequel.

The other book, NEW BOY by Julian Houston, was such an important piece of YA fiction, that I've required both my daughters to read it. NEW BOY tells the story of a boy from the pre-integrated South who becomes the first African American to attend an elite New England boarding school. He is torn between the opportunity to pave a new way for people of his background and the desire to be at home working for the Civil Rights cause. The young man will inspire and motivate you to do your best in every opportunity you've been given. You will have a new, first-hand appreciation of the young risk-takers of the Civil Rights movement, and most of all, you will fall in love with this cast of characters. If you don't read a word of anything, read NEW BOY by Julian Houston. Like the best books in the world, it will change you.

The other books I read a lot of (with my sons) are the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. These books are seriously hilarious, and each one is better than the last. My boys LOVE them, and I have to admit, I crack up the whole time I'm reading.

Have a wonderful day, Happy New Year, and get reading!


I'm so excited for a new year, a new beginning, new opportunities and fresh starts.