The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Emily's comments: Thirteen-year-old Kyra lives in a small trailer with her mother and three sisters. Her father stays for a week once a month; on alternating weeks, he stays with one of his other two wives and their children. Kyra lives in a compound with The Chosen Ones. When the Prophet Childs has a vision that she is to marry her sixty-five year old Uncle, Kyra must make the difficult choice to be obedient to the community or escape the compound for a life in a world her beliefs and culture are against the norm. Staying means becoming the seventh wife to a harsh disciplinarian, giving up the boy she loves, and leaving behind the books she is forbidden to read. Fleeing means a life of uncertainty away from the family she loves, but a life of freedom.

Carol Lynch Williams’s The Chosen One is at once heartbreaking and courageous. It is a shining example of the quality of Young Adult literature being published today. Excellently written, this story will stay with you long after you have finished the final page. I was absolutely terrified for Kyra from the very first page, and I had to ask myself on several occasions throughout the books whether or not I would have had the courage to make the decisions Kyra faces if I was in a similar situation. I definitely recommend The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams. Check status at GPL.