The Chosen One. By Carol Lynch Williams

Title: The Chosen One.
Author: Carol Lynch Williams
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN: 0312555113
Date: May 12, 2009

Critical Analysis:

This was a very interesting book! The author did a great job. I felt the plot was strong and believable because this book revolves around a young girl named Kyra in a polygamist cult and shows her difficulties which could be a very real scenario today.

For example, when Prophet Childs comes to Kyra’s trailer and tells her and her family that she has been chosen to marry her Uncle Hyrum, who is many years her senior, could be a scene straight from real news headlines! Kyra’s struggle to get away from her Uncle Hyrum and the God Squad was so mind captivating that you will keep reading to the very end!

I felt the author used the right amount of characterization in this book. There were not too many but enough to keep the story believable with the balance of good and evil. For example, I really wanted to choke Prophet Childs, Uncle Hyrum, Sheriff Felix and the rest of the God Squad when they harmed Kyra and threatened her family. It was absolutely horrifying when Uncle Hyrum came to Kyra’s trailer to show his brother (Kyra’s father) how to properly discipline baby Mariah by submersing her in a tub of ice and water for crying in front of Prophet Childs! I have to admit though my favorite character was Patrick, the mobile librarian, and I was so sad when the God Squad beat him to death for trying to help save Kyra. In the end, I was very happy when Kyra escaped and that justice was being served to the evil doers!

This book was a fast read and I felt the author did a great job by keeping the reader engaged; the text format flowed and leaves the reader thinking far after reading this book.


Review Excerpts:

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2009):

"Thirteen-year-old Kyra is part of a polygamous sect, obedient to her father, his wives, and God's will as interpreted by their prophet. When the prophet says she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle, Kyra begins to imagine a life outside her secluded community. The immediacy of Kyra's first-person perspective heightens the story's emotional impact. Readers will hold their breath, hoping for her freedom. Category: Older Fiction. 2009, St. Martin's/Griffin, 353pp, 16.95. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average" Retrieved from Children's Literature Database (Accessed September 27, 2009).


Connections:

I found a discussion guide for this book that starts off with a Q&A with the author Carol Lynch Williams and is follwed by a group of discussion questions. You can access this guide by clicking on: http://us.macmillan.com/CMS400/uploadedFiles/TheChosenOneDiscussionGuide.pdf (Accessed on September 27, 2009).