Grade 7
"When I grow up, I'm gonna be a princess!” Raise your hand if you've said that before. I know I have. In the book The Selection this dream little girls have can come true. Far into the future the United States has fallen and in its place is Illea. Democracy is out and the Monarchy as well as the Caste system are in. And when the Prince comes of age, The Selection begins.
America Singer lives in Illea, with her mother, her father, her sister May, and her brother Gerad. Her family consisted of 5’s, meaning they’re artists and classical musicians. Considering that there are 8 castes (8 being homeless and poor, and 1 being royalty) it's no surprise that her family has very little money. America's Mother is what you would call, a “Caste Climber.” She has high hopes of her children marrying up to higher castes so the rest of the family may live more comfortably. What she doesn’t know, is that America is already in love with Aspen, the 6. America's mother has no clue of this, so when the letter comes in for her to enter to be picked for the Selection, she is completely baffled by America's lack of interest in entering. America simply refuses to enter no matter how beneficial it could be to her family. Until one day, America finds out that Aspen is saving up to marry her, but he also insists that she enter because of how great of an opportunity it is! Of course America listens to Aspen and enters…looking as beautiful as can be in the picture sent to the Prince, and she gets picked! Great news right?! Not so much, America doesn’t want to become the Prince's wife! She doesn’t even want to have an opportunity to win the prince's heart! But, alas, she must go. Before she does, she and Aspen get in an argument, and she sees him with another girl! How could he betray her like that? When she gets to the castle she is the underdog, but also a crowd favorite, and her charisma and independence also make her one of prince Maxon's favorites--she doesn’t know what to do or who she loves and is all caught up in a crazy love mess! What does she do? Read the book to find out!
I found this book to be an amazing read! The way the author puts a new spin on a girl's opinion on wanting to become royalty is creative and heart dropping. It's a book you can’t put down because of the many twists and turns
and how the author has a new and refreshing way of writing. America is such an independent and stubborn girl, but still flawed, and I feel that I can relate to her. She isn’t perfect so rather than making you feel bad about yourself you read her experience and can go through it with her and feel like you're living in this beautiful castle and being treated like royalty with her, but also see the issues she has and somewhat learn from her mistakes and/or triumphs! She’s so charismatic and fun to read about you have no choice but to love her and the book!
I would definitely recommend this book, but only to females. It's a bit of a girly book due to the princess-y side of it, which makes it enjoyable, but more to girls rather than boys. Reading this book makes you feel like you're in America's shoes and it's really enjoyable. Any girl would want to be treated like a princess right? But she’s not just some girly girl who sits around brushing her hair and putting on makeup. She’s witty and hard working and it's so amusing to see her take on the world around her, and how her experiences affect the way she lives life! So read The Selection by Kiera Cass!
