Play Book Tag discussion

I'm considering this part of the Entertainment tag because the story focuses on the Shakespearean Festival in the MC's town.

I read this not only for this month's tag, but also for Utah Book Week. It's a thing my friends and I do each August to celebrate books written by authors from or who live in Utah.

Anyway, this is Ally Condie's middle grade debut and I really think she discovered her niche. I liked her Matched series, but this book was just outstanding.

It's a contemporary story about a 12-year-old girl, Cedar, who recently lost her dad and younger brother in an automobile accident. Her mom decides to buy a house in her home town, a fictional place in Utah, so they can spend their summers there.

Cedar is struggling with her dad and younger brother's death when she befriends a local boy who works at the Shakespearean festival. The story is beautifully written. Such a great book about friendship, love, loss, and healing. The story was very real to me. It's as if Ally wrote about my own feelings of struggling with my mom's passing.

I highly recommend it for not only the intended audience but adults as well.

I enjoyed the Matched Series as well. When I was in college, I lived in a town with a HUGE professional-grade Shakespeare Festival, so this definitely sounds up my alley.

Onto the TBR! Just looked at the book description and it's only 272 pages. Sounds very easy to read in a sitting or two.