The Selection
by Kiera Cass
Like many girls, I was drawn to The Selection by the beautiful gown on the cover and the premise of a princess contest. In case you haven’t read it yet, you should know it’s a shameless copy of The Hunger Games. In a futuristic world, people are sorted into numbered castes. The higher the number, the worse off you are, and the Ones are the elite who have enough money and food and control the television network. There’s a contest in which teenage girls compete to get engaged to the royal prince, and it’s all broadcasted on television so the general public can pick favorites and root for a winner. Sound familiar?
Still, for those who would rather read about ballgowns and etiquette lessons than killing children, The Selection is a great choice. The main character has a unique complication to her character: she’s only entered the contest for the weekly compensation check sent to her family while she’s away at the palace. She’s actually in love with someone else, so she has no intention of attracting the prince. But, while she starts off prejudging the prince as a boring snob, when she gets to know him, he turns out to be sweet and down-to-earth.
If I were still a teenager and impressionable, turning to books to learn how to behave, I probably wouldn’t have liked the novel so much. While it’s a good message to “be yourself” when making friends and dating, it’s not respectful to criticize, sass, and fly off the handle at leaders of the country. When the lead “is herself” with the royal prince, it is still a good lesson that she doesn’t try to hide her personality – but can’t she also be encouraged to grow into a better person who understands manners, respect, and decency? There really are some great lessons in this book, like being nice to people who are economically beneath you, not trying to sabotage other contestants no matter the prize, and valuing honesty, I do wish the protagonist wasn’t so set in her ways. She should see the value in maturity and realize that in maturing, it doesn’t mean she’ll lose her identity or her good qualities. Still, I’m looking forward to reading more of the series!
Still, for those who would rather read about ballgowns and etiquette lessons than killing children, The Selection is a great choice. The main character has a unique complication to her character: she’s only entered the contest for the weekly compensation check sent to her family while she’s away at the palace. She’s actually in love with someone else, so she has no intention of attracting the prince. But, while she starts off prejudging the prince as a boring snob, when she gets to know him, he turns out to be sweet and down-to-earth.
If I were still a teenager and impressionable, turning to books to learn how to behave, I probably wouldn’t have liked the novel so much. While it’s a good message to “be yourself” when making friends and dating, it’s not respectful to criticize, sass, and fly off the handle at leaders of the country. When the lead “is herself” with the royal prince, it is still a good lesson that she doesn’t try to hide her personality – but can’t she also be encouraged to grow into a better person who understands manners, respect, and decency? There really are some great lessons in this book, like being nice to people who are economically beneath you, not trying to sabotage other contestants no matter the prize, and valuing honesty, I do wish the protagonist wasn’t so set in her ways. She should see the value in maturity and realize that in maturing, it doesn’t mean she’ll lose her identity or her good qualities. Still, I’m looking forward to reading more of the series!