The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams

The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams
Young Adult, 2009

Kyra is one of 20 children in her polygamist family of three mothers and one father. When the prophet commands her to marry her uncle - a man also 50 years older than her - she has to come to grips with her love for her family, her secret passion for books, and her hopes for another she had hoped to marry.
Polygamist runaways/searching-for-a-new-life teenagers is a genre in and of itself, although typically poorly done. In this case, Williams has obviously done her research. She writes very well, and has captured the voice of not just Kyra, but her father, her mothers, and the siblings she is closest to. I was bothered by the outcome of the driver of the mobile library, and I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. There's also a disclaimer: if you are a MOTHER, then DO NOT READ this book for a particular scene where someone hurts a baby. I burst into tears (I don't cry over books as a rule.) on the spot and was very bothered by that scene, so I'm voicing a word of caution. However, I'm hoping Williams continues writing, as she is a great new voice to add to the teen world.
Graded a C+ (for the scene. Sorry, I can't have this on my shelf. I'm a mama with nightmares about my child. If it didn't have the scene it would have been a B.)