What I am Reading: Bumped and Half-Brother and Contests

If you loved the Jessica Darling series as much as I did, then you, like me, have been (really) looking forward to Megan McCafferty’s next book, BUMPED. Here is the summary:

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

While the premise sounded interesting, what was most intriguing was the fact that the novel was also being referred to as funny. Wait. Dystopians can be funny? I'd never have believed it either! It’s certainly a different sort of dystopian novel than anything out there.

Despite many laugh-out-loud moments, BUMPED does not skim over the more serious issues in the book, such as religion and teen sexuality. The world the author creates is outrageous yet entirely believable, futuristic and yet relate-able, often hitting a little too close to home. And, of course, there's the romance that will have you hoping, hoping, hoping.

Go pick up your copy of BUMPED 4/26/11!

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And if you need a break from dystopians, this is one book you won't regret reading:

Ben Tomlin was an only child for thirteen years. Then his parents brought home a baby chimp.

It isn't long before Ben is Zan's favourite, and Ben starts to see Zan as more than just an experiment. His father disagrees. Soon Ben is forced to make a critical choice between what he is told to believe and what he knows to be true -- between obeying his father or protecting his brother from an unimaginable fate.

A baby chimp for a brother. Interesting, I thought. But as I read, I wasn't just an observer. I was Ben. Set in 1973, readers will experience a wide range of emotions--you'll laugh with Ben one minute and then gasp with horror in the next.

This one came out last year. Fair warning: grab a box of tissues as well. I think given the premise, that's to be expected even before you open the book.

So. What are you reading right now?

Want to read one of these books? Leave a comment and become a follower, and I'll send one randomly selected winner a copy of the book of your choice. (I'll send BUMPED on the release date.) I'll pick a winner on March 27, 2011.