A few months ago a friend of mine saw the last Harry Potter movie. Shortly after that he announced he wanted to re-read the books. In order. Start to finish. But he didn't have all the books at his disposal. So I accommodated his objective by giving him all of mine. Every last one. As a bonus for him, I included all the movie CDs, books analyzing the series, and some articles on J.K. Rowling. I am a Harry Potter junkie.

Two weeks ago he handed me back all of the materials. He admitted he ignored all the ancillary materials, but proudly announced that he had read all seven books. In order. Start to finish. His next goal is to re-read the Tolkien series in order – for the fourth time. The man has an appreciation for a good yarn.

Harry Potter shows us that a well-written story with magic, action, conflict, and character development can capture our interest, regardless of the age group for which it is crafted. But what comes after Harry Potter?

I suggest Matched by Ally Condie, a New York Times bestseller written for young adults. In that dystopian society, young men and women are perfectly paired to one another. Or are they? Do the methods of that society work any better than our own contemporary dating services? From the beginning of the book, Cassia finds herself in conflict. Can she be certain that the mate selected for her is the right one? If she refuses, what happens to her? We care about Cassia and the choice she makes because even as adults we can relate to her confusion. What if her soul mate isn’t the perfect match at all?

Pick up the book and its sequel, Crossed. I think you’ll enjoy both.