Uglies

Westerfeld, Scott. 2006. UGLIES. Narrated by Carine Montbertrand. New York: Recorded Books, LLC. ISBN   978-1-4407-2640-8

“Could you walk away from everything you know?”

Tally lives in Uglyville, but is looking forward to her sixteenth birthday when she’ll receive the operation that will remove all her “ugly” features for a predetermined uniform set and become one of the “New Pretties.” Unfortunately, before she can have her operation, she must assist the Special Circumstances by becoming a spy to find her runaway friend, Shay, and divulge the exhistence of a rebel settlement. But, she learns “the truth about being pretty” and has to decide her own future.

In this quick-paced postapocolyptic novel, Scott Westerfeld writes to the hearts of teens honing in on their desire to be like others and self-consciousness about their looks creating a world torn by this desire and the need to be who they are. Using the details of post-war devastation like rusted metal and “old-fashioned handphones,” Westerfeld combines these with technological advances, such as hoverboards that learn the riders moves, self-programable bunjee jackets, and operations that can make everyone “equal,” to provide the backdrop for this adventurous tale. “Surprising plot twists and dangerous circumstances keep the reader guessing (Hallman, 2005).” Skateboards and surfers alike will relate to the hoverboard adventures as they ride along with the characters escaping cruel pretties and hovercars. Rich language and vivid descriptions fill readers’ minds with accurate images as in “the early summer sky was the color of cat vomit” or “the crackle of dry brush enflamed.” Imaginitive words and items like Littlies, minders, Rusties, and hovercars create this futuristic world and are consistently portrayed making this a believable future.

“Highly recommented for science fiction fans or anyone who likes a good, thougtful adventure (Musher, 2005).” “Teens will be entranced, and the cliffhanger ending will leave them gasping for the sequel,” claims Patty Campbell of Amazon Reviews. Those interested in more of the Uglies series can read Pretties, Specials and Extras.

Carine Montbertrand skillfully narrates Uglies portraying Tally’s emotions throughout the novel. Her ability to alter her voice for various characters adds realism to the telling making this a good choice for those preferring to listen to books.

Throughout the novel, themes of loyalty, betrayal, friendship, social class, justice, free will vs. conformity, and survival help readers relate to this future world. This novel would be a good book for group discussions about these themes and how they relate to events of today. For example, how do students feel about automatically getting an operation to be made the same at the age of 16? What would be the benefits or drawbacks of a society like this one?

Uglies has received numerous  honors and awards and has been included on many prominent book lists. Below is a sampling of these accolades:

• The 2005 American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults
• The 2005 Kirkus Best Children’s Books
• The 2006 American Library Association’s Core Collection: Character Education in YA Fiction
• The 2006 YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

References

Campbell, Patty. 2005. “Uglies.” Amazon Reviews. Retrieved on October 23, 2011 from http://www.amazon.com/Uglies-Scott-Westerfeld/dp/1442419814/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320762068&sr=8-1.

Hallman, Carlee. 2005. “Uglies Review.” Children’s Literature. Retrieved on October 23, 2011 from http://www.amazon.com/Uglies-Scott-Westerfeld/dp/1442419814/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320762068&sr=8-1.

Musher, Samantha. 2005. “Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies.” Kliatt. Mar. 2005:29. Literature Resource Center. Retrieved on October 23, 2011.