Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

The Uglies is a fiction book. It has all kinds of advanced technology such as hoverboards, hovercars, and talking rooms. I was originally interested in this book because of the title and when I read the back of the book it sounded so interesting and made me think of why everyone was separated by the way they looked.

The book Uglies is about a girl named Tally and how she can't wait until September ninth. Not for turning sixteen but for turning pretty. In Tally's world there are two towns; New Pretty Town and Uglyville. Everyone lives in Uglyville until they turn sixteen and get the operation. The operation that changes your life forever and Tally can't wait. She would soon be living in a paradise where it was all fun all the time. But one night while Tally is pulling an ugly prank she meets Shay. Shay is an ugly and all her friends are gone too. But not all of Shay's friends turned pretty. To pass the time Tally and Shay would pull pranks but six nights before their birthday Shay takes one prank too far. That is to run away to the Smoke and never come back and never turn pretty. When Tally says no Shay decides to go without her no matter what. But just in case Tally wants to come later she left her note that only Tally would understand. On the day of the operation instead of being taken to the operation room she is taken to Special Circumstances. Once she reached the room she is told that she can either tell them where Shay and the others are or she can die ugly. Once Tally says she won't tell them where Shay is because she promised Shay not to they take her back to Uglyville where she will live. The next night Tally realizes she also made a promise to Peris, her best friend who is already pretty, that she won't cause any trouble so she can become pretty with him too. So Tally calls the Special Circumstances and gives them the note that Shay gave her.

The Special Circumstances tells Tally that they packed her bags for her and she can leave tonight to find the Smoke. They gave her a pendent necklace to activate when she gets there and then they will know exactly where she is. On Tally's journey she goes through old ruins, falling off a cliff, having all her clothes shredded, and almost being burnt to death. But once she arrives Tally quickly notices that the Smoke is a completely different place that she soon falls in love with along with David. To prove how final her staying is she decided to burn the necklace in doing so she accidentally sets it off. So the next morning everyone is in a scramble fighting their ways out of Special Circumstances hands. When Tally manages to escape she meets up with David who escaped also. Earlier in Tally's arrival she met David's parents who were doctors who did the operation, once they found out that the operation not only changes your appearance but your mind too. It enables the fact to feel any other emotion then happy and bubbly. So Tally and David set out to find his parents and Shay. When they arrive Tally and David come to find David's dad dead and Shay pretty. But they captured the rest and took them all to a secret place called the Rusty Ruins. Once there David's mom finds a cure to get your brain back to the usual self. But Shay being transformed into a pretty wont' do it. So Tally volunteers to turn pretty then they can test it out on her. So in the end, it's Tally and Shay, best friends, one pretty and one ugly.

The significance of the title Uglies is obvious. The whole book is about Tally's journey of wanting to turn pretty. Then learning that it's not what life is all about.

If I could ask Scott Westerfeld three questions about Uglies it would be:

1. What made you think of all the advanced things in this book? Like hoverboards, talking rooms etc.

I would ask this because there were so many things in the book that I couldn't even imagine that he brought to life through the book. So many advanced things that it just makes you wonder if that could ever really happen.

2. How did you ever think to write a book about being ugly and pretty?

I would ask this question because in the book the two are separated so much that it makes you wonder how he feels about being ugly and pretty. And if he feels there really is such a vast difference like it shows in the book.

3. How did you write this book?

I would ask this question finally because the plot Scott Westerfeld used, in my opinion, is very different from the usual kind of story. He builds up to the point then brings in another conflict and another until in the end the girl goes against everything she believed in and becomes pretty. It kept me interested throughout the whole thing.

By: Kierstyn Tuel :]