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Uglies: Uglies Quartet, Book 1
- By Scott Westerfeld
- Genre: Science Fiction
Common Sense Media says
Thoughtful sci-fi about beauty's price; tweens and up.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this book, set in the future, deals with our culture's obsession with physical perfection and hedonism. There is some fighting and a minor character is killed, not seen. A gruesome operation is described. Girl characters especially are brave and stand up to an oppressive regime.
What's the story?
Tally has grown up in a post-apocalyptic world where, at the age of 16, everyone is given an operation that makes their faces and bodies perfect. Before the operation they are known as "uglies," and after as "pretties." After the operation they live in New Pretty Town, enjoying a life of constant partying and pleasure. Tally can't wait.
Shortly before her 16th birthday she befriends Shay, who tells her about the Smoke, a secret community of those who refuse the operation. When Shay runs away to join the Smoke, Tally is given a choice by the Specials, the secret police: help them find the Smoke and betray her friend, or remain an ugly forever.
Is it any good?
Author Scott Westerfeld manages a delicate balancing act in UGLIES. It's obvious that he had a point to make when he decided to write a book about a futuristic society that celebrates beauty above all else -- and that the world of the book is a not-so-logical extension of certain trends in today's society having to do with physical attractiveness, plastic surgery, mindless consumerism and pleasure-seeking, and divorce from nature. But he never hits the reader over the head with a message and, in fact, allows the lives of the pretties enough appeal to make the argument two-sided.
This intellectual argument is set inside a crackling, though at times maddeningly predictable, story. About two-thirds of the way through the book is a series of events that alert readers will not only have seen coming a hundred pages earlier, but they'll be frustrated that Tally so stupidly falls into them. But the final third is a breathtaking race to the cliffhanger ending.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what the author is saying about the pursuit of beauty and mindless fun. Is there something wrong with wanting to be beautiful and have fun? If you could choose to be a "pretty," would you?
Is the life of the Smokies better in some way? How does Tally's perception of their lifestyle (eating meat, staying "ugly") change and why?
Why do you think this series is so popular? What drew you to it? Is it what you expected?
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AGE
Thought provoking for teens. I have concerns about the series.
As a high school librarian, I read the Uglies series to see if it would be appropriate for my students. The idea about a gov't that orders surgeries that beautify but dumb down the populace makes you think about priorities and freedom. The writer has created another word with it's own vocab, which is enjoyable. My reservations are how amoral the writer is in approaching teen drinking and partying and "cutting." Cutting doesn't show up in Uglies, but if you read Uglies, you will want to read the rest of the series, and later one of the main characters starts to cut herself to make herself more aware and alert. Eventually a group of Cutters form. The author is totally neutral in his treatment of the topic. My concern is that young people might read this series without thinking critically and think there is nothing wrong with cutting (or some of the other activities..., but I'm most concerned with the cutting). I plan to include this series in our library, but will paste a statement inside the front cover about the seriousness of cutting and websites for help.
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AGE
Good Read
I love the book and thought it was great. However, my sixteen year old sister read it and understood the main concept of it but had a hard time digesting it without my help. Great book and great concepts/themes to get young adults thinking about the materialism and perfectionism in the world.
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AGE
I HATE THIS BOOK!
This book was the worst book ever. It did have okay reveiws so I read it but it was not good!
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AGE
Brilliant... Definately a Buy
This was a fantastic book. The first book left me madly flipping the pages of Uglies' two sequels, Pretties and Specials. Great, great series. Brilliant, I'd venture even. This piece really made me stop and thing about our physical obsession to appear beautiful, especially with girls my age. It makes you think... do we have it set in our mind already that we are ugly? Most of us do, and it's not our fault. It takes a hit on a girl's self esteem to see a retouched photo of a model in a magazine. That is the equivalent to the girls of Tally's world looking up to the "Pretties". This book really questions that way of thinking. Great read, I'd recommend it to anyone, to EVERYONE. Buy it.
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AGE
Exciting and interesting!
I wish Scott Westerfeld (who wrote the Uglies series) had also written the Twilight series. It has all of the page-turning excitement, fantasy and romance. But yet it actually features a strong female heroine who kicks butt instead of waiting around to be rescued.
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AGE
Excellent book for people who loved adventure- anyone between 11-16 would like this book
OMG this is like one of my fav books!
it's about a girl called Tally and she lives in the furture. In the future when you turn 16 u get a life changing opperation and become gorgeous. But when tally meets a girl who thinks that everyone is pretty just as they are and that people don't need to change, her world gets turned upside down and she has to choose between the life that she always wanted or her new life and best friends! The descisions tally makes will blow you away!
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AGE
Still on the fence about this series
I really need to read the rest of the trilogy before making a final call on this series. I like the idea the author is trying to explore - what would you be willing to give up to attain perfect beauty?
But I found the constant drawn out descriptions of what is basically a flying skate board boring and repetitious. There is a minor side story about a genetically modified plant that seems contrived to allow the author to moralize on environmental issues.
As the main review states, you can see the plot twists coming a mile away so it feels like a sci fi novel dumbed down for kids instead of an intelligent sci fi novel written for kids.
Not sure why people feel the main character is a strong female role model - she lies and stabs her friends in the back to get what she wants. It's unclear why her romantic interest falls for her before she does anything to deserve his trust or respect. Shay is far more interesting and I kept wishing she had been made the star of the show instead.
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AGE
Good Book, but alcohol content an issue
I thought the book was entertaining. I'm not sure, though, why the author had to bring alcohol use into the story. It really bothered me that alcohol was being consumed (under age) and its effects were glorified. Other than this issue, I thought it was a good book.
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AGE
there's a message here.
I love the whole Ugly triology. (: i love the message in the story about how we're too obsessed with physical appearances.
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AGE
Nice and Different
This book was great! It delivers a change from the vampire fiction stories that are everywhere today. Don't get me wrong, I love vampires, just look at my username. But when you kind of just need a break from the supernatural, pick up this book and give it a try. The plot was excellent. I wish I could have a *SPOILERS* hoverboard! And I think the idea of not judging people is great, but I don't agree with the cities rules and 'lesions'. But nice and appropriate.
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| Author: | Scott Westerfeld |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Science Fiction |
| Publisher: | Simon & Schuster |
| Publication date: | June 26, 2006 |
| Number of pages: | 425 |
| Hardcover price: | $15.90 |
| Paperback price: | $7.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 12 - 17 |
| Read aloud: | 11 |
| Read alone: | 12 |
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