Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Uglies (Uglies Trilogy #1) by Scott Westerfeld

Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. Simon Pulse, 2005. 448 pages. ISBN-10: 0689865384. ISBN-13: 978-0689865381.

Plot:
Tally is an Ugly. She hasn’t yet reached her 16th birthday where she will undergo the surgery that will transform her to a Pretty and allow her to live in New Pretty Town where she can spend all her time partying with the rest of the new Pretties. Missing her best friend Peris, who has already become a Pretty, she sneaks over to New Pretty Town to see him. While there she is almost caught, but is helped by another Ugly named Shay. Tally and Shay become friends. Shay reveals that she doesn’t want to become a Pretty and is planning on running away instead. After Shay disappears, Tally still plans to become a Pretty, but on the day of her birthday she is taken to meet Dr. Gable, the head of Special Circumstances, the city’s security force. Dr. Gable informs Tally that she must find Shay and lead Special Circumstances to the colony of runaways where Shay is living or she’ll never be allowed to become a Pretty. Tally agrees and sets off to the colony, know as The Smoke. When she arrives, she begins to enjoy the freedom of The Smoke and decides to stay instead of revealing where they are. She also falls in love with a boy who was born there, named David. What Tally doesn’t know is that Dr. Gable expected her to betray her mission and has a way of tracking her anyway.

Critical Evaluation:
On the surface, Uglies is a dystopian post-scarcity science-fiction thriller. Looking deeper, however, the entire novel is a metaphor for the confusion inherent in adolescence when torn between desires for individuality and the need to conform, as well as the fear of growing up. Teenagers will appreciate Tally’s predicament. She desperately wants to join Peris and the other Pretties in New Pretty Town, but as she learns more about the Uglies living in the Smoke and discovers life outside of the city, she is drawn to that lifestyle. However, the Smoke simply represents another type of conformity. Tally has to learn to reconcile what she wants with the demands of those around her, which is something that every individual must go through as part of growing up.

Westerfeld creates a dazzling world with his descriptions of New Pretty Town. The technology he creates is fascinating and fun. Who wouldn’t want a hoverboard? He manages to make being a Pretty sounds incredibly appealing, which makes it all the more horrifying when it’s revealed what happens during the transformation.

The novel is an exercise in suspense. The reader is never sure what is around the next corner or who is an enemy. Just as one problem is resolved, something else is introduced. The characters’ motivations are often hard to read as it seems like even the most innocent often have some kind of agenda. We spend most of the novel watching Tally’s world fall apart around her as she learns that it’s a very different place than she thought it was. She remains a strong character throughout. When the novel ends, the reader will be anxious to find out what happens to her next.

Reader's Annotation:
Tally has always look forward to her 16th birthday when she will become a Pretty. When Tally's new friend Shay declares that she plans to run away instead, Tally must decide if she should become a Pretty or follow Shay.

Author Information:
Scott Westerfeld was born May 5, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. His father was a computer programmer, so Westerfeld and his family traveled a lot when he was a kid. He lived in Texas, California, and Connecticut. He attended a magnet school for arts in Dallas. He earned a bachelors in Philosophy from Vassar and did graduate work in Performance Studies at New York University. He is married to the Australian author Justine Larbalestier. The two divide their time between Australia and New York, specifically to avoid winter in either hemisphere.

Before becoming a novelist, he worked as a ghost writer and music writer. His first novels were adult science fiction, but he transitioned to writing for young adults with his book So Yesterday in 2004. He has also published non-fiction, short stories, poetry, and several essays.

Genre:
Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties:
Science: Care of the Environment
Health: Body Image
Sociology: Community

Booktalking Ideas:
  • Talk about the anticipation of becoming a Pretty.
  • Compare Tally and Shay.
  • Explain some of the technology they use in the book.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
13 and older

Challenge Issues:
Allusions to alcohol use
Negative body image issues
Anti-family
Anti-government

Challenge Defense Ideas:
  • Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
  • If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
  • Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
  • Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:
This book was recommended to me by a teenage friend of my sister. It's popular with her group of friends.