I was given this book as a gift by one of my friends. My instant thought was "Oh no, I'm going to have to pretend to like this!"

I didn't like it in the end...I loved it! It's a teen book that could easily be read by an adult and enjoyed. On a basic level there's a wonderful sci fi story, but dig little deeper and the book contains a very superficial future and a lot of negative views about the "rusties" - us!

I'm not a huge sci fi and don't enjoy complicated explanations of unusual technologies, this book managed to indulge my love of sci fi without me getting confused. ( )

There is a fair amount of information in the book, from hover boards to hole in the wall recycling closets, Uglies is full of imagination and great enthusiasm from the wannabe pretty Tally Youngblood.

Westerfeld delivers a solid dystopian society where everyone is meant to be beautiful in their own way but at the same time, programmed to be the same. Reading this kind of reminded me of a filtered down version of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Though completely different novels, they both play on human desire.

There was very tense sections where a lot of action occurred and with Westerfeld's detailed explanation, you feel as though you're living in the action next to Tally. The book moved quickly getting to the point just a little past half way which is always better than the climax reaching near the last few chapters.

The cliffhanger ending was very dramatic, very appealing, and totally pretty ( )

Tally Youngblood is anxiously awaiting her sixteenth birthday. Why? Well once she turns sixteen she will be reunited with her BFF Peris, but more importantly than that, she will finally be pretty. That’s right, at the moment, Tally is living amongst the Uglies.

“Uglies” is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a mysterious global catastrophe has pretty much wiped out most of the planet as well as its inhabitants. Several hundred years later, the survivors (or at this point generations later) fearful of war and violence - now cities are known as independent states. These cities have agreed to certain standards for the greater good. For instance at the age of sixteen you undergo major plastic surgery and are moved to new living quarters in a town known as, you guessed it, “Prettytown” - where you live it up with other pretties just like you - partying and just having a grand ol’ time.

A couple of months prior to their sixteenth birthday, Tally meets Shay. They become fast friends and tend to hang out and play tricks together. But after several weeks Tally realizes that there’s something different about Shay. For one, she doesn’t want to be pretty, she actually thinks she’s not ugly. Which to Tally is quite surprising since everyone knows you are ugly before the operation. Secondly, she keeps talking about a secretive place called the Smoke and a mysterious friend named David. Shay eventually runs away to the Smoke the day before her sixteenth birthday leaving Tally behind with a set of cryptic directions in case she decides to forgo her dream of being pretty. But Tally has no intention of running away - her dream has always been to be pretty. That is until Special Circumstances (an organization like the FBI) gets involved and gives her the ultimatum of being pretty or staying ugly forever but in the process she’ll have to betray her friend and all the inhabitants of the Smoke. That is, of course, if she can decipher Shay's directions and makes it there alive.

Although I did find it a bit difficult at first to understand what was going on, once I actually started understanding about pretties, uglies, etc., I really enjoyed this dystopian future. I love anything post-apocalyptic - and reading about a world where technology surpasses ours, where there's a magnetic grid running beneath the surface that allows the residents to travel via hoverboards and/or hovercrafts, is a treat. I liked the fact that it had an underlying thread about recycling and taking care of our planet. And like most teens today - Tally and Shay were facing some of the same issues - low self-esteem, peer pressure, etc. I loved when they would mention the Rusty's (the people who were living before the big catastrophe... or us). It was a mystery that little by little unraveled itself on what and why the world was the way it is in their time. I will forewarn that it ends rather abrubtly, but do not fret as there is a sequel.

With that said, although a bit confusing at first, stick through the first couple of chapters and you will find yourself completely immersed in a unique world full adventure, suspense and even a little romance thrown in there for good measure. ( )

Tally is an ugly about to turn 16. She lives in Uglyville with the rest of the uglies until her 16th birthday when she'll undergo the surgery to turn her into a pretty so she can go live in New Pretty Town with the rest of the pretties. Except her new friend Shay is disillusioned with the false values and conformity of the pretties and runs away to the Smoke, a town of rebels living outside the bounds of society. The authorities give Tally an awful choice, either hunt down and turn in her best friend, or never be turned into a pretty. Throughout the book Tally deals with what it means to be pretty or ugly, friendships and promises. Westerfeld takes a unique approach in tackling questions of image issues, identity, friendships and self-confidence that swirl through female development from middle school through high school. It's a great story, with good pacing of dialog mixed with action, set in a truly unique world that is eerily doesn't seem too far off from our own. This is a trilogy and the ending of this book will have you reaching for the next. ( )

Before age 16 one is an Ugly. At age 16 one becomes a Pretty. At one month from her 16th birthday the main character meets a girl who does not want to become a Pretty. They escape via hoverboard to a new land. The main character is captured and set up to be a spy. This is a great book for readers who question society or want to be free thinkers. It would be a good spark for discussion or debate. The reading level may be difficult for some middle schoolers, but better and more mature readers will love it. ( )