Uglies / Pretties / Specials

Westerfeld has created a world that is both whizzbang and creepy. It's a future that seems very specifically designed to address questions about the present. They aren't simple questions: What is worth giving up to ensure equality? What makes a person attractive? What constitutes good stewardship of the planet? All of this is the substance to a book that also offers the style of a good story, one that left me curious to find out where it is going.

This series is one of the best I have ever encountered. There are so many levels to the different issues, morals and politics that Scott Westerfeld delves into in this highly imaginative perception of the future. Tally Youngblood on her hoverboard is an unorthodox heroine and I loved her sense of adventure. I loved how nothing was simple in this book--the good guys weren't so pure and the bad guys weren't all bad. While one could argue that the Rusties were justified in wanting to live life on their own terms, with their own free will, it could also be asserted that their methods of going about doing so weren't perfect. They chop down trees and deplete natural resources, while in New Pretty Town, the community is eco-conscious society show more that recycled everything and did not harm forests. My favorite book was "Pretties" when Tally was faced with the challenge of being "Pretty" but trying to stay "bubbly". The action in these books makes you feel like you are right there along with Tally. From the first book "Uglies", Dr. Cable asserts herself as a formidable presence as well. This is a multilayerd young adult series, with so many discussion topics rising from the various issues presented in the books. show less

This trilogy (to which Westerfeld later adds a fourth book, Extras) is one that I read out of sequence. I actually read Pretties first, thinking it was the first in the series, followed by Uglies, Specials, and Extras. One would normally find an out-of-sequence read like this to be troublesome, and I admit there were parts made less confusing after reading the novel, Uglies, but I think I enjoyed the high-riding adventure (spoiler included, as there are hooverboards and many thrilling modes of transportation throughout this series) more in this manner. Beyond the action-packed adventures that will grab and entice both male and female readers alike, there is a theme so powerful it is not to be missed. Do our manipulations of the earth, show more ourselves, and our beliefs in what is good, pretty, desirable, etc. come at such a great cost that we will all collectively and / or individually destroy the beauty that exists already? Although many adults would find this book too manipulative, that is probably intentional as the entire theme is about manipulation. I find this novel perfect for middle and high school students, and even middle-aged Librarians. show less

This Series is AMAZING! It's out of this world, I love how the author captures the pain in how he looks at things like I would've never of looked at certain scenarios this way. This series will keep you constantly changing your mind & being on different sides of different situations, it can be pretty confusing at times, but in a way it makes it better because you can just go back and reread the books & see things you didn't see before, you'll never be bored with the Uglies Saga (: And it super insanely cool how the "their world" in the book is like a "past" of our world is frozen and they fast forwarded and they're so advanced & they talk about all of these...unusal...bugs that can eat gasoline & a lot of cool inventions, that really show more make you wonder(= my vote: it's a GREAT read ! show less

I’ve wanted to read the Uglies quartet for years, ever since they showed up on my little sister’s shelves. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic society where all of humanity is gathered into a few independent cities. In every city, when citizens reach their 16th birthday they undergo a surgery to change them from “uglies” into super-model gorgeous “pretties”. There is, of course, a catch. Both the catch and most of the other plot points were quite predictable, although the motivations of those in charge surprised me; I just don’t feel like they got enough out of it. But the idea was novel and I appreciated that. The world was also very well developed and the details of the procedure by which people became pretty show more were fleshed out enough to make it very believable.

The characters were wonderful. I don’t think there were any cookie-cutter characters and most of the characters were very well-developed. There was also some very believable character development for our protagonist. One of my favorite things about the narrative was how in character the viewpoint was. The main character, Tally, is threatened with remaining ugly forever if she doesn’t help the people in charge find a friend who fled the city. Her reaction was very believable, not too eager to help but not too eager to remain ugly forever either. Her wonder at the things she encountered during her adventures, things we might take for granted today, also added to the feel that we were really getting this story from her perspective.

My least favorite thing about the narrative was the lack of visual descriptions. I think the world envisioned by the author would be a visually stunning world, something which would make a great movie, and I was disappointed the author didn’t do more to make me “see” that. The writing overall was acceptable, but not anything special (which I will say is still superior to some YA series). I don’t have any other specific problems with it, but I did find that it wasn’t hard to put the books down at any point. The series was very thought provoking, raising issues about conformity, beauty, and satisfaction with your own appearance. Definitely a novel I would recommend for a YA book club for instance, but perhaps not awesome enough that I would recommend it to an adult audience as enthusiastically as I’d recommend some other YA series. show less

Scott Westerfeld's novel the Uglies is a good book that I would recommend for teenagers that are going through struggles in school or life because of how they look. It demonstrates individualism,and the differences between being beautiful inside and being beautiful outside. Tally, who has many choices to make and is turning sixteen gets excited about the surgery that everyone waits for when turning sixteen and that's to turn pretty and move to New Pretty Town. She meets a girl named Shay who she eventually becomes good friends with and both have the same birthdays but has decisions to make throughout the time. Shay runs away to a town that lets her be herself and be different from all the "pretties" and asks Tally to go but she refuses. show more People in the Special Circumstances gives her two choices: should she turn her friend in and become pretty?, or should she lose Shay and never turn pretty? I'm sure she wouldn't want to be ugly forever. I loved the fact that it keeps you thinking what will happen next in the book which makes you want to keep reading. Tally has many decisions to make on her own, but in Tally's world, everyone wants to fit in and become pretty, but there's certain people like Tally and Shay that just wants to be themselves and their own individual. She meets David and his parents which tell Tally that the surgery also messes up the brain and changes her thoughts about the surgery. Now what would you do? Become pretty and accept the changes in the brain?, or be ugly for the rest of your life?The struggle and different choices that Tally goes through just to become pretty is something that many teenagers wish they can do. This book shows some life experiencing events. show less

This is a fantastic and thought provoking series. A girl named Tally Youngblood is living in a world where everything is controlled and the sole wish of a fifteen year old is to become pretty. Scientists operate on sixteen year old kids and completely transform their bodies to be perfect. Supermodel gorgeous. Perfect. Artificial. Brainwashed. Then Tally is commanded to go find a friend that has run away or she will never become pretty. When she finds her friend she realizes a whole new side of being pretty and how pretty being natural really is.