Uglies (Uglies #1)

I rarely read a book that doesn't feature vampires, but I read the entire Uglies Series and enjoyed it. They are definitely out there, but that is what keeps you coming back for more. Scott Westerfeld has an amazing imagination that I think everyone should experience!

A world where once you turn 16 you must undergo an operation from Ugly to Pretty. Such a process, such a society. This book was something i never expected and I loved every minute that I was reading this book.

If those who are born Ugly must go through an operation to become Pretty, a lot of people in society wouldn't object. This book really makes you look at yourself and how you should really appreciate the true beauty you're given to yourself. Scott Westerfeld brings out such an elaborate story in such a society that puts looks on a high platform and envelops everyones lives around it. It really shows how modern society happens to be... how the conscious though of "pretty" can manipulate thoughts, outlooks and who we are and what we become. The fascination with beauty consumes everything.

This was a fun and quick read for me. The future world that Scott Westerfeld created was very intriguing and described so well that I felt I could imagine it perfectly in my head. There was clearly a contrast between Uglyville (dull, boring, etc.) and New Pretty Town (fun, colorful, exciting).

The premise of Uglies is very sad: Tally spends her whole life pining for the time when she turns 16 so she can be "pretty" and go live in New Pretty Town to finally have fun. It's a representation of the importance society puts on looks, but it also reflects the feelings of teens who just want to fit in. Tally doesn't want to be the prettiest girl after her surgery, she just wants to look like the rest of the popular kids who live in New Pretty Town. Sameness is desired while uniqueness is seen as ugly with no exceptions.

I think Scott Westerfeld did a good job making his point though I wish there was a little more explanation of the world Tally lives in. For instance, I'm not sure what the deal is with the adults in this world. Her parents and teachers seem to be just as clueless as Tally. Apparently that's just the way life is in this world, but I'm still wondering why?

A great idea for a book, this story just needs a little more fine tuning for me.

Reader reviewed by darklightkid

In the future, 16-year-olds are required by law to undergo extreme cosmetic surgery that turns them into people almost too beautiful to be human. Until then, until the day they become Pretties, they have to live in their own dorm halls, with only their peers for company, as unwanted Uglies.

Tally Youngblood is about to turn 16 herself, and she is tired of being the oldest ugly in the house. Her best friend Shay will get the operation a few days before she does. But on the big day, Shay inexplicably vanishes without a trace. And even worse, Tally is approached by Dr. Cable, the fearsome and intimidatingly beautiful leader of the Special Circumstances squad, who gives her an ultimatum: Find Shay and bring her back, or Tally will never become pretty.

So, Tally goes on a mission, across the same blasted post-apocalyptic landscape she and Shay used to hoverboard around on, carrying nothing but the clothes on her backs and seemingly endless packages of synthetic pre-packed food - specifically, SpagBol, or Spaghetti Bolognese, which Tally eventually gets tired of (a running gag for the rest of the series is that she will eat any other such food - PadThai, CurryNoods - anything but SpagBol.) Eventually, Tally discovers a camp full of runaway renegades, all ugly but mostly adults, Shay among them. And as she stays there, Tally discovers that being pretty is not all it's cracked up to be. The horrible sad truth is, when a person undergoes the Pretty operation, the surgeons sneakily insert brain lesions to prevent the Pretties from thinking of anything but partying. Who will Tally trust? Will she betray her best friend?

It's a sin that most people look at this book and automatically assume it's strictly chick-lit. I'm a dude and yet I still enjoyed this book, because Westerfeld is one of my favorite authors (and if I ever become a writer myself someday, I would cite Westerfeld as one of my influences.) It's not the best book in his bibliography, but it's a good start to a series with amazing potential. And it carries a very serious message, too: similarly to a famous quote from The Incredibles, when everyone's pretty, no one will be. Chew on that, Kim Kardashian!

Reader reviewed by avery

What if you
lived in a world where perfect beauty was the norm and ugly was just a stage of
life? In Scott Westerfelds book Uglies
everyone under the age of sixteen is an Ugly until they turn sixteen, when
they get a surgery and turn Pretty. 
After that there are four stages of Pretty; Young, Middle, Crumbly and
Dead Pretty. Tally Youngblood is the last one of her friends to still be an Ugly.
While waiting for her 16^th birthday to arrive she befriends Shay,
another Ugly, who doesnt believe that her face is hideous because it isnt
perfect or that there is only one way to be pretty. To avoid having becoming
Pretty Shay runs off to the Smokes, a secret hideout for those who want to stay
Ugly, the week before Tally and her turn sixteen. Tally is forced to follow Shay
to the Smoke by the Specials, a fierce group of Pretties who run the government,
and pretend that she came on her own free will. After she gets there Tally is
supposed to activate a special tracker the Specials gave her but once there she
starts to like the Smoke and starts to questions the Specials reason for
wanting to destroy it. Im not going to ruin the book for those of you who
havent read it yet so I wont say anything more.

I love the idea
of writing a book about a society based all around beauty and image. Its also
a little familiar because the way the world is today with millions of people
changing the way they look by surgery a world like the this could be very real
in the near future. The characters are really well developed in the book,
especially Shay, who was my favorite. She was a really radical thinker and not
afraid to be different, which, in this book, was a nice change. When I first
started Uglies I thought it was going
to be boring but there is a lot of plot twists and a completely unexpected
ending.

Tally was the
one part of the book I didnt like. Unlike Shay, she seemed pretty shallow, and
completely believed that she couldnt be pretty for who she was. All the Uglies
where brainwashed into believing this but Tally still vexed me, especially when
she decided that it was better to try to betray her friend than to remain ugly.
Tally was also pretty indecisive; she couldnt decide whether she should betray
the Smoke or become one of them when it was obvious that she loved being there.
(This next part has a minor plot spoiler, sorry) Or how she didnt tell David,
a Smoke man she fell in love with, about how she had originally gone to the
Smoke to betray them all even when they where all alone trying to save the
others from the Specials. Tally knew she would have to tell him sometime but
she kept on putting it off, which made matters worse in the end. If I could I
would change Tally and make her more like Shay and more trusting but it
probably wouldnt have been as good of a book.

If your
thinking about reading this book I recommend it to people who enjoyed the Hunger Games series, the new Lauren
Destefano book Wither, and fans of
other Scott Westerfeld books. Uglies
has a fair amount of action but it also has an underlying message of body image,
individuality and peer-pressure. Overall, this book is a great read unlike any
other book out there. Four out of five stars.

            

Reader reviewed by Brianna

This is the most wonderful book I have ever read! I could not put this book down. This book was a ture page turner. It made me feel "BUBBLY" All I did was read and reread this book then I found out that there was a second book and was imedaitley excited and was carefully watching the dates to when it came out and I Just Love to read. WhenI was done reading this book I could not believe what Tally had done. I just  OMG I just love this book best book ever It is almost a crime if you doon't read this book Uglies  SO READ THIS BOOK!  and i promise it will be the best book you have ever read.

Reader reviewed by Kris

A good book, this novel explored the relationship betweeen physical features and how they impact a person's role in society.  The children are raised as uglies and consider each other's looks repulsive until they turn 13 and are given the magical operation to make them Pretties.  Its all fun and games right?  Well it was until tally learned her brain will also be altered in the operation and then she has to decide what matters the most.
I liked this book and would recommend it to people who like stories about how the world might be in the future.  There are three books that follow it: Pretties, Specials, and Extras.

Reader reviewed by Hailey

This book was slightly read. The small spots of action were what made it readable. The whole idea is very unique and creative, albeit hard to believe. I blew through this very quickly. The ending is a bit dramatic, but it leaves you on your toes, itching to find out what happens next.

Reader reviewed by Kyla

I absolutely love this book! I love how it's in the future! Tally's cool and easy to relate to. In Tally Youngblood's society, when you turn sixteen you get an operation that makes you pretty and perfect. Tally wants nothing more than to be a Pretty and then a Middle Pretty and then a Crumblie instead of an UGLY. But then she finds out from her friend, Shay, that there is a group of Uglies out there that defy the system and they are called the Smokies. Shay wants to go but Tally would HATE to be an Ugly forever. Shay leaves and the government tells Tally that she must go and find Shay or she can't be Pretty. So, naturally, Tally goes to find Shay. But when she eventually gets to the Smoke, the place where the Smokies live, she falls in love with everything and a very cute Ugly boy (I know, contradiction!) named David. Tally decides not to give up the location of the Smoke and throws a locket, that the government had given her to use when she finds the Smoke, in the fire. She believes everything is okay, but turns out, the locket sent a signal out from its location when it was destroyed. The government comes and captures the Smoke with Tally and Shay. At the end of the book, Tally is turned into a Pretty. Throughout the book, Tally thinks she wants one thing, then changes her mind too the exact opposite. The whole story line and concept are great. I loved it so much, in fact, that I'd rather live in the society that Tally lives in in this book. The book called out our society's obsession with being pretty and all the things we do to ruin the enviroment. Tally and Shay criticize our practices and what they said really got me thinking. I think our government and every person out there should read this series. Yeah, Scott Westerfield doesn't know EXACTLY what's gonna happen in the future but I believe he's pretty accurate. I think that if every person on the planet read this series they would change their ways so that the world isn't destroyed. It sure got me thinking, and even though I don't want the world to be destroyed, I sure want Tally's society (Even with the bubbleheadedness. Especially with the bubbleheadedness!). I think Scott has the right idea for the way our society should be (Without the mind rain. Just keeping the bubbleheadedness and operation and stuff.). I love this book, but especially Pretties (Read my review for Pretties.).
~Kyla  : )

Reader reviewed by Ruthie

 I love Scott Westerfeld's books and this one was just as good as his others. Uglies takes place in the far-off future where everything is different, mostly. Beauty is valued over brains in this society and turning sixteen means everything to you. Tally is a good main character. She's rateable and strong. However personally my favorite piece of the book is the funky slang Scott Westerfeld uses. It's so unique and original it makes you feel like you're in the future. This is a great dysotopian/sci fi read for anyone interested.