The Uglies series

[ericao]

The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld consists of four books: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras. While I am not a huge fan of teen fiction, this is a unique series that would make anyone question how much they value beauty.

In Uglies, Tally is a 15-going-on-16 year old "ugly" girl who is looking forward to her mandatory Operation to make her "Pretty". Everything is better when you're Pretty. She'd finally get to leave boring Uglyville for New Pretty Town, and be with her friends that have already gotten their Operations and live a life of luxury. She is so excited, she routinely sneaks into New Pretty Town at night to spy on the New Pretties (Pretties who have just had their Operations). This is how she meets Shay, an equally sneaky fellow Ugly who has the strange desire to not get the Operation. Despite that, they become best friends. But when Shay runs away from the City after saying goodbye to Tally, Tally is told by the Specials (the advanced Pretties that run the City) that she will not get her Operation and remain ugly forever until she finds Shay and the Smokies (the resistance group that escapes the Operation for a life in the Wild).

As Tally goes from Ugly, to Pretty, to Special, she goes through a great coming of age story to learn that you shouldn't take things at face value, literally and figuratively, as she learns about what the Operation does and her own self-discovery in who she is and who she loves. It is a sophisticated fight against the system story as well for any teen fan of science fiction. I recommend this to young adults who are fans of The Hunger Games and science fiction in general. You will find abundant hover board flight and action scenes while admiring the quick thinking and resourcefulness of the characters. If anything, it would make you change your mind about that nose job you thought you wanted.

[CONSTARA]

I'm impressed with your comparisons, I agree, wholeheartedly. We have become so obsessed with looks that it's not too hard a stretch of the imagination to see this type of society coming into being.

[Anxious Educator]

It's been a while since I read this series, but I remember loving it through and through.

To add on to the original post, I think one of the great parts to this whole series isn't just Tally's coming of age but that she makes lousy decisions before "growing up." I remember being frustrated with her character as the series goes on because she loses her identity in a sense. I'm being vague to avoid spoilers and because my memory is foggy. The point, though, is that through her questionable decisions, she remains herself, which is a great lesson to the kiddos (and adults, too!) who read the series - even when we make mistakes in life, it's okay because we learn from them. But there's also the point that the choices you make, as Veronica Roth wrote, can transform you, literally and figuratively.

[shayna]

I loved the series. I thought that it was such a creative plot and I really enjoyed them.

[soccerstar95]

I really liked the series when I read it and wound up reading the Leviathan trilogy which he also wrote.

[Anxious Educator]

I really liked the series when I read it and wound up reading the Leviathan trilogy which he also wrote.

Oo, did you like the Leviathan series? It looks very intriguing and has been on my to-read list for a while, but I haven't gotten to it yet. Uglies was my introduction to the world of Scott Westerfeld and it was a good start.

[Nadezda]

My sister told me to read these. The plot sounded really interesting, but I couldn't get into the writing at all. Maybe I should give them another chance...

[sophiachic]

I was also told to try these books. I shall indeed give them a go.

[yalonde]

I really enjoyed Uglies. So much that I purchased Pretties and Specials. Pretties was ok. I read a little of Specials, but couldn't get into it. Tally started to annoy me in Pretties, but i was highly annoyed by her in what i did read in Specials. One thing i can't stand is an annoying main character.

[Mika]

I read the whole series and enjoyed Uglies and Pretties immensely. However, when it came to Specials and Extras, I felt lost. Maybe I didn't have a good understanding of what was going on so I'll read them again. But, the last two books were a bit confusing to me since I felt that the meaning of the story changed somehow.

[marie2201734]

I was really impressed with The Uglies series. I don't tend to read books multiple times, but this is a series that I can keep reading. I don't think that I would get really bored. This series is definitely a series for young adults/teens. I found that this series was a series that the reader could relate too. We all go through these stages. I enjoyed the romance and action that was included into the books. It helped keep things interesting. I also liked the plot, isn't one that has been used a lot. It was a refreshing series to read. Highly recommend it!

[NovaJay2415]

I just bought the first book in The Uglies series and it sounds very interesting!

[Lhall22]

this is one series that I will re-read. however, I won't re-read a book for months-years; I don't like it to be too fresh in my mind. I was really into the series, and I agree, Tally was a bit annoying at times.

[BookLover7]

Sounds like an interesting series. I think my sister was reading it, I will definitely check it out.

[XxMonsterLoverxX]

I've read, and re-read, and re-read, this series. It's actually for some reason a series I will re-read, again and again, and I never do that. I just never get tired of reading these books.