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Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Summary

Tally is a 15-year-old “ugly” who lives in a futuristic society. She is eagerly awaiting her sixteenth birthday and the mandatory operation that will turn her into a “pretty.” However, Tally's plans are ruined when her new friend Shay doesn't want to have the operation and runs away to escape it. The authorities come to Tally and threaten not to give her the operation she so desperately wants, unless she will help them catch Shay and the band of rebels known as the “Smokies” that she has taken refuge with. Tally must embark on a dangerous mission to find the rebel camp, where she learns shocking things about her world, and where she must choose whether or not to betray her best friend.

Booktalk

(Read from the beginning of Chapter 1 through the words “Then she crawled out the window,” about halfway down page 4.)

In Tally's world there are uglies and there are pretties. Tally is an ugly, which means that she is under 16 and has not yet had the operation that will turn her into a pretty. She hasn't yet had her bones ground down to make her the ideal height, or had her eyes changed to one of the most fashionable new colors, or had artificial cheekbones implanted. She still has to spend all her time in the dorm with the other uglies, who entertain themselves with immature pranks and mischief. She can barely stand to look out across the river at the glimmering towers and colorful lights of New Pretty Town. Tally can't wait to be pretty, and to see her friend Peris, who turned 16 and had the operation a few months ago. Her summer looks like it will be completely miserable - until she meets Shay. Shay is also an ugly, and she loves pranks and sneaking out of the dorm just as much as Tally does. They will have even more fun once they are both pretties and can join the non-stop parties in New Pretty Town – or so Tally thinks. But Shay has a secret: she doesn't want the operation, and doesn't want to be pretty. When Shay runs away, she ruins Tally's plans. The authorities come to Tally and threaten not to give her the operation she so desperately wants unless she helps them catch Shay and the rebels she has taken refuge with. Will Tally betray her friend and help the authorities? Or will she protect Shay and stay ugly forever? And why are the operations being done in the first place? Find out by reading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.

425 pages, 6th grade and up

Discussion questions

Warning! Some of the questions contain key elements of the plot. Do not read if you don't want to know what happens!

  1. What did you think of Tally's decision to go after Shay?
  2. How are Tally and Shay similar? How are they different? Why does David choose Tally?
  3. How did Tally react to the photos in the old magazines she saw in the Smoke? Were you surprised by her reaction?
  4. Why did people in Tally's world decide to start doing the operations to make people into pretties? What were some of the reasons they thought this would be a good idea? Should they have done what they did?
  5. What does Tally think is beautiful at the beginning of the book? What is beautiful to her at the book's end?
  6. Do you think making people more alike would make them happier? Has this worked in the world of the book – are the pretties happy?
  7. Is it a good idea to preserve nature by isolating people from it, like in Tally's city? Or is it better for people to live in close contact with nature, like the Smokies? Why?
  8. This book is set in the future, in a world that is very different from ours. Could our world ever become like Tally's? Is there anything happening in our world that reminds you of Tally's?
  9. This book has three sequels – Pretties, Specials, and Extras. Do you plan to read them?

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