Specials – An Unconventional Librarian

What’s In My Ear: The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Well, this time I’ve gone and outdone myself. I’ve uglied myself up. I know what you’re thinking; That won’t be too durn hard Pammy Pam! And I suppose you’re right! Why have I gone and uglied myself up?

In honor of The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld!

There’s a reason this book is often on the Required Reading list during the summer. There are many powerful lessons within the book if you want to explore them further.

So, in a world where everyone is ugly, is anyone ugly? In a world where everyone turns Pretty when they are 16, why would some people choose to stay ugly? What’s the point of being pretty or ugly?

Westerfeld takes us into so many discussions about beauty, ignorance, recycling, ecology, biology, history, it’s hard to put down! Of course, I was listening to it as I drove to work; but there are times I’d literally sit in my car debating the ideas that I’d just heard.

It’s just that amazing.

Have you read it? What are your thoughts? How relevant is this book for teens?

I’m sure by now you’ve given up hope of me finding titles for the rest of the alphabet during the Blogging from A to Z challenge, right?

Fear not, gentle reader, I still have more books to show you! Today’s book is Uglies Scott Westerfield

Have you heard of it? Here’s what Amazon.com had to say:

“Playing on every teen’s passionate desire to look as good as everybody else, Scott Westerfeld (Midnighters) projects a future world in which a compulsory operation at sixteen wipes out physical differences and makes everyone pretty by conforming to an ideal standard of beauty. The “New Pretties” are then free to play and party, while the younger “Uglies” look on enviously and spend the time before their own transformations in plotting mischievous tricks against their elders. Tally Youngblood is one of the most daring of the Uglies, and her imaginative tricks have gotten her in trouble with the menacing department of Special Circumstances. She has yearned to be pretty, but since her best friend Shay ran away to the rumored rebel settlement of recalcitrant Uglies called The Smoke, Tally has been troubled. The authorities give her an impossible choice: either she follows Shay’s cryptic directions to The Smoke with the purpose of betraying the rebels, or she will never be allowed to become pretty.”

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Here’s what else Amazon said: “The Uglies series has more than 3 million books in print, has been translated into twenty-seven languages, and spent more than fifty weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. ”

Translated into 27 languages? Wow! That’s amazing!! This is probably one of only a few that I’ve featured that I’ve not actually read. I’m thinking this will be a good read like The Hunger Games and Twilight, huh? Wonder if there’s a movie…?

stay tuned for letter V ———->