Uglies (review)

Scott Westerfeld was born in Texas in 1963, and now splits his time between New York and Sydney, Australia. He has written many science fiction novels including his Midnighters trilogy, the Uglies trilogy, and another set of standalone novels set in contemporary New York. In this first installment of the Uglies trilogy, Westerfeld sets a standard for a series that’s sure to be exciting, intriguing, and addicting.
Tally Youngblood was born in a world where everyone past 16 is supermodel gorgeous. At your 16th birthday, you get an operation that gives you flawless skin, hair, teeth, and a perfect body. As can be expected, Tally is very excited to reach her 16th. All her friends are disappearing as they turn 16 before her and move to New Pretty Town. With just a couple months left until her birthday, she makes a new friend named Shay who doesn’t really want to get the operation. A couple nights before Tally’s birthday, Shay tells Tally that she is going to run away to the Smoke, a place where “uglies” go when they don’t want to get the operation, and invites Tally to come too. Tally refuses and has to watch one of her friends leave her forever. Now Tally’s ready to get the operation. But when she goes in, someone from the mysterious Special Circumstances tells her that she can’t get the operation until she goes to the Smoke and gives up the small community of rebels to the government of Tally’s city. Using coded instructions from Shay, Tally sets off into the wild by herself; ready and willing to betray her friend and a whole little city of uglies. However, when she gets there, she finds that these people aren’t just a bunch of wild uglies. They are people too who have families and know the secret about the operation. When Tally learns the secret, she decides where her real loyalties lie, but when she makes a gesture of allegiance to the Smoke, everything comes falling down around her. Now she has to decide what to do to save this place that she considers home and the people inside it. The shocking climax will have you on the tip of your seat, eager for the 2nd book in the series: Pretties.
This book has many aspects that every book should have: internal conflict, exciting chase scenes that keep the pages turning, a love story, and above all, a plot that really makes you think about right, wrong, loyalty, and priorities. I recommend this book to everyone over about 12, or for anybody who likes thought-provoking stories.