Uglies
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Uglies is the first book in a series about Tally Youngblood, written by Scott Westerfeld. In this book, which is set in the future, Tally's friend Shay runs away to the Smoke, where Uglies run away to if the don't want to become Pretties. The Specials tell Tally she must turn in her friend if she ever wants to turn into a Pretty. How far will Tally go to turn "pretty"?
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| 1st edition cover | |
| Author | Scott Westerfeld |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Uglies Trilogy |
| Genre(s) | Young adult |
| Publisher | Simon Pulse |
| Released | August 5, 2004 |
| Media Type | Print (Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-316-70129-7 |
| Followed by | Pretties |
[edit] Part 1: Turning Pretty
Tally Youngblood is the main character. Her best friend, Peris, is three months older than her, and has recently been turned into a Pretty. She sneaks out of her dorm in Uglyville, leaving her interface ring behind, and goes to a bridge that she knows doesn't talk, so it is easy for her to sneak over. When she arrives across the river in New Pretty Town, there is a parade going on, and people wearing masks. Realizing that this is a good thing, she steals a pig mask to hide her Ugly face. She sneaks through the city into Garbo Mansion, which is where Peris lives. She walks in, upsetting the New Pretties who were invited to the party at Garbo Mansion, which is white tie. She sees Peris there, and he is very mad that she snuck into New Pretty Town. He tells her to stay out of trouble because he "wants to see her Pretty". To escape without getting into trouble after her mask recylces itself, she steals an emergency bungee jacket and leaps off the building to escape through a pleasure garden.
As she is escaping, she sees a shadow. Fearing that it's a Warden, she refuses to move. After a while, she realizes that the shadow is another Ugly, named Shay. They cross the river back to Uglyville over the non-talking bridge. It turns out that Shay has exactly the same birthday as Tally, which make Tally really happy, realizing that that means they will turn Pretty on the same day and never have to be alone. Shay teaches Tally how to hoverboard, and they go to the Rusty Ruins and ride what's left of a roller coaster.The two pull great tricks on the New Uglies, and right before Shay runs away she tells Tally of her plan to go to the Smoke forever. However, Tally decides not to, and Shay leaves her coded instructions on how to get to the Smoke. She then spends her last few days as an Ugly alone.
Turning "pretty" means everything to Tally. It is what she has waited for her whole entire life and she is so close to seeing that dream come true. Soon the moment she has fantasizzed about will finally happen and it is so hard for her to wait any longer for this. Being pretty is the most important thing in the world to Tally and she is willing to do anything to make sure her dream comes true. On the day of her operation, Tally goes all the way to hospital on the boarder of New Pretty Town, but when she gets there she is told that there is a "problem" with her operation, and she has to go to Special Circumstances (also known as Specials) Headquarters, where she is told that she must find the Smoke, and Shay, and turn in the "Smokies" or she'll never get to turn Pretty. At first Tally refuses to turn in her friend, but after four days of strange looks from other Uglies, she finally gives in. She gives them the note but told that she needs to find them. They give her a locket, which is a device that will send out a signal to the Specials by reading her eye-print, which she is told to do when she arrives at the Smoke.
[edit] Part 2: The Smoke
Shay's Instructions:
Take the coaster straight past the gap,
until you find one that's long and flat.
Cold is the sea and watch for breaks.
At the second make the worst mistake.
Four days later take the side you despise,
and look in the flowers for fire-bug eyes.
Tally figures out the instructions and arrives at the Smoke. There, she helps other Smokies to build a hover path (a metal grid under the ground that allows hoverboards and hover cars to work). While working on it, she talks with David a lot, and he gives her a pair of gloves. Shay thinks that Tally's heart locket came from a boy, and so when she see's her flirting with David, she tells her to tell David about "him". Later, David's parents tell Tally about the lesions that are a part of the operation. She decides that she doesn't want to leave the Smoke or turn Pretty, so she throws the locket into a fire, unintentionally activating it, and the Specials arrive the next morning. The Specials ruin the entire area the Smokies have set up. They take everyone they find and force them to go back to the city. Tally, however, escapes and is determined to find David and the rest of the Smokies plus David's parents who are nowhere to be found.
[edit] Part 3: Into the Fire
Tally manages to get away, however, her friends do not, and Shay is still convinced that Tally is a traitor. Tally runs away and soon finds David who is on a search to find his parents, but they can't find them. He shows her their secret stash, which has hoverboards and vital supplies. They go back to Ugly Town and then infiltrate the Specials where Tally finds that Shay has become pretty against her will, but due to brain lesions she's drunk and she thinks the makeover is majorly "bubbly." They release the prisoners, but first find out that David's father was killed, and Shay comes with her back to the Rusty Ruins obviously some of her rebellious fire is still burning within. They go to the Rusty Ruins where they try to persuade Shay to take the pills in an experimental procedure to get rid of the lesions assuring her she will remain pretty. Shay, however, declines still smart enough not to want to risk her life. Tally finally takes the task, writes herself a note as a reminder, and they (Tally and Shay) go back to New Pretty Town where Tally will have the operation.
