Scott Westerfeld has created a dystopian futuristic society, where people undergo operations on their 16th birthdays to become "pretty." Tally is a few weeks from her birthday when the novel begins, and she can't wait to enter the pretty world. However, when she meets Shay, her whole world changes...
"We're not freaks, Tally. We're normal. We may not be gorgeous, but at least we're not hyped up Barbie dolls." Shay sheds light for Tally on an antiquated way of thinking. Shay realizes that the operation is just a way for the government to control the people, and she is all about challenging the status quo. Her influence on Tally leads them to the Smoke, a hideout community for people who ran away from the operation. Tally goes there to ultimately betray the location, but ends up becoming attached to it...in more ways than one.
While she's in the Smoke, Tally finds out the real reason for the operation, which is slightly terrifying. "Becoming pretty doesn't just change the way you look," she said.
"No," David said. "It changes the way you think."
Throughout the series, Tally is constantly caught up in a struggle. Whether it's with herself, Shay, David, Dr. Cable & the Specials, or the bubble-headed pretties, Tally's life is anything but average!
I think this series is excellent for adolescents. There are so many themes in it that teens can relate to. The stuff Tally goes through is common in most 16-year-olds' lives. She's trying to figure out who she is, and the adults and friends in her life are trying to make her into what they want her to be. The lessons she learns along the way are valuable: the meaning of friendship, the difference between right and wrong, and finding and defining one's identity. Assimilation is a theme that repeatedly shows itself as Tally must choose the path her life takes. Does she go along with what others want for her, or make her own decisions, destructive as they may be?
And so Tally works her way through the system, rebelling the whole way. If it's not refusing to be "prettified", she's making herself "icy" or breaking the boundaries of being Special. She also affects others, like Zane and the Crims, who think it's cool to rebel and form a clique. Her relationship with Shay goes through many ups and downs; they are a perfect example of the term "frienemies".
In Specials, Tally's actions and involvement in bucking the government's system finally catch up with her and blow up in her face. The revolution she caused has elevated to a whole new level, and very bad things happen to people she loves. In the end, she takes matters into her own hands. She realizes that someone has to do something about their mess of a society, and she is that someone. Taking responsibility for her actions is proof that she has come of age, and it is a great example for adolescents. Oh, and the hoverboards are pretty cool, too.
Uglies Series = Highly Recommended!
