Pretties

Bibliography

Westerfeld, Scott. Pretties. 2005. New York, NY: Simon Pulse ISBN 978-0-689-86539-8

Critical Analysis

Lovers of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies get to see the other side of the coin in the sequel Pretties. When Tally Youngblood sacrifices herself to help find a cure for all the brain damaged pretties and undergoes the risky operation to become pretty herself she finally gets to see the life she had longed for for so long. The only problem is, now that Tally has had a taste of the pretty life, why would she ever want to be cured?

Westerfeld jumps right into the New Pretty Town setting as Tally gets ready for a party. Immediately the new, "pretty" changes in Tally are evident. She prefers "formal white-tie or black-tie parties" that became fun once "everyone got drunk." However, many of Tally's resilient qualities are still present and shine through despite her new personality and surroundings. Tally's ability to stay inherently herself, which is not always a good thing since she can often be selfish and self-absorbed, bring a touch of reality to the dystopian, sci-fi feel of the book. Though set in the future with talking walls and hoverboards, human nature still exists and is shown in different ways through each of the characters, making the novel relevant to young readers of today.

Westerfeld makes some strong social statements in Pretties, much like he did in Uglies, but takes them to a deeper level with brief descriptions on how life as we know it now ceases to exist. He describes the burning of trees , war and "the oil-transforming bacteria" that was released into which stopped the "Rusty civilization" and saved the planet. In an encounter Tally has on a reservation of wild people she recalls being taught at school about how in the past there was the "custom of assigning different tasks to men and women. And it was usually women who got the crappy jobs." Perhaps the most controversial mentioning of the book is when Tally is mistaken as a god and remembers that "God" was "the old Rusty word for their invisible superheroes in the sky." Such taboo subject matter makes for great discussion, no matter where the reader stands on the subject. 

Even with an often dis-likable main character, Pretties still shows readers what they've been wondering since the first book in the trilogy- what is life really like as a pretty?

Discussion Questions

1. What changed about Tally from Uglies to Pretties? What stayed the same?
2. Who is Tally a good friend to? Who is a good friend to Tally? What makes someone a good friend?
3. What do you think would have happened if Tally took the pill that Zane did? What would she have done in that situation? Why did the author have Zane take that pill and not Tally?
4. Do you think Tally would go back to being ugly if she had the choice? Why or why not?
5. Who is a better match for Tally, Zane or David? Why?

External Assessment

"This sequel to Uglies (S & S, 2005) continues to provide a gripping look at a dystopian future, but does not stand on its own. Tally, the protagonist of the first book, has forgotten all that she did as an Ugly and has completely embraced the mindless life of a New Pretty, going to parties, drinking heavily, and thinking of nothing more than the next bit of entertainment. It is not until one of the Uglies from New Smoke comes and delivers a message for her that leads her to two pills, that she begins to remember the real reason she is Pretty: to see if the cure will work. Tally and her new boyfriend, Zane, each take one of the pills and both begin to stay focused for longer periods of time. Then he has a bad reaction to the pill, and Tally has to make a desperate attempt to get him to the only doctors who can help him–the ones outside the city. Westerfeld has built a masterfully complex and vivid civilization. His characters are multidimensional, especially Tally, who wrestles with what she has done in the past and what she will be forced to do in the future. Uglies and Pretties are both nearly impossible to put down. If you don't have the first one, make sure to purchase them both."–Tasha Saecker, School Library Journal


"In this highly anticipated sequel to the hit Uglies 2005), Tally Youngblood struggles to retain her mental acuity after undergoing the operation that transformed her into a Pretty. While in the renegade Ugly community, Tally learned that along with cosmetic enhancements, new Pretties are given brain lesions that leave them in a perpetual state of lazy vanity. Tally volunteered to take a drug developed to cure the lesions, but now that she is a Pretty, she has forgotten her promise. A coded message leads her to some pills and a letter that she wrote to herself before her transformation, and after swallowing the cure, she is catapulted into a dangerous new adventure, in which she discovers that the peace and happiness of Pretty society come with a terrible price. Riveting and compulsively readable, this action-packed sequel does not disappoint. Just as good as its predecessor, it will leave fans breathlessly waiting for the trilogy's final volume."- Jennifer Hubert, Booklist