Specials

Bibliography

Westerfeld, Scott. Specials. 2006. New York, NY: Simon Pulse ISBN 13-978-0-689-86540-4

Critical Analysis

Pretties leaves readers on such a cliffhanger that they feel compelled to jump right into the last book of the trilogy Specials- bungee jacket on or not. In Specials, Tally's world changes again in a big way, going from a regular "bubblehead" pretty to a cruel, "icy," superhuman Special Circumstance pretty. Readers will find that despite her extraordinary lifestyle and "special circumstances," Tally still closely resembles the seemingly selfish and self-serving character she has in the first two books of the series. Much like real teenage world, her once best friend turned enemy, Shay, is suddenly her best friend again, she flutters between love interests Zane and David, not making a choice until the choice is made for her and all the while she has an inner struggle to decide who she is inside, "whether ugly or pretty or special." 

Although Tally has been "tricky" and defiant her entire life, she still clings to the fact that "someone was always forcing her to join their side" and things kept happening to her "because of threats, accidents, lesions in her brain, and surgery changing her mind for her" which is "not exactly her fault." Contradictory to this Tally struggles to get control of her mind and makes disobedient decisions often throughout the book. This juxtaposition can be frustrating as the reader waits for Tally to take responsibility for at least some of her actions and their results. Even in the end with Tally's acceptance of her part in the war the reader is still left with the taste of a egotistical main character in their mouth. 

Discussion Questions

1. What changes did Tally make from Pretties to Specials?
2. What changes did Tally make from the beginning of the book to the end?
3. What do you think happened to Dr. Cable after Tally left? 
4. If Zane did not die, would Tally still have ended up with David? Why or Why not?
5. At what stage did you like Tally's character the best, ugly, pretty or special, and why?

External Assessments

"Grade 8 Up–This final installment in the series is a warning of the dangers of overconsumption and conformity. Set some time in the future, after a human-made bacteria destroyed the modern world, the trilogy tells of new cities established and tightly controlled through brainwashing and a series of operations leading to a compliant society. Tally Youngblood, the 16-year-old protagonist, learns in the first two books that free will and truth are more important than a false sense of security. In Specials, she has become an elite fighting machine, fully enhanced with nanotechnology and super-fast reflexes, and made to work as a Special Circumstances agent for the nameless city that she fled. As in the first two books, much of the story takes place with characters whizzing through the air on hoverboards, but Tally and her friends are in for some harsh realities here. Readers who enjoyed Uglies and Pretties (both S & S, 2005) will not want to miss Specials, but those who have not read those books will not understand much of what is happening. Westerfeld's themes include vanity, environmental conservation, Utopian idealism, fascism, violence, and love. In this trilogy, the author calls for a revolution in our hearts and minds–think The Matrix". –Corinda J. Humphrey, School Library Journal