Westerfeld, Scott (2007). Specials. New York, New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN: 9781416947950
400 pages
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: 15-19
Stars: 5 stars
Subjects: Dystopia, Surgery, Relationships, Popularity, Future
Reader's Annotation
After being captured by her former friend, Tally Youngblood has been made into a "Special"- a pretty with incredible strength, intelligence, and reflexes- but with all of society being policed by the Specials, who will police them?
Summary
Again, Tally Youngblood has been forced to turn against her former ideals. With a new surgery that has made her super-tough, super-strong, and super-cold, she has become what she formerly despised: a Special. She and the other special group of Specials, "Cutters", stay especially sharp and fearless by cutting themselves to focus and maintain clarity. They are seeking to find and destroy New Smoke, but in the process, they realize that, as before, there might be something terribly wrong with their world, and it is up to them to make it change. Tally stays a Special as long as she is sure Zane is safe, and ends up following him to New Smoke, but it is nothing like what they had thought, and this forces them all to realize that they must put an end to the Specials, once and for all.
Notes
This is the gripping conclusion to the Uglies Trilogy that will have readers turning page after page, unable to put this fast-paced novel down. Tally must yet again face her past and try to forge a future in a world that doesn't seem to accept people for who they are. Now that she is one of the Specials, normal rules don't apply, and she is amazed to find out what she- and other Specials- are truly capable of. Readers who enjoy this book should explore Uglies, Pretties, and Extras, also by Scott Westerfeld.
Author Information
