to boldly go...

Finished reading Scott Westerfeld's PRETTIES this morning before taking the kids to school. I knew the ending would be left open as there is a sequel UGLIES mentioned on the cover of the book. Tally is a recent Pretty as are most kids when they turn 16. However, she still has strong memories of her life as an Ugly out in the Rusties. She wants to escape the Pretty, but in this futuristic society, that may prove a Herculean task. Westerfeld has created another fine dystopic world in which beauty and vapidness are cherished, where anything one might want is available, and where having no thoughts in your pretty little head is a good thing. Of course, then we learn about what has happened to the civilization in the wake of rampant pollution, war, turmoil, and cultural disintegration. A new technique for planting lesions in the brain is all it takes to control the new population of Pretties. Of course, there are the enforcers, in this case called Specials. There are rules, too, and penalties for those who violate them. As in the case of all good dystopic novels, Westerfeld has provided the reader with ample detail, so that the "bubbly" world of the Pretties comes to life. Readers will care about Tally and want to know what happened to her once this story ends.