Uglies is a 2005 science fiction novel by Scott Westerfeld. Set in a future post-scarcity dystopian world in which everyone is turned "Pretty" by extreme cosmetic surgery upon reaching age 16. It tells the story of teenager Tally Youngblood who rebels against society's enforced conformity, after her new found friends Shay and David show her the downsides to becoming a "pretty". Written for young adults, Uglies deals with adolescent themes of change, both emotional and physical, and dealing with the revelation that "some of what you’re taught isn’t true, your parents are flawed human beings and the world isn’t constructed for your benefit."



Tally can’t wait to be a pretty.  Her best friend has already turned 16 and had the operation.  Against all the rules, Tally sneaks into New Pretty Town and visits him, promising to do nothing to risk remaining an ugly forever.  In that short summer, Tally meets Shay, another ugly who shares Tally’s birthday.  The two become fast friends, but Shay, disturbingly, does not want to be a pretty.  When Shay sneaks away just before their birthday, Tally is forced to go find her or never become a pretty; but after all that she discovers, does she really want to be one...read review here.