Get to know the author! Scott Westerfeld is a wonderful contemporary writer who primarily writes for a Young Adult audience. He is married to another author from Australia named Justine Larbalestier. They split their time between Sydney and New York. He has always tried to keep engaged with his readers by connecting with them on social media and his website. In the past, he has even dedicated his books to specific readers who interacted with him online. His books cover a wide berth of sub-genres such as Steam Punk, Dystopias, and Urban Fantasy. While his books cover a wide range of settings and themes, he always creates characters that are interesting and relatable for younger readers all the while managing to present important ideas for his reader's to consider. His Uglies series deals with what it means to be beautiful by questioning the importance of physical looks and people’s tendency to judge people who don’t conform to their notion of the world. On the other side of the spectrum, his Steam Punk series Leviathan questions gender roles and subtly gives a voice to characters who may not be cis or straight. According to his website, his books have won the Philip K Dick Special Citation, the Aurealis Award, the Victorian Premier’s Award, and have been named NY Times Notable Books and BBYA Top Ten Children’s Books of the Year. He is perhaps best known for his Uglies quartet of books which deal with difficult themes that many young adults are struggling with. To learn more about him and his work I strongly recommend you check out his website. Get to know Uglies! Tally absolutely cannot wait to turn sixteen. Her best friend's birthday was a couple of months ago and she misses him terribly. Fed up with waiting to be made Pretty so that she can see him again, she decides to sneak into New Pretty Town where she meets a new friend with strange ideas. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world—and it isn’t very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally’s choice will change her world forever. Difficult themes: "Uglies isn’t about dire warnings, it’s about thinking things through. The more we think about this stuff, the better our choices will be." - Scott Westerfeld Identity: Like many teenagers, the characters in Uglies struggle with their identities as individuals. As Uglies, they're far more individual than their Pretty counterparts. Instead of embracing what makes them different, they pick each other apart viciously. Uglies are encouraged to give each other nicknames based on the flaws that make them the most uncomfortable. It's not until Tally gets an outside perspective from the Smoke that she starts to realize that there might be more to her own identity. Humanity: As the events of the novel unfold, we question more and more what it is to be human. After becoming Pretty, people seem completely different, and we as the readers are left to wonder what exactly makes them change. Do their looks really impact their personality as much as they believe? Or is it their environment shaping them? Maybe it's something else entirely. Useful Resources and Homework: This podcast is a great resource to listen to with your parents to help you and your parents pick out series of books that will help you grow as a reader and also be fun to read. Follow this link and follow the instructions to create a brochure for your ideal city. Put yourself into the mindset of an architect working to design a perfect city. It can use any technology you can imagine. Be prepared to share it with your groups.
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