Book Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Sixteen agonizing years of waiting, wanting, hoping, wishing, and dreaming are spent by all of the uglies in Uglyville. It seems like there is not a single person who cannot wait to get their operation to turn them pretty on their sixteenth birthday. When Tally Youngblood meets Shay, they quickly become friends, and Tally realizes that not everyone wants to become a pretty. Shay disappears, and Tally is given an ultimatum—to turn Shay in, or to never turn pretty at all. What Tally thinks will be a simple task turns out to be an enterprise that unveils the truth… and the truth isn’t all that pretty.

Scott Westerfeld manages to get any reader’s gears turning, bringing up topics worth consideration. Uglies is a fast-paced novel that explores aspects of life that the average middle or high schooler may not yet be pondering. - Hannah (Sunset Teen)

Book Review: Party by Tom Leveen

On the day after school ends for a group of Southern California high school students, everybody is preparing to attend the same end-of-the-year blowout. The events of the day, beginning in the afternoon, are revealed through the eyes of a dozen or so narrators, each with a different reason for attending the evening's party: Some see the event as a chance to hook up, others to let go and one or two see it is a final chance to fit in before the school year ends. Most of the book feels, largely, like an homage to any number of films aimed at teenagers (Dazed and Confused comes to mind), but Leveen manages to bring the tension up a few notches as it becomes clear that these characters' paths are going to cross in a startling way.

The author skillfully writes from multiple perspectives, giving each character a distinct voice. While not terribly original, the novel is a safe bet to have widespread appeal: I would recommend it to both guys and girls looking for stylish, realistic teen fiction. - Nick (Downtown)