Pretties is a novel written by Scott David Westerfeld and published in 2005. It is the second installment of the Uglies trilogy. Pretties is a young adult, science fiction novel that tells of a dystopian world that forces every 16 year old to have plastic surgery, in order to be turned into a “Pretty.” The protagonist of Pretties is a teen named Tally Youngblood, who happens to rebel against the conformity forced upon every new generation in this future society.
Westerfield is an American author, best known for his young adult series Uglies and Leviathan. These are a few of his best known works, mostly young adult novels, as he started off writing adult fiction but soon turned to the YA audience. In doing so, Westerfield has crafted unique sets of characters that he follows throughout series and sequels that often take on deep and relevant themes for young adults, such as freedom, independence, courage, and coming of age.
The protagonist in Pretties, Tally, embodies a rebel who is coming of age yet rebelling against the strict rules of plastic surgery that all 16 year olds conform to. Tally and her fellow runaway uglies start out by pranking the city at first, but as they grow older and the consequences of their actions become more heavy, they escape from the city. Their search for growth and acceptance, both in society and within themselves, their revelations of dangerous truths, and their navigation through treacherous deals compose of an exciting journey that is artfully narrated by Westerfeld in Pretties.
