Extras by Scott Westerfeld Book Review

Extras by Scott Westerfeld

First Published: 2007

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 400

Rating: 4*

Extras on goodreads.com

Extras is available in Paperback for £6.99 or £4.99 on Kindle at Amazon.co.uk

I am so pleased to tell you that Westerfeld has redeemed himself after the disappointing 'Specials'. As with the previous three books in this series, I love the front cover. I think it is the clean cut edges and metallic shimmer highlighting a specific detail. On 'Extras', the pupil of an eye has a shimmery green circuit board which ties in very well with the themes within the story-line.

Extras was a lovely ending to the quartet, and I appreciated the differences between this book and the first three books. Extras is set years after 'Prettytime' was ended and the 'Diego' War. Thankfully, Tally, Shay, Fausto and the Cutters still make an appearance. I have come to the conclusion that Tally's transition into a Special is what triggered my dislike of the penultimate book - Specials. I believe that Westerfeld turned her into a dislike-able character with unfriendly characteristics. I understand that these characteristics are traits of being a 'Special' however it altered my relationship as a reader with the main character. 

In Extras, we have a new main character, 'Aya'. Aya lives in a vastly different world than when Tally was an Ugly. There are practically zero Bubbleheads, fame and reputation are the currency and technology has advanced enormously. I was grateful for the change of setting as it made the series interesting again and there was more to learn.

The final book carried on from the trilogy with themes of conservation, waste, and recycling. There are good messages in this book about our commodified and manufactured culture. I think it is a relevant topic that is emphasised in current media and it fits the context of important issues raised within education.

The ending was abrupt and I admit here that as much as I wanted to finish this series, I wasn't ready for the book to end and was shocked when I reached the last page. Therefore I can wrap up this review saying that I honestly enjoyed the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld despite being disappointed with the third book 'Specials'.

My favourite book was of course, the first one as it set the scene and outlined characters. There is always a lot to learn in the first of a series and as a reader, I felt I was being taken on an adventure - but I also enjoyed the second and last equally. Overall, I would rate the complete series at 3.5*.

I recommend Uglies and the following books!

Love Charlie, Xx

HELP ME! by Donna M. Zadunjsky Book Review for Netgalley.com

HELP ME! by Donna M. Zadunjsky

First Published: 2015

Publisher: BookBuzz.net

Pages: 126

Rating: 3*

<Disclosure: This is a review for Netgalley.com. I am not getting paid for this review. This review is 100% my true opinions and is not biased in any way. I want my readers to have honest content on my blog>

HELP ME! on goodreads.com

This book is available on Amazon.co.uk for £4.70 in paperback or £2.02 in kindle edition. 

I really wanted to read this book as i thought it would be a development in YA fiction with themes of mental health. I thought the cover was great in terms of warning you of the content within. The subheading, 'Once I slice, it relieves so much pressure, I can breathe, again...' is suggestive also of self-harm and is a good warning to have on the front. I believe this is important for two reasons; firstly, there is no age limit on books in the Library, a child of any age could pick this up. The novella is extremely graphic and, I believe, not suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Secondly, the cover acts as a Trigger warning for those who are affected by the content of the book and want to avoid reading anything that may encourage their downfall of mental health. It acts the same way as 'spoiler alerts' so you can choose whether you want to read the article or not. 

I was a bit afraid to write this review as the book touches some sensitive topics. The main character, Mick, is dealing with trauma - The trauma of his best friend killing himself. Suicide is the most prominent theme within the book closely followed by self-injury. I believe this book is targeted to teens who are affected by self harm themselves, and for those who want to help a friend. This book would also be a good read for those in their final years of High School as it helps to break down false stigma surrounding mental health. It would be a good lesson before the students leave High School and go into a world full of labels and where mental health is profoundly misunderstood. I was very relieved to read that Zadunjsky hadn't glorified the act of self-injury as many others have done. 

This short novella comes to the conclusion that the best thing for you to do in this situation is to get help. Either by informing the sufferer's parents, their school teachers or guidance counselor - and by doing so, you could be saving their lives. Another important message in Zadunjsky's writing is that friends of the victim shouldn't carry a burden or sense of helplessness. They should try to help without feeling that it is their responsibilities. Teenagers are extremely susceptible to keeping everything to themselves and trying to fix the world. However Zadunjsky makes it clear to her readers that when someone is in this situation, they cannot be solely fixed by a friend and outside help is needed. 

Although this book provides us an in-depth view of one person's struggle with self harm, I would hardly say this book was educational. Whether that was the aim or not, I think that if you're going to 'go out on a limb' and talk to teenagers about mental health, there is more you could say in one book. On the otherhand, this is the first book in a series tackling mental health so I don't know what she [Zadunjsky] is going to bring to the table next. Overall, I thought she could have put more recovery strategies in the story to help first-hand sufferers who are reading this novella. 

I appreciated the helpful links in the foreword, and Zadunjsky did give the readers more information of the epidemic of suicides in young people. I cannot stress the importance of this, especially in young adult/teen books as readers are so impressionable and inquisitive at this age. By providing links, you allow teens to access helpful, educational websites rather than their own research which may take them to less helpful sites. 

When I started this book, at first, I found the prose difficult to read... Like a badly translated novel. However, as the book continued I discovered that it was a fast paced book. I read this in less than an hour and it wasn't only because the 126 page length of the book. The sentences were very short and the characters came alive, as though what I was reading was a diary excerpt. I congratulate Zadunjsky in her first Help Me! novella and I hope she continues to provide younger people with insights and information regarding mental health illnesses and issues.  The description of self harm within this book is very real and it is evident that the author has done her research. 

In conclusion, I enjoyed this book, although I don't think I would read it again. I certainly would not pay £4.70 for this book in paperback unless I felt it would help a friend. I would buy it on kindle, but as I said, I don't think I would recommend this book to others. (Unless they were suffering themselves with themes from this book, or they had a friend in this situation.) Although I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book, I believe it is important for High Schools and Libraries to have a copy of this book as it has helpful links and advice. 

Specials by Scott Westerfeld Book Review

Specials by Scott Westerfeld 

Fisrt Published: 2006

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 350

Rating: 3*

Specials on goodreads.com

Specials is available in paperback for £7.99 or £4.99 in kindle edition on Amazon.co.uk

This edition of the 'Uglies' quartet is unfortunately my least favourite and I believe it lets down the whole series. Yes, I did enjoy these books, but if this was the first one, I doubt I would have carried on. Now all is left is 'Extras' - the last book in the series. The original trilogy had a final book added as an extra - pardon the pun. 

As with the other books, I love the covers to the series. The clean cut edges and perfection of the photography fits in very well with the content of the books.On this cover, it is the modified spine that has a bronze metallic sheen. This fits in with the 'Special' characters in the story as they have modified everything - their bones are made of super-ceramic, their hearing is extraordinary as is their sight, smell and touch. They are incomparable human beings, and Tally isn't only turned into a special. She is turned into a special special - a 'cutter'. 

I am still disappointed with Westerfeld's lack of sensitivity when it comes to mental health and grief. In this book Tally goes through the traumatic experience of getting a friend who is in a vegetative state, unplugged. But instead of going into detail, we don't feel any of Tally's grief - Westerfeld carries on with the story line as though it is the type of experience we have  to deal with everyday. The theme of self harm is carried way out of proportion, being glorified and idealized. Finally, towards the end of the book she stops cutting herself, yet there is still no advice for those affected by the content in the book. I feel it is irresponsible and unacceptable to take a real life issue and use it in a futuristic, fashion sense. The content becomes quite graphic at points and would be quite triggering to those affected with mental illnesses. I could go on about this forever, but I'm not going to. 

Excluding the theme of self-harm, and the way Westerfeld approaches it, I really like this series. It wasn't quite up to the same gripping level as 'The Hunger Games' or 'Divergent' but it was just as easy and exciting to read. I think it was the lack of depth in this book, and the fact that the book isn't in first person lets us [the readers] disconnect slightly with the characters. If this book was written first person, we could have had much more of an emotional insight. Yet, the characters emotions within this book were overlooked. As a final in the trilogy, Westerfeld had the opportunity to draw us in and let us go dramatically, which is what he did without the 'drawing you in' part. I was left disappointed and wanting more. I wanted to feel more of a passionate response to the events in the book, yet I felt it was rushed and fast-moving. Before one thing happened, the plot moved on without allowing me to catch up or appreciate each chapter.

Overall, I was discontent with this book. I felt let down by Westerfeld's attempt to draw the series to an end. I am really glad that this wasn't the first book in the series as I wouldn't have had the same reading experience. I really would recommend the first two books, 'Uglies' and 'Pretties' but I think 'Specials' is only one to read if you want to find out what happens in an unsatisfying end. Be prepared to be disappointed.

I really hope 'Extras' makes up for it and pulls the series together.

Love Charlie, Xx 

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld - Book Review

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

First Published: 2005

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 348

Rating: 4*

Pretties on Goodreads.com

This book is available on Amazon.co.uk at £6.99 in paperback and £4.99 in kindle edition. (Prices correct as of January 2016) Pretties on Amazon.co.uk

After Reading Uglies, I couldn't wait to get into the next book in the quartet and started immediately. The  first book, Uglies ended with a bit of a cliff hanger leaving me wondering what the fate of the characters was to be. It was very easy to get attached to this book straight away, and the adventure started early on too. 

I was equally impressed with the cover of this book as I was for Uglies. As I said in my previous blog post, I have the 2011 editions of this quartet which are white covers with an image and some metallic details. This cover continues with the same theme as the content of the first book and has 'nip and tuck' markings on a set of legs in metallic silver. I believe that these lines link from the silver scalpel that appeared on the first cover in the series. The legs look perfect enough, so before you start the book you're already wondering why surgery needs to take place when the body is attractive and healthy to start with. 

This book focuses on several important themes including the commercialization and commodification of our everyday way of life. Westerfeld effectively comments on our world where we take things for advantage on page 97. 

"Sipping her coffee, Tally told the hole in the wall to make their usual skating ensembles: heavy plastic jackets lined with fake rabbit fur; knee-padded pants for bad falls; black scarves; and, most important, thick gloves that reached halfway to their elbows."

Westerfeld compares the convenience of their situation to our ATMs, effectively showing us how our culture has evolved, and what it could evolve into in the future. Within the statement I have extracted from the book, Westerfeld uses every word to describe their eases and luxuriousness. Tally casually sips on her coffee while the futuristic invention prepares her magnificent 'usual' ensembles. Heavy jackets with fake fur. Thick gloves, padded pants. He describes the epitome of luxury and convenience. His description helps to create a large contrast between the characters locations. For example, in 'The Smoke' the characters have to kill animals to eat whereas in 'New Pretty Town' they wear fake fur. 

To further comment on our ruthless, hungry culture, Westerfeld writes on page 128:-

"Left alone, human beings are a plague. They multiply relentlessly, consuming every resource, destroying everything they touch."

Although this novel is  YA novel, you can't help but see the direct description of the problems we are facing in our world today. We are facing illnesses to a new scale such as Alzheimer's and Cancer. We are struggling with an aging population due to our advanced health care and disease prevention. We are facing a crisis with non-renewable energy as our race has practically used all the Earth has to give us, and we kill animals for food despite there being proficient alternatives. 

Another message that I believe to be important is captured within the thoughts of the main character on page 153.

"Tally wondered if she'd had that much fun as an ugly. All she could recall from those days was dying to turn pretty, to get across the river and leave all this behind."

We can feel Tally's nostalgia and her regret at not enjoying her childhood. I think that most teens and young adult struggle with the thought that they didn't appreciate earlier times in their lives, especially when they are facing changes and growing up. I believe that Westerfeld is conveying mindfulness to his readers, telling them subtly to live in the moment and to be grateful for the memories we have.

*Warning - Rant*

Despite my obvious enthusiasm for this series, I think that Westerfeld has been irresponsible with some if the issues raised within the last half of the book.  The writing suggests the glorification of self-harm on page 165. 

" Shay took the knife with her left hand and placed its edge against her right forearm, the wet metal gleaming...Then she saw blood begin to trickle from the wound. It ran thinly in the rain, spreading down Shay's upraised arm and onto her shoulder, reaching her shirt , spreading a color that was more pink than red." 

This statement is the first (and not the last) time self-harm or cutting is mentioned within the series. The idea of what they are doing would be acceptable if it wasn't for the fact that what they are doing has strong links with mental health and mental illnesses. These books are written for teenagers and teenagers are very impressionable and vulnerable, not to mention the mood swings and hormone levels they are dealing with. Westerfeld has created a clique in the book and they are admired. They believe that the action of cutting themselves makes them better and special in some way finding a cure for the brain modification they have undergone. I feel it is insensitive to use such a real and life threatening action within the book when mental illness is stigmatized and profoundly misunderstood. It is backwards and thoughtless for a contemporary writer to tear down any real information children have on self injury and replace it with a group ritual of initiation. I am very disappointed with Scott Westerfeld with this element of the book and although I understand what he is doing, I feel it is in the wrong book, for the wrong age group. There are plenty of other initiation rituals that he could have used alternately such as the cutting of a palm that the characters did in the first book to show friendship. I checked the front and the back of the book to see if any information was provided for those who may have been effected by issues within the book and there is nothing. There is no information, helplines or websites. I don't really know what else I can say on the matter apart from the fact the self-injury is falsely and irresponsibly represented in this book. If you have read the book or are affected by the issues I have raised, please take look at the links I will post at the end of the blog.

Despite this, I still like the book and gave it 4*. The events that unfold continue to be adventurous and the setting changes fairly regularly which stops various locations becoming boring. One thing that bothered me was the use of 'pretty-talk' which became tiresome. However it is clever how Westerfeld used language to distinguish different levels of consciousness. It is simple and effective, however it starts to be a bit annoying after  a while - although I don't think it will effect younger readers as much as it did me. i think because I was aware of it, I noticed it all the more. 

The characters continue to develop within the book to various stages in their worlds. When I had finished this book, I was excited to start the third in the series, 'Specials'. 

Links

Self Harm NHS

Childline.org

samaritans.org

Kids Helpline - Recovery

Harmless: self harm support

Specials review coming soon...

Love Charlie, Xx

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld Book Review

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

First Published: 2005

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages:406 

Rating: 4*

This book has caught my eye for a couple of years, especially when I have seen it on shelves at Libraries. For some reason this book always stood out to me, but I never picked it up. However in my quest to find books of a similar nature to the Hunger Games to satisfy my need for the same sense of adventure, I came across this quartet. And so, for my 21st Birthday, I got these books off my wish list from my parents. I can surely say that I didn't receive your average 21st birthday present. It was much better!

My Birthday was in April, so as you can tell, sometimes it takes a while to get around to certain books. Not only do you prioritize others, but sometimes you just have to be 'in the mood' as I like to say. 

My 21st Birthday Books 2015

First published in 2005, this book is available from Amazon.co.uk at £3.85 in Paperback or £4.99 in Kindle Edition. Alternatively you can buy the complete quartet at £27.50 in Paperback or £11.96 in Kindle Edition. (True as of January 2016)  goodreads.com - Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Firstly, I love the cover of the Simon & Schuster (Simon Pulse 2011) edition. The cover is mainly white with a hint of metallic on the nails and scalpel.  This satisfies my obsessive compulsive nature, and the books (I own the quartet) look amazing on my book shelf dedicated to white books. I feel, perhaps these covers target more the female readers, in comparison to the earlier dark cover (2006) editions, which may be more attractive to male readers. The cover is also thought provoking and leads the reader wondering what is concealed behind the white sheet - encouraging them to open the pages. 

Initially, I felt the story-line and setting was unrealistic, naive and unimaginative. I thought the setting was too simplistic and over-estimated, that is until Tally Youngblood (The main character) meets another 'ugly' called Shay. From this moment in the book onward, the adventure unravels at a rapid pace and it become much harder for me to put the book down for long. The initial outline of the setting quickly becomes overwritten with themes such as appearance, friendship, identity, freedom, society and class, rebellion and modernization to name a few. 

'Uglies' is a Young Adult, coming of age, science fiction novel set in the future in a dystopian, post-scarcity world.  Phew, take a breath. The thing is, this book packs in a lot of genres and themes. This novel deals with the western obsession to look physically perfect and be intrinsically happy. I believe children and teenagers transitioning between primary to High School, and High School to college would appreciate the plot the most, and will understand the pressures of society strongly. The main characters in the book realise that their perfect world isn't actually perfect at all. This mirrors the experience of children growing into young adults and finding their feet and making their own opinions and decisions. Similar to the venture from the relative safety of childhood into the harsher realities of adulthood. I also feel this book is appropriate for those moving away from their childhood home in search to make their own home for themselves. 

 

I believe that Westerfeld has taken full responsibility for leading his readers in the right direction as the characters in this novel don't make decisions lightly. Tally especially is fully aware of the consequences of her actions. Characters understand how they affect the people around them and I feel this is a great message to younger and older readers alike.

Westerfeld also highlights mindless consumerism and our disattachment with nature which connects strongly to the concerns in our current culture today. Raising topics such as Economy and Environment is very clever as he does it set in the future. It brings home what the future could possibly be like and in an effective way, he shows how civilisation had to live off the land before the industrial revolution. It is very intelligent of him to demonstrate this in a futuristic world complete with water purifiers and hover boards. 

I have to say that my favourite element of Westerfeld's Uglies is the strong manner in which female characters are portrayed. It is easy to depict girls as vulnerable and scared, weak and fickle, however Westerfeld has written 'with the times' and it is evident that he has taken sexism into full consideration. Within his book, the male and female characters are equally as strong and equally vulnerable. the only differences are those of individuality to distinguish characters. 

I believe this is a great book for teens and young adults as it really raises popular and familiar issues that can be discussed in depth at that age. This book makes you think about the world around you and for me personally, it encouraged me to get outside and appreciate some fresh air. When was the last time you stood outside and just looked at the stars and appreciated the beauty of nature? All I'm saying is, there is more to like than iphones and TVs. 

Finally, I enjoyed the first book in the Uglies series so much, that despite my next planned book being 'I'll give you the Sun' by Jandy Nelson. I had to carry on to the next book 'Pretties'. I am getting through it quickly and the adventure and tricks are only getting bigger. Check the blog again over the weekend for my next review. 

Love Charlie, Xx