In Scott Westerfeld's dystopian novel *Uglies*, sixteen-year-old Tally Youngblood lives in a future society where everyone undergoes extreme plastic surgery at sixteen to become "Pretty." Eager to join her transformed friends in New Pretty Town, Tally's plans change when she befriends Shay, who rebels against conformity and flees to the Smoke, a secret settlement of outsiders. Forced by the powerful Special Circumstances to betray Shay or remain Ugly forever, Tally infiltrates the Smoke—only to uncover dark secrets about the operation and her so-called perfect world. Torn between loyalty and duty, she must ultimately decide who she truly wants to become.
