Title: The Uglies (Westerfeld, Scott)
Level Z
Quick summary: A futuristic story about people who are born “Ugly” and when the are 16 they receive an
operation to make the “Pretty” and get to go live in Pretty Town. There is conflict about what ugly and pretty
really are both mentally and physically.
Possible Reading Assignments: (8 days) 1: Chapters 1-6
2: Chapters 7-10
3: Chapters 11- 16
4: Chapters 17-22
5: Chapters 23-29
6: Chapters 30-35
7: Chapters 36-42
8: Chapters 43-48
Summary
Difficult Vocabulary
Ch. 1
Pgs. 3-10
Tally, an ugly, looses her best friend, Peris,
because 3 months ago he became a Pretty when
he turned 16 and moved to Pretty Town. Tally
misses him and sneaks into Pretty Town they way
she used to with Peris.
Scudding pg. 3
Hoverstruts pg. 5
Cacophony pg. 9
Impervious pg. 9
Ch. 2
Pgs. 11-22
Tally gets into Pretty Town and finds her friend
Peris. His forever friends’ scar has disappeared
with his new skin. He helps her escape and get
out of his building before she is caught. He
promises Tally they will still be friends in 3
months when she becomes a Pretty.
Tally escapes Pretty Town – during her escape
she meets a new girl in the willows, Shay, who is
also an Ugly who was sneaking into Pretty Town.
Teetered pg. 22
Ch.4
Pgs. 32-38
Shay helps Tally learn how to ride a hoverboard
really well.
Momentum pg. 32
Silhouetted pg. 35
Ch. 5
Pgs. 39-52
Shay and Tally use computer technology to see
how they might look with a different “Pretty”
face.
Notoriously pg. 39
Morphological pg. 39
Asymmetrical pg. 42
Incongruous pg.43
Ch. 6
Pgs. 53-60
Tally and Shay sneak out at night for an
adventure to see what is outside of Uglyville –
they discover the importance of metal for using
their hoverboards.
Hues pg. 53
Catapulted pg. 56
Maelstrom pg. 56
Ch. 3
Pgs. 23-31
Bungee pg. 29
Purpose for reading/Comp.
Strategy
Predictions: We are briefly
introduced to “Pretties”
and “Uglies” and Tally.
What do you think might
happen? What do you think
a Pretty is? What is an
Ugly?
Character Synthesis:
What do we know so far
about (1) The Uglies (2)
The Pretties (3) Tally (4)
Peris
Genre: What clues in this
chapter tell us the genre of
this story? (The talking
bridge, hovercars,
hoverboards, change from
Uglies to pretties, voice
activated recognition, etc.)
Imagery/word choice:
There are many lively verbs
listed throughout this
chapter to describe action.
Compare to other simple
verbs that would have not
been as exciting. (Verbs
used: clipped, clenched,
cruised, whipping, twisted,
silhouetted etc.)
Character Analysis: How
do you think Shay feels
about being a Pretty?
What clues in the story tell
us?
Connections: Have you ever
gone somewhere exploring?
Were you scared to be
alone?
Ch. 7
Pgs. 61-68
Tally and Shay explore the Rusty Ruins outside of
Pretty Town and Uglyville. They discover an old
Rollercoaster.
Untenable pg. 62
Reverie pg. 62
Ch. 8
Pgs. 69-75
Sneaking out at night, Shay takes Tally to meet a
mysterious “David” at the Rusty Ruins. He isn’t
there and Tally wonders if he is even real.
Hoverstruts pg. 74
Ch. 9
Pgs. 76-84
Shay and Tally plan and play a trick on the new 12
year old Uglies. They discuss turning pretty and
shay wants to stay an ugly forever. They fight.
Ch.10
Pgs. 85-95
Tally is lonely and misses Shay after their fight.
Shay shows up in the middle of the night and
wants Tally to leave Uglyville forever. Tally
wants the Pretty Operation – They say goodbye.
Tally imagines how the operation will be as it is
her last day to be an ugly. She will be turning 16
years old. She enters the hospital and awaits her
operation.
Right before her expected operation, Tally is
taken away to another building. She is
questioned about Shay by a department called
“Special Circumstances”.
Claustrophobic
pg.76
Hyped-up pg. 82
Vapid pg. 84
Facets pg. 93
Ch. 11
Pgs. 96-101
Ch. 12
Pgs. 102-110
Personified pg. 98
Cadence pg. 104
Equilibrium pg. 106
Ch. 13
Pgs. 111-119
Tally is sent back to Uglyville with out the
operation. Everyone there begins to stare at her.
Her parents come from middle pretty town to
talk to her. They advise her to tell Special
Circumstances about what she knows. Tally is
confused.
Paranoia pg. 112
Inoperable pg. 113
Ch. 14
Pgs.
120-128
Tally is upset and sneaks out on her hoverboard.
When she returns her friend Peris is waiting for
her in her dorm room. After their conversation
Tally decides to tell Special Circumstances what
they want to know.
Purgatory pg. 128
Ch. 15
Pgs.
129-135
Tally is taken to Dr. Cable and tells her what she
wants to know. It is not enough; Dr. Cable wants
more from her. They want Tally to go undercover
to find all those who ran away from Uglyville.
She is forced to say yes by threats of being
made ugly forever.
Tally leaves on her mission to go find Shay. She
is provided with a hoverboard and supplies. She
talks to herself as she tries to figure out the
clues on a sheet of paper that Shay left behind.
Infiltrator pg. 129
(Title of Chapter)
Ch. 16
Pgs.
139-146
Embankment pg. 140
Limbo pg. 140
Submerged pg. 144
Imagery/Visualization/word
choice: Description of
setting – What similes,
metaphors or lively words
helps you to visualize the
ruins?
Predictions: What do you
think the flickering light
was? What will happen
next?
Essence of Text: What
message is the author
trying to tell you in this
chapter?
Connections: What would
you do? How would you feel
if you were…Tally?...Shay?
Predictions: Do you think
everything will go smooth.
Do you think any problems
will arise, if so what?
Character Analysis: What
do we know about Dr.
Cable? What words does
the author use to describer
her? What do you think
she is like?
Connections: (Test to Self)
Have you ever had to make
a difficult choice? What
would you do?
Essence of Text: What
message is the author
trying to send in this
chapter?
Context Clues/Questioning:
What do you think about
Peris’ and Tally’s
conversation?
Predictions: What will
happen next?
Question: What do you
think about what they want
Tally to do? What do you
think Dr. Cable really
wants? What would you
do?
Connections (Text to Self):
Have you ever talked to
yourself while you were
figuring out something or
were alone?
Ch. 17
Pgs.
147-155
Tally is still following the clues and enjoys the
contrast of the outskirts of Uglyville. She does,
however, miss the many conveniences she had
there.
Precipitation pg. 148
Glopped pg. 150
Ch. 18
Pgs.
156-163
Tally makes it past another one of Shay’s clues.
She is getting closer. She stops to bathe in the
freezing river. Even though she is cold she still
feels warmth from the beauty of the Nature
that surrounds her.
While bathing in the river Tally discovers she is
not alone. A flying machine comes by, she hides.
She continues on and figures out another clue.
She is led to a beautiful landscape in the
mountains and stops to sleep in a hiding place
where she can’t be seen by the flying machine.
Tally awakens to a fire. She tries to escape the
fire and runs into the flying machine. She falls
into the river and the people in the machine fish
her out of the water. She notices they have big
bug eyes.
Tally gets picked up by the “Rangers” (the people
in the flying machine). They are trying to burn all
the white orchids because they are taking over
like a weed. They help take Tally to a spot where
she will see the next clue. She hikes the “bald”
mountain and waits. She wonders if she will be
able to betray her friend.
Shay and David come to meet Tally. Tally is truly
excited to see Shay but knows she will have to lie
to her. However, Tally doesn’t lie to Shay about
being excited to be with her again. She knows
she will have to betray Shay. There are no
orchids in the forest that leads to the “Smoke”
(they place where the runaways are hiding). The
forest is too thick for the Orchids to grow.
They make it to the “Smoke”.
After Tally arrives at the Smoke she notices
that everything is built with wood. The people
there cut down trees, this is new to her. Shay
and Tally go to a Library and look through some
old magazines from long ago. Everyone in them is
an ugly. Tally starts to tell Shay the truth about
why she is there.
Lichen pg. 159
Odious pg. 161
Tally gets a lot of attention from the “Smokies”
(people that live in the Smoke). David, Shay and
Tally go outside the Smoke to collect metal from
an old track. Tally decides to wait until later to
activate her heart pendant that Dr. Cable gave
her to betray their location.
Encroaching pg. 208
Ch. 19
Pgs.
164-171
Ch. 20
Pgs.
172-177
Ch. 21
Pgs.
178-186
Ch. 22
Pgs.
187-194
Ch. 23
Pgs.
195-202
Ch. 24
Pgs.
203-211
Tributary pg. 168
Maelstrom pg. 175
Phragmipedim
panthera pg. 181
(biological name of
the white orchid)
Imagery/Word Choice:
description of town.
Compare and contrast the
differences of the city and
the wilderness.
Connections (Text to Self):
Being sick of the same
food. Camping out without
a shower. Jumping in
freezing water.
Predictions: What do you
think the flying machine
does? Do you think it will
return?
Questioning (Clues): What
importance do you think the
Bug Eyed people are to the
story? Does the author
give any clues?
Connections (Text to
World): The White Orchid
sounds like a weed we have
now…Morning Glory.
Sheepishly pg. 190
Inhospitable pg. 192
Connections (Text to Text):
Can you think of any other
stories where someone
betrays a friend or goes
undercover like a spy?
Deformities pg. 198
Connections (Text to Self):
Make as many connections
to self as you can from this
chapter.
Inferences: What
inferences does the Author
make in this Chapter
Questioning: Why do you
think Tally has decided to
wait to activate the
location pendant?
Ch. 25
Pgs.
212-219
Ch. 26
Pgs.
220-228
Ch. 27
Pgs.
229-242
Ch. 28
Pgs.
243-252
Ch. 29
Pgs.
253-261
Ch. 30
Pgs.
262-268
Ch. 31
Pgs.
269-284
Tally goes with David and Shay to dig up metal
and wood from an old track. Tally then scouts
with David alone. David has a lot of trust in Tally
and tells her that he was born in the Smoke,
which his parents ran away to as middle pretties.
They were Doctors for Special Circumstances.
Tally starts to realize what could happen to the
Smoke if she activates her pendant.
Shay confronts Tally. She begins to question her
about what she was going to tell her in the
library. Shay figures out that Tally is hiding
something that has to do with the pendant. She
thinks it is a pendant from someone special - a
friend. Tally is feeling guilty and regrets not
activating the pendant right when she arrived to
the Smoke.
Tally decides to put Dr. Cable out of her mind
until she can’t stand the Smoke anymore. She
starts to understand the beauty of the Smoke
and the nature around her. Tally works hard with
the others cutting through the thick trees to
salvage metal. Shay notices that David is
starting to like Tally.
After dinner Tally and David go someplace to
talk. David is impressed with Tally and how she
made it to the smoke by herself. He likes her
seriousness. He wants her to go meet his
parents.
David takes Tally to meet his parents. Tally sees
how David and his father look so much alike.
David’s parents are old “Uglies” that were
doctors. David wants them to tell Tally the truth
about the operation to turn pretty.
Tally is told about results from the operation
that David’s parents found while still living in
Middle Pretty. They found lesions in the brain on
everyone who had the operation except those
with challenging jobs in which they would have to
think for themselves and make serious decisions.
Tally finds out the operation not only changes
they way you look but changes the way you think.
David tells Tally how he feels about her and how
beautiful he thinks she is. This makes her feel
warm and different then she has ever felt. Tally
and David head back to the Smoke. Tally decides
to get rid of the pendant once and for all. She
runs to a fire and throws the pendant in. David
takes her home to the bunks.
Hyperventilated
Pg. 219
Questioning: From the
clues in the book, who do
you think the “Rusties”
were and how did they live?
Murmured pg. 228
Predictions: Now that Tally
is getting to know the
people in the Smoke
personally – What do you
think she will do? What
would you do?
Mercilessly pg. 235
Conflict:
Shay likes David, David
starts to like Tally. Tally is
becoming close to the
people in the smoke and
doesn’t want to betray
them.
Symbolism/Authors Craft:
There are a lot of
comparisons to Tally and
Nature at the beginning of
this chapter.
Predictions:
What do you thing the
“TRUTH” is?
Lesions pg. 268
Essence of Text: This
chapter invokes deep
discussion on what turning
“Pretty” means.
Questioning: Now that you
know the secret how do you
feel about it? How would
you feel if you were Tally?
Predictions:
Do you think fire will
destroy the pendant?
What do you think will
happen next?
Ch. 32
Pgs.
287- 296
Ch. 33
Pgs.
297-303
Ch. 34
Pgs.
304-312
Ch. 35
Pgs.
313-318
Ch. 36
Pgs.
319-324
Ch. 37
Pgs.
325-332
Ch. 38
Pgs.
333-339
Tally awakens to chaos. Special Circumstances
has arrived in the Smoke and are overtaking the
place. Tally tries to escape she has no shoes on
so – She helps the old “Ugly” boss from the
library to create a diversion so he can get away.
She is caught.
Tally is put into a pen with the other resistors.
They are sorting them out by eye recognition to
take them back to where they belong. Shay
blames Tally and calls her a spy. Tally tries to
explain. The specials recognize her and tell her
“Good Job”.
Tally is taken immediately to Dr. Cable. Dr. Cable
notices Tally’s pendant is gone and tells her that
if someone tries to destroy it, it will send a
signal. Dr. Cable questions her again where the
pendant is, Tally lies and tells her she hid it.
They let Tally go get it; they handcuff her to
look like she is being captured. Though it is
tough, she is able to escape.
Tally sends the specials on a chase. She escapes
on Croy’s hoverboard. She remembers the
mountain cave that David showed her. She knows
she will be safe there if she can make it. The
cave will hide her body heat so she won’t be
tracked. She makes it to the cave and finds
David there.
Tally still doesn’t want to tell David the truth.
She fibs about how she was able to escape and
how she knows so much about Special
Circumstances. She and David decide to go
rescue his parents and Shay and the others.
Tally and David leave the cave. They wait a while
at the Top of the Mountain, looking down, staring
at the rubble. They go down to the Smoke and
find a pile of shoes in the pen were everyone had
been held. Tally knows this was a gesture for
her. David insists they go to his parents’ home to
look to see if they are still alright.
David’s parents’ home had been burned but the
untouched remains give hope that they are still
alive. David takes Tally to a cave with supplies
that were prepared for such an emergency. They
gather up supplies and decide to head on back to
Special Circumstances and rescue his parents and
the others.
Incapacitation
Pg. 289
Predictions: What do you
think will happen to Tally?
Questioning: What is the
importance of the Boss
getting away?
Connections:
Text to Self – Have you
ever been frustrated trying
to explain yourself to
someone?
Text to Text/World:
What other connections
can you make?
Predictions: Tally has a lot
of decisions to make, what
do you think she will do
next? What do you think
Special Circumstances will
do?
Predictions: What do you
think she will tell David?
What do you think she and
David will do?
Rubble pg. 330
Ally pg. 338
Questioning: Why do you
think she still won’t tell
David the truth? What are
the consequences if she
does/doesn’t?
Questioning: How do you
think David feels when he
sees the rubble?
Connections (Text to Self):
How would you feel if that
was your home?
Context Clues: The author
gives subtle clues of
unburned dishes and other
unharmed items in David’s
parents’ home. Discuss the
different clues, what do
they mean, what to they
add to the story?
Ch. 39
Pgs.
340-347
Tally and David travel in the desert for many
days. They camp out at an old Rusty city. David
tells Tally how this particular City met their fate
and destruction by an infection that was put in
their oil/petroleum by someone.
Encroaching pg. 344
Idiotic pg. 346
Connections (Text to
World): Make connection
to today’s world with the
Middle East their oil power
and war.
Ch. 40
Pgs.
348-358
After a big storm Tally and David make it to the
Rusty Ruins. Tally begins to take the lead from
here because of her familiarity and experience.
Tally helps them get to Special Circumstances.
She has continued to lie about how she knows so
much about Special Circumstances. They see it
will be difficult to get in and decide they can
jump over using bungee jackets.
Mylar pg. 248
Augmented pg. 248
Monotonous pg. 250
Ch. 41
Pgs.
359-366
David and Tally sneak in to the Uglies’ art
building to retrieve some bungee jackets. David
is impressed with Tally’s ease of movement and
confidence. They get the jackets and while going
back they run into some Uglies in the distance
lighting sparklers at the Rusty Ruins, in hopes of
meeting David. Tally and David go to them and
enlist their help.
Ch. 42
Pgs.
367-373
The Uglies that were enlisted to help sneak into
Pretty Town and send a message with sparklers
as a distraction. Tally and David use their
hoverboards and bungee jackets to get over the
fence and land on top of the roof of Special
Circumstances. They do it without tripping any
alarms.
After sneaking in to Special Circumstances Tally
and David see a morgue. They are afraid to go in.
They go down an elevator shoot and find Shay
there with Dr. Cable. Shay has turned Pretty.
They knock out Dr. Cable and Shay helps them
rescue the others. They all escape to the roof
and David finds out his father is dead.
Reconstituted
Pg. 367
Essence of Text: Tally no
longer feels like an ugly.
She no longer desires to be
a Pretty either. Now that
the Smoke has been
destroyed she doesn’t feel
a place in the world.
Doesn’t know who she really
is anymore.
Connections (Text to Self):
Now that Tally is a leader
and more confident in her
own surroundings, David is
amazed. (Their roles are
reversed like when David
was at the Smoke.) Have
you ever felt confident
about something/insecure
about something?
Imagery: (Pages 371-372)
Discuss Authors lively
verbs, adjectives, similes
and sentences to describe
the jump into special
circumstances.
Tally retrieves the hoverboards. Shay and Tally
escape off the roof together. As they are
escaping, Tally apologizes to Shay fore
everything. Shay is unusually calm about it. Tally
realizes that Shay not only has a Pretty face now
but a Pretty mind now too.
Rendezvous pg. 393
Ch. 43
Pgs.
374-388
Ch. 44
Pgs.
389-397
Morgue pg. 378
Predictions (Before
Chapter is read): When
Tally and David get into
Special Circumstances will
their friends be alright, will
they be Pretty, will the get
caught?
Note: At the End of
Chapter, compare
predictions to what really
happens.
Questioning: How do you
think Tally feels about the
change in Shay? How do
you feel about it?
Ch. 45
Pgs.
398-404
Ch. 46
Pgs.
405-414
Ch. 47
Pgs.
415-419
Ch. 48
Pgs.
420-425
They escapees all make it to the rendezvous
point (a cave). David and his mom are not there.
Croy tells them that they wanted to be alone for
a while. They will meet up with them the next
day. When they meet up with David the next day
he tells Tally about Dr. Cable’s record book that
his mom retrieved and how they may now know
how to cure a Pretty’s brain (like Shay).
David’s mom and Tally talk to shay about getting
her Pretty brain fixed. Shay doesn’t want to she
just thinks they are all jealous. She says she is
happy the way she is. Tally wants David’s mom to
do it forcibly. She explains to Tally about the
Hippocratic Oath and that if she forces Shay she
will become just like Dr. Cable. In the end Tally
volunteers to be a willing subject.
David is surprised by Tally volunteering. David’s
mom says it won’t work unless she has the lesions
and she doesn’t. Tally says she will when she
turns into a Pretty. She confesses to David
about being a spy. David’s mom already knew, Dr.
Cable and Shay had told her. Tally is grateful
she let her tell David herself. Tally wants David
to be the one to come get her after she has the
operation. David is upset and runs off. Tally
wants to go that night and turn herself in to Dr.
Cable.
Before leaving Tally writes herself a letter so
that she won’t change her mind about removing
the lesions. She leaves David’s mom with written
consent that Shay writes for her so she can
operate on her. Shay is glad Tally is going to be
Pretty and feels like she messed things up for
Tally from the beginning. Shay and Tally head
back to town. A warden is surprised to see a
Pretty and an Ugly together. When they see the
warden at the end Tally says, “Hi I’m Tally
Youngblood , make me Pretty.”
data pg. 404
Questioning: What is the
importance of David and his
mother going off alone
before they met up with
the others?
Hippocratic oath
Pg. 405 (Title of
Chapter)
Essence of Text: The
author leaves a clear
message in this chapter.
What do you feel that
message is?
(*Don’t become the very
thing you have tried to
fight against, etc.)
Questioning/Inference:
How do you think David
really feels. What clues
does the author give us
about how he feels? Do we
really know exactly what he
is feeling about Tally at
this point?
Pilgrimages pg. 405
Manipulated pg. 418
Scrawl pg. 420
Questioning: Do you agree
with Tally’s decision? Do
you think the Author could
have ended it a different
way?
Predictions: What will
happen to Tally, Shay,
David and his mother?
Other Activities/Ideas:
Have the students write an essay or keep journal entries through out on their feelings about
themselves, their looks, their talents, personalities what they look for in themselves and in a good
friend and what is really important about people.