Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Westerfeld, Scott. (2005). Uglies. NY: Simon Pulse.
ISBN: 978-0689865381
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Survival, Betrayal, Secrets, Manipulation
Genre: Science Fiction
Awards/Honors: Golden Duck, Hal Clement Award for Young Adult (2006)
James Tiptree, Jr. Award Long List (2005)
New York Times bestseller (Fiction, 2005)
VA Readers Choice Book (2008)
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2007-2008)
Texas Lone Star Book (2006-2007)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2006)
Garden State Book Award (Teen Fiction Grades 6-8, 2008)
Ditmar Shortlist (Novel, 2006)
Florida Teens Read (2007-2008)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (Books That Don’t Make You Blush, 2006)
Iowa Teen Award Nominee (2007-2008)
Aurealis Award Finalist (YA Novel, 2005)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2005)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2007)
Abraham Lincoln Award Winner (2007)
Prix Ado-Lisant (2009)
Annotation: Tally Youngblood can't wait for her 16th birthday so she can finally have surgery to be pretty like everyone else. But then she meets Shay, who doesn't want to be a pretty and runs away. Now the authorities want Tally to find and betray Shay before they will let her become a pretty.
Summary: In a future where everyone has surgery to become beautiful, Tally Youngblood is looking forward to her 16th birthday and to finally becoming a “pretty”. Then she meets Shay, also 16, who decides to stay an “ugly”. Shay ends up running away to live with other rebel uglies in a hidden encampment. Tally is disappointed to lose a friend, but remains eager to have her surgery and join her old friend Peris in New Pretty Town. However, authorities discover Tally’s connection to Shay and demand she follow her to the hidden town and betray her, and everyone else. While in the Rusty Ruins, Tally learns the truth about becoming a “pretty”, but what can she do?
Evaluation: I was really excited to read this book because I had heard SO MANY good things about it, and I love Science Fiction. Perhaps because of all the hype, it didn't quite live up to my expectations; however, the premise of Tally's story is very cool. Teens will relate to the desire to be beautiful and repelled by what is really going on.

Feed by M.T. Anderson

Anderson, M.T. (2004). Feed. NY: Candlewick
ISBN: 978-0763622596
Awards: Los Angeles Times Book Prize (2002.02|Young Adult Fiction, 2002)
National Book Award finalist (Young People's Literature, 2002)
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2002)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2003)Booklist Editors' Choice (2002)
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2002)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2004.3|Literature & Language Arts, 2004)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2009.4|Science & Technology, 2009)
Book Sense Summer Pick Teen Readers (2003)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Consumerism, Commercialism, Independence
Genre: Science Fiction
Annotation: Titus is an average teen living in a future world where everyone has a feed - a computer - implanted in their brain. On a trip to the moon with his friends he gets attacked by a hacker, and meets Violet, a girl who is afraid of what is happening to the world.
Summary: Titus and his friends are average teens living in a future world, a world where everyone's brains are wired with a feed. The feed pumps personalized advertisements and television shows directly into people's head. They also give people the ability to chat with anyone. Slowly, readers realize that humans have destroyed the planet and everyone has devolved into stupid, thoughtless consumers. Everyone but Violet. Titus meets Violet on a trip to the moon and through her, readers learn of the plight of the planet and the dumbing down of the people. We follow Titus, Violet, and friends as humans start loosing their skin, the Earth rebels, and everything comes to an end.
Evaluation: At times it was hard to keep up with all the slang, but the story is great. As Titus goes from being an ignorant teen to a more aware person, readers are able to both hate and sympathise with him. Also, despite the looming apocalypse, the book is full of humor and ironic wit.