Book reviews: The Wild Robot and Uglies FTIs

Reviews: Lauren O’Connor-May

Uglies FTI

Scott Westerfield

Simon and Schuster

This young adult science fiction novel, the first of Scott Westerfield's dystopian trilogy, has had a renewed burst of fame thanks to the movie of the same name currently on Netflix.

The story follows Tally, a girl on the cusp of her 16th birthday, in a world where everyone undergoes a radical, full-body cosmetic make-over to make them pretty when they turn 16.

Tally, like all the "uglies”, has been desperately awaiting the procedure since she was a young child, sent to live in a commune away from her pretty parents. 

Everything changes when she meets Shay, whose ideas go against the grain of what they were taught. Shay chooses not to undergo the pretty procedure and runs away instead, telling Tally how to find her if she decides to do the same.

As the rest of the plot unfolds, Tally realises that there is something far more sinister afoot than just full-body cosmetic surgeries and a society obsessed with beauty.

The Wild Robot FTI

Peter Brown

Piccadilly Press

Another movie-tie-in book reboot, this book has also had some edits with the reprint. 

The original illustrated book was printed in 2018, and has had a series of successful sequels but this edition, reprinted to coincide with the release of the Dreamworks film of the same name, features an album insert of stills from the movie, and extra “behind the scenes” drawings by the author with anecdotes about changes he made and why or how some of the edits were inspired. 

The Wild Robot is a completely humanless story. It follows the adventures of the robot Roz, who is shipwrecked on a deserted island.

As Roz wakes up and emerges in her new environment, she adapts to her surroundings, learns the language of the animals around her and adopts an orphaned gosling. 

She soon realises that she will need the help of the wild animals if the gosling is to survive, so Roz sets about making friends and learning how to be a mother.