by Scott Westerfield
Dear Parents,
As you may know, this term your 8th grade student in the Bilingual Program will be reading Uglies by Scott Westerfield. This will not be an adapted or abridged text, but rather the original work of American young adult literature. We’d like to give you some background about the novel, mention the benefits and challenges from the students’ point of view, and also make suggestions for how you could help.
Why is it important for my child to read in English?
Reading in any language expands the mind and helps us explore vital topics and real-life situations, all the while allowing students to develop their comprehension skills, critical thinking capabilities and complexity of thought both in general and also in that specific language. Indeed, research indicates that reading skills directly relate to future academic and professional success. It can help students gain a deeper understanding of context and why characters – and people – make the choices they do. Reading also helps build independence and self-confidence and has a positive effect on the development of empathy as well as concentration. Finally, reading is a major resource for using and understanding language – including grammatical structure, lexical knowledge and writing skills. Not only can students pick up new words, but reading them in an authentic context can also help students understand the subtle nuances of the lexis that was chosen by the author. The same is true when we process the plot and character development through the linguistic structures employed by the author – helping students understand a variety of uses “in the linguistic wild”, as it were. All in all, reading in any language develops skills that are essential for each student’s continuing studies and life in general.
Why was this novel chosen?
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld has won several notable awards, including the ALA Best Books for Young Adults in 2006 and School Library Journal Best Books of the Year in 2005. While it may not have won major literary prizes, it has been highly regarded in the young adult literary world, especially for its thought-provoking themes and engaging narrative.
What are the benefits of this novel?
Uglies is an engaging dystopian novel that captivates students while supporting language development. It introduces students to more advanced vocabulary and complex sentence structures, helping them improve both their reading comprehension and writing abilities. Through Tally’s eyes of this futuristic world themes like identity, beauty standards, and societal pressure sparks critical thinking and meaningful classroom discussions in English. These conversations provide opportunities for students to express their opinions and reflect on real-world issues. Overall, Uglies encourages a deeper understanding of the English language while promoting thoughtful engagement with important social themes.
What are some of the challenges?/How can I as a parent help?
As with most futuristic novels, there is a lot of world building that happens and it can be a struggle at the beginning of these novels to immerse themselves in the new weird world. Along with the new environment comes language that may be very new or even made up. Westerfield does a wonderful job of making the world new and interesting without being too far out of the realm of our own reality to be able to relate. As your son or daughter make their way through the novel, you can help by asking questions about the different events, characters and even how they are relating to the novel.
Please let us know if you have further questions. We would like to thank you for your support in helping your child keep up with his or her chapter-by-chapter reading assignments at home. Finally, we hope your son or daughter learns from this novel and, most importantly, enjoys reading it!
Best regards: Anthony Laudadio, Head of Education – Primary & High Schools