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Overview
Cara is so ugly, mirrors would rather break than show her reflection. Not even her own parents can deny her ugliness, and nothing can make up for the cruelty of her schoolmates. Tormented and tortured by the shallow people of Flock’s Rest, Cara’s life is miserable. Then Cara receives a shimmering note from some exotic place suggesting that there’s more to her than meets the eye. Cara wonders if her destiny has something to do with her recurring dreams of a beautiful green valley where the people are so accepting, her ugliness doesn’t matter. Soon, Cara discovers that her valley of dreams is real. It’s a place where the ugliest of ducklings can become swans. A swan, however, can have a serious taste for revenge . . . deadly revenge.
Synopsis
Cara is so ugly, mirrors would rather break than show her reflection. Not even her own parents can deny her ugliness, and nothing can make up for the cruelty of her schoolmates. Tormented and tortured by the shallow people of Flock's Rest, Cara's life is miserable. Then Cara receives a shimmering note from some exotic place suggesting that there's more to her than meets the eye. Cara wonders if her destiny has something to do with her recurring dreams of a beautiful green valley where the people are so accepting, her ugliness doesn't matter. Soon, Cara discovers that her valley of dreams is real. It's a place where the ugliest of ducklings can become swans. A swan, however, can have a serious taste for revenge . . . deadly revenge.
Sarah Cofer - VOYA
In this third entry in Shusterman's Dark Fusion series, Cara DeFido is so grotesque she cannot look into mirrors without breaking them. Because of her "ugularity," Cara is the biggest outcast at Flock's Nest High School and is dubbed the Flock's Nest Monster. Cara has no friends, roams cemeteries at night, and sleepwalks. Cara runs away after her father bribes a classmate to take her to the dance. She ends up in a community where everyone is stunningly beautiful. They welcome her and give her a magic elixir that makes her beautiful too. For the first time, Cara fits in. She goes back to Flock's Nest to say goodbye, but when she gets there, she realizes that she wants revenge. As in Dread Locks (Dutton, 2005/VOYA June 2005) and Red Rider's Hood (2005/VOYA October 2005), this novel fuses fairy tale with mythology and legend. It has threads of the ugly duckling story and the legend of the fountain of youth. This twisted fairy tale is quite dark and does not have a happy ending. Readers will learn the valuable lesson that beauty is only skin deep. After Cara becomes beautiful, the irony is that everyone still hates her. This fast-paced book is great for both avid and reluctant readers. Readers do not have to be familiar with the other titles in the series to follow Cara's story. Give it to fans of horror and mythology and fairy-tale retellings. It is a recommended purchase for public and school libraries serving middle and high school students. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P J S (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2006, Dutton, 224p., Ages 12 to 18.
Editorials
Children's Literature
No two ways about it, sixteen-year-old Cara DeFido is mirror-breaking ugly. Literally. After her latest unbearable humiliation, Flock's Rest's Monster runs away in search of the Nowhere Land of her dreams. She finds the Shangri-la of De Leon, is accepted and beautified, but opts out of utopia for revenge. In the world of Neal Shusterman's "Dark Fusion" series of updated fairy tales, this is a distinct mistake. His gothic-modern retelling of "The Ugly Duckling" gives Shusterman ample opportunity to have great fun with references to Lost Horizon, the mythical Fountain of Youth, and above all, words. Smirk at the "Fido" reference, but note that Cara's expertise is spelling, in all its connotations. Like the rest of his series, Shusterman ends this story on a fatalistic, cautionary note. I am not sure what Hans Christian Andersen would have thought, but Shusterman's take is clever as always. 2006, Dutton, Ages 10 to 14.—Kathleen Karr
VOYA
In this third entry in Shusterman's Dark Fusion series, Cara DeFido is so grotesque she cannot look into mirrors without breaking them. Because of her "ugularity," Cara is the biggest outcast at Flock's Nest High School and is dubbed the Flock's Nest Monster. Cara has no friends, roams cemeteries at night, and sleepwalks. Cara runs away after her father bribes a classmate to take her to the dance. She ends up in a community where everyone is stunningly beautiful. They welcome her and give her a magic elixir that makes her beautiful too. For the first time, Cara fits in. She goes back to Flock's Nest to say goodbye, but when she gets there, she realizes that she wants revenge. As in Dread Locks (Dutton, 2005/VOYA June 2005) and Red Rider's Hood (2005/VOYA October 2005), this novel fuses fairy tale with mythology and legend. It has threads of the ugly duckling story and the legend of the fountain of youth. This twisted fairy tale is quite dark and does not have a happy ending. Readers will learn the valuable lesson that beauty is only skin deep. After Cara becomes beautiful, the irony is that everyone still hates her. This fast-paced book is great for both avid and reluctant readers. Readers do not have to be familiar with the other titles in the series to follow Cara's story. Give it to fans of horror and mythology and fairy-tale retellings. It is a recommended purchase for public and school libraries serving middle and high school students. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P J S (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2006, Dutton, 224p., Ages 12 to 18.—Sarah Cofer