Duckling Ugly (Dark Fusion) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "I am not one of the beautiful people..." (more)
Key Phrases: corpse flower, mystery number, homecoming dance, Miss Leticia, Flock's Rest, Marshall Astor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up–This third book in the series stars Cara De Fido, who is so ugly that her reflection breaks mirrors. She's a champion speller but even that accomplishment is spoiled after she's tricked into spelling words like grotesque and abomination at a spelling bee. She suffers from a type of sleepwalking she calls sleep standing because she doesn't move. In this state, Cara dreams of a handsome boy in a beautiful green valley. She befriends the town's other outcast, an old lady who lives in the cemetery, who tells her that she has a destiny that she must search for. After a guy she likes betrays her, she runs away to find her dream place. There, the inhabitants hold the secret to everlasting beauty. Cara longs to be one of the beautiful people, but she can't forget those she left behind. She goes back but not before being warned that she can only stay away for a short time or she will find that there are worse things than being ugly. By returning, she makes a decision that she knows is wrong but that she can't help and, as a result, she creates a world of suffering. While not as richly written as the fairy-tale retellings by Donna Jo Napoli or Robin McKinley, Shusterman has created his own dark, edgy, and suspenseful tale that cleverly borrows from such classics as the The Ugly Ducking, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast.–Sharon Rawlins, NJ Library for the Blind and Handicapped, Trenton
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. Shusterman continues his Dark Fusion series, retelling and updating fairy tales. Here, using the concept of the ugly duckling as a jumping-off point, he constructs the undeniably captivating story of a girl so ugly she cracks mirrors, mixing in bits of legends such as Shangri-la and the fountain of youth. Cara DeFido is known as "Flock's Rest Monster" at her small-town high school. She's a spelling bee champion, but otherwise a total loser, completely friendless and relentlessly teased. After learning that her father has paid a boy to take her to the homecoming dance, she runs away and finds herself in a magical kingdom where everyone is breathtakingly beautiful. While there, she comes to grips with her self-loathing, and through the magic waters of the underground fountain of youth, she becomes gorgeous, and finds a community that accepts and values her. Unable to leave her old life completely behind, however, she returns to Flock's Rest, where all sorts of horrible things happen. Touches of magical realism add richness, multidimensional characters abound, and Cara's wit and self-mocking tone lend an ease to the narrative. Another success for Shusterman. Debbie Carton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (March 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525475850
• ISBN-13: 978-0525475859
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,322,721 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a fantastic book!, February 11, 2009

By	Samantha "Sam" (seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Duckling Ugly (Dark Fusion) (Paperback)

Cara DeFido is the very definition of 'ugly'. Her face shatters mirrors and clouds water. All her life, she has had to deal with the cruelty of others who see only who she is on the outside and not the inside. She has never had a friend and questions if even her family truly loves her. Then she meets an old woman who tells her she has a destiny. Could Cara's destiny have anything to do with the beautiful valley she sees in her dreams, a place where the people of that valley accept and like her? This is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to fans of Neal Shusterman's Dark Fusion series.

5.0 out of 5 stars What a message!, May 13, 2008

By	S. Eshbach "lover of books and teaching" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Duckling Ugly (Dark Fusion) (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for junior high readers. Shusterman shows how the shallowness associated with physical appearance can destroy a young adult, a family, and even a community. For teenages caught up in the whirlwind of cliques and "coolness," this book can be a revelation. This is also an excellent book for literature circles. The text lends itself to self examination, something every teacher (me included) strives to initiate in teenagers.

4.0 out of 5 stars Best of Dark Fusion So Far, June 28, 2007

By	Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Duckling Ugly (Dark Fusion) (Paperback)

Cara is ugly. Not just unattractive, but ugly to the point that her face can, and will, break cameras and mirrors. Cara has come to terms with this even if the rest of the town has not. But things are changing. Her social status improves ever so slightly (someone will actually talk to her) and she receives a mysterious message. The message seems to tie into a strange pull she has had to somewhere far away. Cara manages to figure out the messages clues and things really change.

Cara finds a hidden Shangra-La-like valley. There, beautiful and peaceful people live simple lives. They want Cara to join them. Usually people her age are not asked to come but another resident knew of her and managed the invitation. No one seems to care about Cara's looks but she is still not completely happy. But when her mysterious benefactor shows her the secret of the valley her life is turned completely around. Cara is beautiful. But while her outward appearance may have changes she is still the same person on the inside. This is most evident in her insistence at sneaking out of the valley to show off her beauty. But petty revenge is also part of her deeper thoughts and it is not long before she feels like an outcast again.

The tale of the ugly duckling has been merged with some ancient mythology to create the best story in the Dark Fusion series to date. Following Cara's rise and fall was quite a ride for me. The author does not go along expected paths but forges new ones. I really did not expect the ending (no Lost Horizons here) but it worked and worked well. I really hope there will be more books in this series as they just keep getting better. Check it out.