Extras by Scott Westerfeld

Westerfeld, S. (2007). Extras. (p. 432). Simon Pulse.

ISBN: 1416951172

Classification: book, fiction

Genre: science fiction

Age Level: 9th-12th grade

Subjects:distopia, love story, scifi, series, siblings

Reader's Annotation: Aya Fuse posts a huge story to boost her popularity and gets more than she bargains for.

Summary: This fourth book in the Uglies series takes place a few years after Tally Youngblood's mindrain saved the world from pretty stupidity. Now, much of world is run on an economy based on fame. Most everyone strives to increase their popularity, measured by a "face-rank." Aya Fuse is fifteen, and a kicker, someone who publishes stories to the feed in hopes of increasing her face rank. She follows the Sly Girls, a group interested in daredevil stunts and staying out of the public eye. They stumble upon the biggest story since the fall of the mindrain. But the story is so big, Aya will need the help of the most famous person of all, Tally Youngblood, to keep her out of trouble.

Reviews / Awards:

Uglies, the first book of the series was chosen by YALSA as a "Best Book for Young Adults" in 2006
New York Times Review

Author Info:
Scott Westerfeld's Website

Potential Hotspots:

distopia, some fighting (no one is killed)

Readalikes:

• Feed by M.T. Anderson
  
• Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
  

Why it belongs in a YA collection:
This recreational read is part of the Uglies series, and will be much requested by readers if it is not part of a collection.

Other:

I liked this book more than I thought I would, as the fourth book in a planned trilogy, I thought it might be a bit superfluous. My favorite character was Moggle the hovercam.

Evaluation:

3.5 stars