review posted here: http://book-splot.blogspot.com/2010/02/duckling-ugly-neal-shusterman-review.html ( )

Love this Dark Fusion series of modernized fairy tales! Cara DeFido is ugly. Not just mildly ugly, but ugly enough that when she looks into a mirror, the glass shatters. Her talents are spelling and Chinese ink paintings, and those aren't enough to make her worthwhile in the eyes of the world. Cara is tortured daily by all of the people in her life, with stares, comments and vile abuse, until she meets Miss Leticia, and ancient almost blind woman who lives in the middle of the cemetery. Courage to change is the gift Cara gets from Miss Leticia, and when she searches out the meaning of a riddle that arrived in the mail, she discovers a place where she can be transformed. De Leon is a village hidden in the mountains where everyone is kind, gentle and giving, and Cara literally changes into a lovely girl. When she returns to her hometown to say goodbye to her parents, her desire for revenge becomes stronger and stronger. What price will she exact from all of those who have been cruel, and what price will Cara pay for her own actions? Good basic horror story, and the twist at the end is a spooky one! 6th grade and up. ( )

Poor girl. I hope she finds De Leon again I think she really learned her lesson. And I hope they forgive her. ( )

Cara is so ugly her face breaks mirrors. When an attractive, popular boy asks her to the prom, and she figures out her dad paid him off, she takes the bribe (a car) and drives out of town to escape. She finds the place where there might be a solution to her problems, if she can just resist the desire for revenge. ( )

An extremely ugly, tormented young woman discovers a group of incredibly lovely people living near her. The results of her meeting them are merely the consequences for her actions, though. ( )