VVMBookBlog

As book 3 in his Dark Fusion series, Shusterman uses this distortion of the Ugly Duckling fairy tale to ask the question, “How do you judge beauty?” Cara DeFido was in high school, but so ugly in appearance that she literally caused mirrors and camera lenses to shatter. As you might expect, her appearance impacted her relationships with other kids at school, and even her own family, in a very negative way. But, with the help of Miss Leticia, the strange old “crazy owman of Vista View” cemetary, she realized that even she had a destiny to fulfill, and she began to follow the clues to find that destiny or purpose in life.

Leaving behind a Homecoming dance with unfortunate outcomes, Cara escaped by following her first clue: FIND THE ANSWERS! But to what magical place will this lead her and how will it help her find her destiny? Lots to think about in this book knowing our culture is often more interested in physical perfection than depth of character when judging another person.

Other books in the Dark Fusion series:

• Red Rider’s Hood – Little Red Riding Hood with werewolves!
• Dread Locks – Goldilocks? Medusa? Read it and find out!