Beauty
by Nancy Butcher

    BEAUTY by Nancy Butcher
    Category:  Fantasy
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  3/22/05
    Publisher:  Simon Pulse
    Reviewed by:  Karin Perry
    Rating:  4 Stars


    Ana wants to be ugly. She has worked very hard at it, ever since she was twelve years old. Ever since the day a man
    complimented her on her beauty and she saw the look of hatred, jealousy, and anger in her mother's eyes. Now she
    doesn't bathe, doesn't trim her toenails, doesn't brush her hair, and eats nothing but pastries, bread, and moldy
    cheeses. Her nutrition has left her body pudgy and her face blemished. She is happy because she seems to have her
    mother's favor; however, staying ugly takes a lot of effort.

    Queen Veda, Ana's mother, is a calculating ruler. Vanity is her main focus and she is never without her strange
    Beauty Consultant. He is a creepy little man that is always lurking around. His eyes turn red whenever he approves of
    the way the Queen looks. He mixes beauty potions and creates creams out of ingredients like spiders and leaves for
    the Queen to use to maintain her beautiful appearance. It is Queen Veda's jealousy that leads her to devise her most
    diabolical plan ever.

    The Queen creates a new Academy for the best and brightest girls of the land. About fifty girls receive personal
    invitations to attend this prestigious academy and Pell, Ana's best friend, is one of them. Ana is heartbroken, thinking
    that she will lose her best friend forever. But on the advice of the Beauty Consultant, Queen Veda sends Ana to the
    Academy, too. Pell and Ana are thrilled to be attending a school that will provide rigorous academics, while at the
    same time being roommates. However, a sinister plot awaits all the girls that attend the Academy.

    BEAUTY is a fast-paced fairy tale that pulls at your heartstrings. The reader will cheer for Ana when she finally
    realizes the truth about her mother. The sinister plan could have been more sinister and the ending a little more
    complex, but overall this is a fascinating story, definitely one for fans of queens, princesses, and fairy tales.