Thursday, August 28, 2014

The Ugly One



The Ugly One by Leanne Statland Ellis                     245 pages

Set in ancient Peru, Micay is called Millay, the ugly one, by most people in her village.  She has a scar that runs down one side of her face.  Ironically, her name actually means beautiful round face.  Micay spends most of her time hiding.  When she can’t keep away from the village entirely, she uses her long hair to hide her face so no one will see her scar.  One day a stranger comes and leaves Micay with a baby macaw.  Because of her love for the bird, Micay begins to find her voice and to stand up, if not for herself, at least a little bit for her bird.  As Micay’s life begins to change she begins to think that her future may not be as bleak as she thought.  A quiet story, this book speaks to universal truths and many kids might like the story.  Despite its historical setting, kids today can appreciate and relate to some of the themes in this story.

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