Books Like Specials
Families who loved Specials by Scott Westerfeld often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Families who loved Specials by Scott Westerfeld often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
A parent would reach for this book when their teenager is struggling with the intense pressure of social cliques, body image, or the feeling that they must fundamentally change who they are to be 'worthy' of a group. It is the third installment in a series that tackles the extreme lengths society goes to enforce conformity and the internal battle of maintaining one's humanity when the world tries to program it away. The story follows Tally, who has been surgically and mentally altered into a 'Special,' an elite and cold super-human agent. As she is sent to destroy her former friends, she must grapple with her lost memories and the spark of rebellion still inside her. It explores deep emotional themes of loyalty, the ethics of biotechnology, and the reclaimed self. This is a sophisticated look at peer influence and identity for older teens who are ready for darker, more complex moral dilemmas.
