Ugly (younger readers)
Younger Readers
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4.8 • 6 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A beaut story about one very ugly kid.
Robert Hoge was born with a tumour in the middle of his face, and legs that weren't much use. There wasn't another baby like him in the whole of Australia, let alone Brisbane. But the rest of his life wasn't so unusual: he had a mum and a dad, brothers and sisters, friends at school and in his street. He had childhood scrapes and days at the beach; fights with his family and trouble with his teachers.
He had doctors, too: lots of doctors who, when he was still very young, removed that tumour from his face and operated on his legs, then stitched him back together. He still looked different, though. He still looked ... ugly.
UGLY is the true story of how an extraordinary boy grew up to have an ordinary life, and how that became his greatest achievement of all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Writing with humor, honesty, compassion, and grace, Hoge recounts his life story, having been born with such severe physical deformities that his mother refused to see him. "Don't even consider bringing him home," a doctor said, "just forget him" advice his four older siblings voted to ignore. Corrective surgeries continued throughout Hoge's childhood as his medical team worked to give him "a new face that was more acceptable to society." Hoge captures the nuances of his atypical experience; for example, he acknowledges "the doctors' wonderful ingenuity in making me a new nose" out of an amputated toe, but "Toe Nose" tops his list of hurtful nicknames ("To this day, it's the one nickname that has any real power over me"). Hoge's parents' determination to provide him with as normal an upbringing as possible, combined with his own outgoing nature and desire to participate in all activities, makes his coming-of-age story unique and universal. His first independent medical decision testifies to the power of a loving family and a courageous soul. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8 12.
