Extras Book Summary

EXTRAS Scott Westerfeld Extras by Scott Westerfeld fits into the Juvenile Science Fiction genre. It is narrated in first person by the protagonist of the story Aya Fuse. It is the fourth volume in the Uglies trilogy, and unlike the first three books we are guided through this adventure by Aya Fuse a fifteen-year-old Japanese girl whose one ambition in life is to be popular by kicking an interesting story about something important. It’s been over three years since the cure for the brain lesions was released and the world is slowly regaining what it has lost. They now live without those strict roles and rules from the past, and the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. The story follows Aya and her friends in a world not far from our own where popularity is literally money and people must discover what matters most to them and what they are willing to do to overcome life as an extra. Popularity is everything and will buy you the most luxurious house, the most lavish clothing, and popular friends. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules. Aya Fuse's rank of 451,369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn't care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself. She is the protagonist of the story. Throughout the story she gets help from some other characters such as her friends. She meets the Sly Girls who are seemingly ordinary girls who live on the wild side by riding on top of a super fast mag-lev train while trying to stay away from the kickers. Aya has some help getting it right from her famous brother Hiro, her tech friend Ren, her boyfriend Frizz, the always-helpful David, and the Cutters: Shay, Fausto, and Tally. These eight people discover the truth behind the metal shortage and the inhuman freaks, while once again trying to save themselves and the world from destruction. Aya Fuse, accompanied by her hover cam Moggle, crashes a party hoping to track down a group she saw surfing a  mag-lev  train, a story which she believes will make her famous. She follows one of the group's members, Eden Maru, out of the party, but they nearly get away when she is distracted by Frizz Mizuno. Aya leaves without telling Frizz her full name. She then follows Eden into an underground cave, where she is ambushed by the mag-lev riders, who call themselves the Sly Girls. The group's leader Jai gives Aya a chance to join them, but to do so she is forced to drop Moggle into an underground lake. The next day, she visits her brother Hiro. Hiro and his friend Ren Machino refuse to believe Aya's tale of the Sly Girls because they are an urban legend  in the city. Ren agrees to help Aya retrieve Moggle. Aya also happens upon a story about Frizz, discovering that he started a clique based around  brain surgery which enforces honesty. That evening, Aya goes mag-lev surfing with the Sly Girls. During the journey, the girls are surprised when the train stops, and they see inhuman figures loading the train up with a variety of items hidden within a secret underground room. Aya retrieves Moggle, and uses him to film her next excursion with the Sly Girls. They go on another mag-lev surfing trip which ends in exploration of the underground room they had discovered. Inside are many large cylinders of metal and a large chute leading to the top of the mountain, neither of which are understood by the Sly Girls. They plan to return to explore further, but Aya's credibility is ruined by the kicking of a news story about Frizz Mizuno coming to talk to her by her dorm. Aya is forced to break off contact with Frizz in order to lose fame. The story leaves her disillusioned by the hateful comments of the kickers. However, she does have the chance to tell Hiro and Ren about the Sly Girls story. Ren guesses that the chute inside the mountain is a  mass drive  which, combined with the steel projectiles, could be used to launch an attack on the city. When Aya next meets the Sly Girls they reveal that they knew she was a kicker, and have decided to allow her to kick the story of the mass driver. They launch themselves and Aya out of the mass driver with homemade parachutes. This gives them one last thrill before they part ways, and also giving The Sly Girls time to move on to a different city. Aya kicks her story and becomes instantly famous, but is concerned when she receives a message from Tally Youngblood. The message tells her to â€Å"run and hide†, and Aya is nearly captured by the inhumans while trying to do so. Eventually, Aya uses her fame to take control of a high-security apartment, and waits there until Tally arrives accompanied by Shay and Fausto. After talking, the Cutters go hover boarding with Aya, Hiro, Frizz and Ren. Aya has a signal up for her hover cam, and the Cutters boost it so the inhumans could find them. They are soon captured, and on the inhumans ship Frizz ruins their plan. The Cutters knock out the inhumans and put the hover car on autopilot. The Cutters, Aya, Frizz, Hiro, and Ren jump out of the hover car. They then have to travel through a jungle to meet David. After deciding Aya, Ren, Hiro, and Frizz would get in the way, Tally, Shay, and Fausto plan to leave them where they were. Meanwhile the Cutters, would go to destroy the ships of the inhumans. After they have left, Aya says that she is going as well. Ren, Hiro, and Frizz come with her. Soon, they are caught by the inhumans and meet Andrew Simpson Smith. He mistakes Aya for Tally. The inhumans explain what they were doing with the metal, and then they hear explosions. Aya, her friends, and brother rush over there and tell Tally what the ships are for. Soon, everyone is fighting against the fire that the Cutters had started. Aya, Frizz, Hiro, and Ren all become famous in their city. Aya then becomes the 3rd most famous person. Aya, her friends, and the Cutters then go to the Thousand Faces Party. There, Aya meets up with Lai and tells Aya a secret about the cake. After, Frizz tells Aya that he might leave Radical Honesty because he didn't need the group to tell the truth. In the end Aya sees Tally and David together in the dark.