Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Scholastic, May 2011

390 pages

Book Source: Public Library

From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.
Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.

--Summary from GoodReads.com

Judging by the cover...: I hate to start off on a negative note, since this is such a kick*** book, but Printz award or not, I was tempted to brown bag it at the store. Yes, the lipstick bandolier is ironic and witty, but it's hard to be taken seriously when eating lunch holding a bikini clad picture that just screams, *"SHE'S READING CHICK LIT, Y'ALL!"

*Since Miss Texas plays a predominate role in this book AND I'm currently in Texas, this is a perfectly acceptable use of the word "y'all". You go, Taylor!

Favorite Elements

• Girl Power - Who knew beauty queens were more than plastic barbie dolls? Well, duh, of course! And these ladies are awesome to the max. Every one of them could be my best friend and we would have the coolest tropical vacations.
• A Re-Done Lord of the Flies - I can't be the only person out there who hated TLotF. Right? My 11th grade English teacher gave us a project to add an ending on, and I tacked on some lame garbage about the boys finding their way back to civilization and not being able to cope. If only I had thought of mixing in some beauty queens!
• Shout Out to All - No one escapes scrutiny in this book! Libba (we're on a first name basis in my head) leaves no stone unturned, no group untouched. Religion, sex ed, bisexuals, Consumer America, free spirits, you name it!

Overall: A-
Here's where I have to be honest and accept that my YA card may be revoked: this is the first book by Libba that I have read. I know!!! I am ashamed.

I know I spent some hate on that cover, but this is one of those cases in which you should not judge a book by its wrappings (holy cow, I could spend an hour analyzing just how much that phrase pertains to this book). Each girl in that book has a characteristic that is in all of us: Taylor with her need to feel needed, Shanti and her desire to be liked by everyone, Nikki who just wants to impress her mom, Mary Lou and her ______ (SPOILERS!). It reminds me of the movie Identity, with all those people inside that one guy's brain**. 

Plot-wise it was over the top, but let's be honest here, that's what she was going for. I mean, how many deranged Asian dictators bestow the honor of General on their former pet monkey, now stuffed? How many "deserted" islands are home to gigantic rainbow-chromatic snakes? Reality t.v. pirates? The ridiculousness of the events just adds to the twists and turns, and turn these Teen Dreamers into Wonder Women.

**Don't yell at me about the spoilers here, the movie came out in 2003. If you had wanted to see it, you would have already. So there. 

Recommendation: Though not for the faint of heart (ZOMG sex! ZOMG alcohol!), this book will have you laughing and crying, sometimes on the same page. It is definitely a girl power book, so the boys will have a hard time understanding, but it would be very hard for a girl to NOT relate.