Beauty Queens

Title: Beauty Queens

Author: Libba Bray

ISBN Number: 0439895979

What's It About: The story of Beauty Queens is like a mash up of Miss America meets Lost and Survivor. In this extremely hilarious story, this book focuses on the fifty Miss America pageant contestants that are stranded on an island due to a horrific plane crash. As the reader goes on, it is revealed that something called "The Corporation" is behind this and is trying to bring up the ratings of their show. In a very Hunger Games-esque story, Beauty Queens focuses on the struggles of the beauty queens to work together and attempt to survive using their hair straighteners and packs that are filled with nothing but bathing suits and fancy dresses. The girls who have never ever even camped before and are more worried about the state of their hair than survival try to work in a very humorous way to survive. What is extremely hilarious is that they are also attacked by a band of pirates. These girls are also concerned about keep up with practice for the complicated dance recital that these girls will have to perform during the pageant. This book has an thrilling conclusion and while completely silly, transports the reader to an escape from their mundane, everyday lives.

What's To Like it: Libba Bray is extremely witty and while I have not read Going Bovine which has raving reviews, it is fun to see how Libba Bray is not a traditional  writing that is worried about stylistic elements, it is just a fun read that has a free form style that is very inspiring to aspiring writers. .

Fun Fact: At the Los Angeles Bookfest this past April, I went to a Young Adult Panel featuring Libba Bray. I had heard of Libba Bray and have read her very first novel The Great and Terrible Beauty which I was less than thrilled with! (It was completely scandalous....) It was actually really interesting to hear her talk about her writing process which is completely random and she honestly just writes what comes to her. Libba was an extremely invigorating individual and talks about the need for diversity in youth literature which is extremely important and relevant to the book selection everyday. While books are extremely fun to read about Vampires, Paranormal romance, and several dystopian novels, it is also important to have books that highlight diversity in the entire world.

Awards: Libba Bray is a Printz-Prize Winner, however, there is no accolades for this particular novel.