Title: Beauty Queen
Author: Libba Bray
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub. Date: 5.24.2011
Genre: Contemporary YA
Keywords: Survival, Pageants, Satire, Girl Power, Self Discovery
Pages: 400
Description (from Goodreads):
The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and complete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eye liner.
What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program – or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan – or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?
Libba Bray is one of the craziest, off-the-wall writers I've ever experienced. And reading her books is just that - an experience. Bray's novels are always entertaining, but BEAUTY QUEENS took things to whole new level.
No subject is spared by Bray in the satirical BEAUTY QUEENS... thank goodness. This biting satire calls out the ridiculousness of pop culture, the backwards and shady nature of big corporations, and confronts the idea of beauty and what it means to be a woman.
BEAUTY QUEENS is girl power... not in a cutesy, yay-I'm-a-girl! way, but in a I'm-a-woman-hear-me-roar! way. This book is silly and humorous, but, in the end, it had a serious message. Each of the surviving, stranded beauty queens had something to hide... something that shouldn't have had to be hidden in the first place. There is no checklist for beauty or for being a strong, successful woman and Bray's BEAUTY QUEENS is a testament to that.
BEAUTY QUEENS is a novel I'll definitely be loaning out to the women in my life. It's laugh-out-loud funny, a bit romantic, a bit wild, and a whole lot of kickass. Bray doesn't disappoint.
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In addition, Scholastic has launched a new online community called This Is Teen to connect readers with their favorite YA authors and books. Visit their page on Facebook for all the latest news on Libba Bray and her new book Beauty Queens: www.facebook.com/thisisteen.
Review copy provided by Amazon Vine and Big Honcho Media.
Ooooh! I'm intrigued.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read this one. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
ReplyDeleteI love Libba Bray! Great review. :)
ReplyDeleteAndrea @ Reading Lark
I've been curious about this one since I first heard about it. I'm glad to hear you liked it so much and I will definitely get it now! Crazy and off-the-wall is always fun to me! Great review!!
ReplyDeleteI don't get to visit often enough but I really enjoy your blog. It looks amazing too! :)
Great review!! I've just started reading this now and I love it already. Libba Bray is a freaking genius. I've just under a 100 in and already getting a workout from laughing :D
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can remember, every review of this book I've read said it was really funny! This book sounds awesome :)
ReplyDeleteI've heard this is like a female Lord of the Flies. Sounds very interesting. Glad you enjoyed it :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds awesome, I really want to read this now. I am a woman hear me roar, I love feeling powerful, ahaha.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely cannot wait to read this. I love Libba's books. Thanks for the great review.
ReplyDeleteI love Libba Bray! This one looks interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe only books I've read by Libba Bray are in the Gemma Doyle trilogy, but I think I'd like to see her do satire. Sounds like a good read!
ReplyDeleteI've started to read her GD series, and so far, so great! Can't wait to read this one :)
ReplyDeleteI've been hearing such great things about this one and I'm really looking forward to reading it. I love a good girl power book to pass on to my students!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds pretty fantastic. I love a good satire, especially if there is a feminist message somewhere in there.
ReplyDeleteI loved Libba Brays AGATB trilogy and I really want to read this one! I'm so glad you liked it!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVE Libba Bray! She is one of the funniest people in the entire world! I have been dying to read Beauty Queens. The cover just cracks me up and totally intrigues me. Glad you liked it, can't wait to read it myself!
ReplyDeleteI loved the Gemma Doyle series, so I'm sure I will love this one too!
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this book! Your review and the video makes me want to read it even MORE.
ReplyDeleteFantastic review!
Great review! I've been meaning to snag this one, so now I'm off to reserve a copy from my local library! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your review. It sounds like a very fun read, and I can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net