Beauty Queens 12+

About this book

Survival. Of the fittest.

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 compete 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 eyeliner.
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?
Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

Reviews

Praise for Beauty Queens:

“'Beauty Queens' is a madcap surrealist satire of the world in which her readers have come of age – reality TV, corporate sponsorship, product placement, beauty obsession – but ultimately, it's a story of empowering self-discovery.” – New York Times Book Review

* “Readers will come for the twisted fun and walk away with a whole banquet of questions.” – Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

* “Whip-smart social commentary, surreal plot elements, and feminist themes come together in this bizarre and brilliant story…. The empowering theme of self-acceptance and the affirming message that women should not underestimate themselves or others makes this novel a potentially life-changing book for budding feminists.” – School Library Journal, starred review

“Though the jokes fly thick as unplucked brows, Bray also goes deeper into each character to show how our culture's insidious focus on female perfection keeps girls from being who they are. … Escaping civilization–the best thing that could happen to a teenage girl? Sure looks that way.” – Horn Book

“Bray spins this hilarious romp into an examination of femininity and feminism, sex and sexuality.” – Booklist