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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Title: Beauty Queens
Author: Libba Bray
Pages: 390
Published: May 24th 2011
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Goodreads Summary: 
"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."

Review:
          When I first read the synopsis of Beauty Queens, I was immediately intrigued by the fact that this is a glitter-fied version of Hatchet or Lord of the Flies. Hello? Who wouldn't want to read a totally girly version of that? And I am so glad I did! This book was not disappointing at all, and with Libba Bray's humor, this book cannot go wrong.

          We are introduced to the 50 Miss Teen Dream Pageant girls, and the plane crashes in the very beginning of the book. Only about 15 or so girls survive, along with Miss Teen Dream of Texas, Taylor. I loved how Libba Bray allowed each character to have their little spotlight moment in the book. Every couple pages or so, there is a "Miss Teen Dream Fun Facts Page" which I loved, giving you more insight on each character. 

          The setting of the book was also riveting and intriguing. Of course, since it takes place on an island, there is bound to be a jungle. Libba Bray adds in a boa constrictor here and there, and the way the characters use makeup and beauty tools as weapons just makes the book ten times better.

          I have to say the ending of the book really put the cherry on top. It was wild and satisfying, making the reader wanting more of the 10 beauty pageants. Overall, I am very happy with Libba Bray's work and am definitely looking forward to more.




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