adding to my "you must read this collection"

Libba Bray states that two different people said to her: "A plane full of beauty queens crashes on a deserted island. And … GO!" They were David Levithan and Ann Marie Anderson, both of whom we should be extremely thankful for. For this was an awesome read! The story is about the Miss Teen Dream Pageant contestants. They are on their way to an island for the rehearsals before the big show when their plane crashes on a desert island. A number of the contestants survive the crash, but none of the chaperons or adults do. But the story is a little more complicated than just young women stuck on an island like a female version of Lord of the Flies. There are Reality TV Pirates, a crazy dictator from a country with an embargo against it, Lady Bird Hope, a former Miss Teen Dream and CEO of the Corporation who is all about the money and power, an Enviro Warrior looking to reclaim his tribal land. All these and more make the cast on this desert island very different from Gilligan's but extremely entertaining. This book was very well written. I have already recommended it to about a dozen people who have all loved it. The story is so far out there and yet you find yourself cheering for these young women as they pull it together and realize they are more than just pretty faces. They are learning to discover who they really are and what they want in life. It was a great read. Highly entertaining.

Beauty Queens is full of over the top characters, situations and plenty of hilarious moments and lines. Plus there are hot pirates. Underneath its quirky appearance lies a book that really touches on some difficult subjects and deals some serious girl power. ~~~ Beauty Queens is one of those books you have to read for the sheer entertainment value. At first glance it seems like it will be about a bunch of shallow superficial girls trapped on an island, complaining about their lack of makeup. And it totally is! But deeper than that it's about girls learning to accept themselves for who they are and giving the finger to the corporations that rule. Awesome. In the beginning of Beauty Queens we get to witness the initial panic and craziness when the plane carrying 50 Miss Teen Dream contestants crash lands on an island, leaving only 13 alive. On top of that: no makeup, no conditioner, no razors; horrors! The girls continue to practice their pageant routines because they are sure The Corporation is coming to rescue them any moment. As days pass, however, they start to see the need to find food, water, shelter, and the girls get to realize they're not just pretty faces, and they're all in this crappy situation together. Beauty Queens is definitely a fun read. Interspersed among chapters are Corporation commercials advertising products that will make you better than you are, eg. Lady 'Stache Off (usually with some cost). We also find out that there's a sinister plan going on behind the scenes, one that could endanger the lives of the girls. It's totally over the top propaganda, great stuff. I also loved the footnotes on some pages that gave me more insight into a world where crazy reality shows and beauty obsessed celebrities are the norm. Some things were so ridiculous it was just funny. My only minor peeve about Beauty Queens was that the girls would often call each other by their first names or their states and switch between the two. 'Hey Miss Montana!' The back and forth made it hard to distinguish some characters beyond the main ones I knew. Beyond that I loved learning more about each girl and their reasons for joining the pageant as well as seeing them admit and accept their fears and concerns about themselves. Sometimes it was a little cheesy but overall it was really touching. Review from my blog: http://allofeverythingforyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-beauty-queens-by-libba-bray.html

I bought this book hoping for a great, funny summer read but I was very sadly disappointed. Rarely have I ever quit reading a book halfway through but I couldn't stand reading any further. It is complete nonsense and 3-quarters of the book doesn't make sense! I was really disappointed in this book and wouldn't recommend it to ANYONE! There was absolutely nothing that I enjoyed about this book!

The Good Stuff * One of the most unique, hilarious and truly unusual books I have ever read (and that my friends is a compliment) * Sort of a modern retelling of Lord of the Flies but a hell of a lot more fun and interesting (and I totally didn't fall asleep like I did reading Lord of the Flies - awful bloody book I tell ya) * Beautiful morals thrown in and done in such a fun way that kids will get it, but not feel like you are pulling something over their heads * Quirky dialogue and characters * Acceptance of non traditional sexual preferences by the girls which was impressively done * Wonderful character development * Cover is AWESOME * A not very thinly veiled commentary on beauty, marketing and consumerism & done hilarious btw * There are quite a few more things I would like to put in here but they would be seriousl spoilers, just do yourself a favor and grab the book (and don't let their mindless talk at the beginning throw you off) The Not so Good Stuff * slow in a few parts and the mindlessness of the girls at the beginning might stop someone from getting into the book, which would be a shame Favorite Quotes/Passages "Really, being a librarian is a much more dangerous job than you realize." (Jen's note: ain't that the truth!) "I'm talking about my personal copilot, Jesus Christ." "Someone should tell her personal copilot that his landings suck" "Che Guevera, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary who later became a bestselling T-shirt icon." "Let's not speak ill of the dead, no matter how hideous their fashion sense." What I Learned * Beauty queens not so lame after all and some of their skills work well in the jungle Who should/shouldn't read * I'm just saying this will probably not be loved by most serious beauty queen contestants * Those who enjoy the unusual and quirky will really enjoy 4.5 Dewey's

This book was a great and interesting read. I definitely recommend it. Just a heads up for anyone who is going to read this: It makes fun of the things we worship in society and makes us focus more on the things that are actually important. And yes there are boys....are there every boys! There are Beauty Queens, Pirates, Spies, Corupt corporations, girls going insane, and a dominante female figure that holds the world in her hands. This book even has footnotes and each is a punch in the face to modern society, mainly teen society. Now If you are a beauty pagent contestant there is a chance that you might not like it. There is also a chance that you might love it as I actually grew to appreciate the girls, even the ones who were not the greatest tools in the shed. If you are one of those people who like to make fun of contestants....jump right on this bandwagon, but be warned You'll be surprised. Not all the characters were the stereotypical idea of a beauty pagent contestant, and all seemed to have some sort of real problem, i.e trans-gender, sexual preference, parental pressure, a need for something more. The point of the novel is that some people need to listen to how they sound when they are actually saying some of these stupid things, and that all the things regular teens worry and obsess over are just not that important. Also the novel brings about the idea of being ok with yourself no matter who you are. When I started reading this book I laughed at all the things that came out of the girls mouths making them seems like the stereotypical Beauty pagent competeors, but as I kept reading I began to take the book more seriously as I did the girls and I guess as they did themselves. Each girl finds herself and learns to love it, which is really what we as people should be focused on. All and all It did leave me with a smile on my face.

As a huge fan of Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy and Going Bovine, I picked up Beauty Queens the day it was released, although I hardly knew anything about it. Was I disappointed? Of course not! Beauty Queens is about a group of, well, beauty queens, whose plane crashes on their way to promote the upcoming Miss Teen Dream pageant. They end up on a deserted island, and the survivors must find a way to keep themselves alive. The book is strewn with references to fake products that are obviously references to real brands. All of these are owned by the Corporation, who makes everything from maxi pads to explosives. As the book continues it is made clear that the Corporation has a sinister presence on the island. Many of the girls at first seem to be stereotypical beauty queens, but each is revealed to have hidden depths and strengths. Bray once again shows her writing range. The Gemma Doyle trilogy was a beautiful, gothic fantasy, while stand-alone books like Beauty Queens and Going Bovine display Bray's comic genius. I would recommend the book to readers over the age of 14. There is quite a bit of swearing and a few graphically described sex scenes, as well as other mature content. Beauty Queens is a hilarious look at marketing and consumerism, but it also has a lot of heart.