Title:  Beauty Queens
Author: Libba Bray [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre:  Contemporary, Satire
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Audio
Narrator: Libba Bray
Source: Purchased (though I also had an ARC provided by publisher)
Parental Advisory: criminal activity, language, sex, drugs, alcohol
Teachable Moments: body image, peer pressure, conformity, teamwork, corporate influence, stereotyping, GLBTQ

“And so our tale begins with a sudden fall from blue skies, with screams and prayers and a camera crew bravely recording every bit of the turbulence and drama:  What a lucky break for their show!  How the producers will crow!  Ratings will skyrocket!  Suddenly terse flight attendants rush through the aisles barking orders, securing latches on the agitating overhead bins.  One girl leads the others in a song about Jesus being her copilot, which makes them feel better, as if, even as they assume crash-landing positions with their arms over their heads, a bearded man in white robes and sandals is strapping on a headset and grabbing the controls.”

Summary (from the publisher):
The fifty contestans 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 littel 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 — of learn to run wild?  And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Opinion:
Beauty Queens is the kind of snark-tastic story that allows it’s reader to laugh out loud at the absurdity while still learning a thing or two about important issues like body image, self-esteem and conformity.  Those who like a generous dose of sarcasm and satire will assuredly find this a story to add to their list of books to read.

Me, I’m riding the middle of the road on this one.  It definitely has value and certainly isn’t short on personality but I was a bit overwhelmed by it.  It felt a little bit too kitchy for me.   I started reading this in print and honestly couldn’t get past page fifty.  It was just so sarcastic and detail oriented that I was struggling to really get a grasp on the story.   Part of the problem was the inclusion of the footnotes.  These fun anecdotal pieces of information had a purpose, they went to show how much influence corporations and products have over teens, but they became way too excessive and distracting.  To be taken out of the story on a regular basis made it more difficult for me to really connect to it overall.  Now, having said that, when I got to the point where I simply couldn’t go on with this read in print I switched to audio.  That *definitely* made a difference.  It not only helped with the transitions between story and footnote but also helped a great deal with distinguishing the many different characters.

The story Bray created was unique and it certainly was a compelling way to focus on the aforementioned issues.  There is no question she has an incredible comedic talent and her ability to craft a satirical story is unlike anything I’ve seen before.  So, the story goes like this.  A bunch of beauty queens are on a plane headed for some remote tropical location to craft pre-pageant promotional materials.  Sadly, their plane crashes on a remote island.  A small group of contestants live through the crash then must fight to survive until they are rescued.  Part of that survival included dealing with the elements, lack of food and water, the surrounding wildlife and a variety of more man made obstacles.  These obstacles aren’t surprising but I won’t spoil you on what they are none-the-less.

Was this the most realistic story?  No it was not, but I wasn’t going into it thinking it would be.  I went into it for a fun unique read with some character which is exactly what I got.  Interestingly enough I also walked away with some interesting perspective on stereotypes and a variety of other issues teen girls face.  All without feeling preached to.

To tell this tale, Bray crafted an eclectic cast of characters each with his/her own unique charm and style and each carrying with him/her a particular specter that needed to be overcome.  In this way the book was a resounding success as there wasn’t a character I didn’t like or want to see succeed.  But, again, I think I benefited far more from having listened to it on audio as compared to reading it in print.  There were no less than ten characters working the story and to follow each adequately took a bit of work. Don’t think the only people you’ll encounter will the the beauty queens because they aren’t.  They hang with pirates, and there are parallel plots (that all come to converge in the end) that focus on political and industrial espionage.

let me talk a bit about the audio.  Bray is a *fantastic* narrator.  That she was able to created a distinguished voice for each of the characters was NO small feat.  This is a big thing for me.  I like to be able to hear the difference and know what character is speaking without the written prompts.  At no time was I ever confused about who I was hearing in this production.  Kudos also go out to Scholastic who’s production on this book was stellar.  There were great sound effects and the whole nine yards.  It was truly a fantastic audiobook.

In the end, despite some of my misgivings about it, I would highly recommend Beauty Queens.  Particularly the audiobook.  It can be a bit overbearing at times but it truly does bring the fun.