"Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

396 pages

The fifty contestants of the Miss Teen Dream pageant are in big trouble. On the way to what was supposed to be their final competition, their plane crashes on a remote, deserted tropical island. The thirteen survivors find themselves alone, with no food, no water, and practically no makeup (gasp!). The girls have to get out of their competitive mindset and work together in order to live. And then, just when they think they're getting the hang of survival, a boat full of sexy pirates shows up. On top of that, strange things begin to happen...things suggesting that something sinister is happening on the other side of the island.

Oh, Libba Bray. How you make me laugh! I enjoy Bray's satirical humor, and this "Lost" meets "Miss Congeniality" story is full of it. Sure, the satire is heavy-handed, but it gets the point across. Although most of the characters seem to be just stereotypes at first (exhibit A: the gun-toting, Bible-quoting Miss Texas), the layers peel back as the story progresses and before long I was rooting for every one of them. The story is extremely far-fetched, but isn't that what fiction is for? I rolled with it. In fact, the ridiculousness is one of the things that entertained me the most. Anything goes with this story, so I had no idea what was going to happen next. The ultimate conclusion is a bit predictable, but I'd probably have been upset if it had ended any other way so I'm okay with it. The overall message--"be yourself and don't listen to what society tells you about your worth"--has been preached to teens quite a bit. It's nothing earth-shattering, but I don't think anyone expects it to be after seeing the cover and reading the description. It lives up to what it claims to be: a fun, engaging story that will entertain many adults as well as teens.