Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

So, yeah. I got to read the new Libba Bray book before it releases this week (May 24, Scholastic). And yes, you should be jealous. It. Totally. Rocks. Take my advice and head directly to your nearest book-purchasing outlet (such as the link on the left. I tell you this because I love you, my readers. It's just that good.)

Let me put it this way, if BEAUTY QUEENS isn’t already in pre-production, then Hollywood needs to snap to. This latest offering from the Printz Award-winning author of GOING BOVINE and the Gemma Doyle trilogy is the most fun I’ve had between the pages in quite some time. With its ideal-for-the-big-screen plot, deliciously snarky yet endearing characters, and Bray’s legendary searing, sarcastic wit, BEAUTY QUEENS has best-seller written all over it. In cherry bomb red lipstick, no less.

Bray credits editor David Levithan with throwing down the challenge:  “A plane full of beauty queens crashes on a deserted island. And … go!” Amazing concept aside, this gloriously crafted satire of the beauty pageant universe, commercialism, and the unholy control that corporate America lords over the minds, bodies and self esteems of young women is quintessential Bray – delivering a punch-in-the-gut message without getting preachy.

Painted with shades of Tropic Thunder, LOST and teen-targeted shows bearing a CW logo in the bottom corner of the screen, BEAUTY QUEENS is more than a story of teenage pageant contestants who crash on a tropical island. It’s about survival, sure, but not just living without running water, flat irons or regular mani/pedis. It’s about surviving the pressures and expectations placed on young women about how they look, what they say, who they are, and the women they want to become. Sometimes literally.

The extensive cast of characters — who embrace stereotypes with a hug so powerful it turns those labels inside out —gives Bray a chance to comment on a wide range of issues from anorexia and gun control to differences of sexuality, cultural and religion — just to point out a few. But beneath it all rings a distinct and guttural Girl Power battle cry, loud and proud, fist defiantly in the air.

Infused with hilarious footnotes, public service messages, and Corporation-funded commercial breaks, BEAUTY QUEENS richly captures the teenage experience of heartbreak, disillusionment, green-eyed rivalry, the iron bonds of friendship, and how the discovery of inner beauty can supersede the desire for sashes and tiaras (e.g., the acceptance of others).

For 15 and up, I'd make BEAUTY QUEENS required reading for every high school girl (and boy, for that matter). It lands a solid placement as one of my Favorite Books of All Time. How Bray will top it, I can’t imagine. But, as always, I look forward to her attempt. 

New stuff for the new year!

Book release alert: Frank L. Cole's new Hashbrown Winters book (Hashbrown and the Mashimoto Madness) is available as of today -- ask for it at your local Barnes and Noble!

And check back soon for the premier episode of the Cool Kids Read podcast featuring an interview with Going Bovine and Gemma Doyle trilogy author Libba Bray!

Going Bovine by Libba Bray (YA)

If you like your quest adventures filled with existentialism and satire, Going Bovine (2009, Random House Children's Books) by the most-awesome Libba Bray will rock your world.

This is one. trippy. book.

Gemma Doyle fans take note: we are not in Victorian England anymore. Not one spec of lace to be found -- although there are plenty of feathers.

Eoin Colfer has (I hear) done a smashing job of continuing Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide, but Bray could easily pinch hit. Her dry wit and sarcasm are perfectly channeled through her teenage hero, 16-year-old Cameron.

Poor Cameron. He's not doing so well in school, he's not popular like his twin sister, he cuts class and hangs out in the bathroom with the pot-smokers... and then strange things start happening. Turns out, Cameron has Mad Cow disease, and before he knows it, he's in the hospital.

From there, things get stranger... Cameron's friend from school, a dwarf named Gonzo, ends up in the same hospital room. Encouraged by the vision of a fishnet stocking-wearing angel named Dulcie, they take off on a Don Quixote-like quest to find the mysterious Dr. X who might be able to cure Cameron and stop the dark forces he allowed to enter the world from destroying it. (pant pant)

There truly has never been a road trip like this one. Racing the clock to find Dr. X before the sand runs out of Cameron's hourglass, they "follow the feather" from Texas to New Orleans to Spring Break in Florida to Disney World, battling dark forces with the help of a dead jazz musician, a yard gnome/Viking and the world's most beloved (and mysteriously missing) rock band. And the thread running through it all: is this really happening? Or is Cameron's Mad Cow-infected brain creating this as it turns to mush?

Did I mention this is One. Trippy. Book?

Bray slices the teenage world wide open and hangs it all out there for examination. Each stop along the way presents Cameron with temptations that may or may not be positive one, painting an absurd world in which teenagers must learn to choose which is which. As in any good satire, it's often too close to the truth. Whether in the form of a smiling cult of do-gooders or the latest MTV generation of reality-show wanna be's, every encounter is an opportunity for Bray to make a statement. Luckily, she does it in her own subtle way, staying just this side of preachy.

Cameron's metamorphosis in character is extensive. You're not going to like him much in the beginning, but stick with the kid because he'll grow on you. Dulcie remains an enigma, with good reason I suppose, but I would have liked more of her character. Gonzo and the Viking god Balder (who is trapped in the form of a yard gnome) are the most interesting characters and play their parts well as Cameron's loyal buds.

I go back and forth about how I feel about the ending, and I won't say more here because it's impossible to do so without spoilers. But I have no doubt Cameron's fate is, and will continue to be, the subject of much debate for readers.

While the dust jacket says 14 and up, I have to play conservative on this one and recommend it more for someone old enough to drive due to R-rated language and more than a few scenes of mature subject matter. That said, high school readers (especially those who have studied Don Quixote) will soak up this mind-spinning journey. 4 bookmarks.

Libba Bray sings Prince in a cow suit. (Would I joke about something like that?)

Fans of Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing) have been anxiously awaiting her next book which is mere weeks away from hitting the shelves.

To celebrate the upcoming release of the Publishers Weekly red-starred Going Bovine (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2009), the ever-hilarious Ms. Bray has taken cow videos to the next level. I laughed, I cried, I stood up and mooed... It was MUCH better than CATS.

Enjoy "Between the Covers" starring Libba Bray. And look for an upcoming review of Going Bovine. I can't WAIT to read it.