Beauty Queens

By: Libba Bray

Narrated by: Libba Bray

Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

The 50 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.

©2011 Libba Bray (P)2011 Scholastic Audio

Love Libba

Another imaginative story from Libba, examines feminism in teen culture, pokes fun at corporation style stuff, has a bit of action, and several women who are each strong in unique ways.

I’m not the audience for this book.

I enjoy castaway island stories. This was a campy romp full of tween tropes and YA content. I was going to return it after I figured that it wasn’t for me but I kept listening. It has what I believe to be a wonderful message for young girls, and a message of inclusion for everyone. If your hat is red, your head will likely explode, this is not the book for you. If you’re in your teens or close enough give it a shot it’s well written and doesn’t take itself seriously at all. Great message for young women, not so much for old men.

So good every time

I’ve read/listened to this like 3 or 4 times, and it really hits some spot on me about defying expectations and knowing that there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism.

Wild ride and Amazing Audio

The Author reads this book and sounds like she is having a great time doing it. Highly recommend this book if you enjoy goofy characters, and stories that move like rollercoasters.

Not what you might expect

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book in a heartbeat. It's laugh-out-loud funny and manages to get important messages across about beauty ideals and gender without being preachy. Bray sends up the pageant world while treating the girls with tenderness and care. She manages to combine a plane full of beauty queens, a secret island hideaway for evil corporation agents, an Elvis-loving South American dictator and a boatload of pirates in a farce that is chock-full of wonderfully fleshed-out characters and tons of social commentary about the pitfalls of commercialism and capitalism.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beauty Queens?

I loved the backstories we got on all the girls - especially Mary Lou's suppression of her 'Wild Girl' side and the way she rediscovers it on the island. You might not expect swoon from a book that has a plane full of girls crash landing on an apparently deserted island, but there's swoon aplenty.

What does Libba Bray bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Libba Bray brings these characters to LIFE with her narration. I don't know how she kept all the accents straight - but these beauty queens are in a national competition, so they represent several different states across the U.S. Each character had a distinct voice and that really helped to bring their personalities to life.
There's also wonderful, very professional production of the little 'commercial' interludes - with perfect accompanying music and sound effects.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Seeing the girls come together and get past their differences in order to survive was very touching. Hearing them form unexpected bonds and get to know one another in a much more in-depth way than they would have if they had only competed against one another in a beauty pageant was great.

Any additional comments?

There's a bonus interview section with Libba Bray at the end of the book where she answers some questions and explains some of her influences. It's hilarious!

Great story! A fabulous read!!!

Would you listen to Beauty Queens again? Why?

I will definitely be reading it again! I like reading books again, because there is always more to get a second time around!

What about Libba Bray’s performance did you like?

The performance was great, being read by the author, she knew how each character should sound. The format was also great, funny faux comercials gave it an extra bit of funny!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes I couldn't put it down.

Any additional comments?

This is not a book I would ordinarily would have chosen, but I am so glad that I did! It is funny, and splattered with social comentary. It covers a wide range of issues in a wonderfully playful manner!

Funniest audio book ever

Where does Beauty Queens rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is the funniest audio book I have read. Couldn't stop laughing throughout

Who was your favorite character and why?

I think Tiara was my favourite from an audio/voice aspect. Couldn't pick favourite from character aspect

Which scene was your favorite?

The girls reactions when the pirates arrived

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wish I could have listened to it in one sitting, unfortunately I was listening to it at work and it was too long for that

Any additional comments?

A great book and Libba Bray does a fantastic job as the narrator of her book. Don't think anyone else could have done it better

Funny & entertaining

I enjoyed this book because it kept me chuckling over the absurdity of beauty pageants and one that has gone awry. If you're looking for a light read that will keep you smiling, buy this book.

Very fun, tongue-in-cheek, and hilariously funny!

The best part of this book was the fact that the author was the narrator - and did each of the voices/accents/personalities perfectly! I'm not sure anybody else could have done justice to this book quite so well. The story was part parody, part comedy, part drama, and part everything teenage coming-of-age. The characters looked to be completely stereotypical at first, then began to morph. Everything is over the top, and nothing is left out of fun. I think my very favorite was the titles and lyrics of the songs that were sung by the top boy-band of the time.

This was a truely irreverant look at every stereotype and personality that you could possible round up in one place, with some serious undertones. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but will say, if you are of the faint-of-heart, or have a sense of humor that isn't slightly twisted, you might want to avoid this.

This audio book is better than the written version

Any additional comments?

This audio book is awesome. Music, fake commercial breaks, weird voices, explosions and a hilarious James Bond-gone-feminist pastiche of a novel. Beauty pageant + deserted island + evil villains galore = a riveting read. You will laugh out loud.