# Beauty Queens

By Libba Bray

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/beauty-queens-f53f9181/

A plane carrying teenage beauty-pageant contestants crashes on an island. The survivors need food and shelter, but years of rehearsed smiles and competition do not disappear with the luggage.

## What makes it funny?

The girls keep reaching for pageant routines in circumstances those routines were never meant to cover. Before they even land, the story’s corporate sponsor is busy reassuring the reader that everything is cheerful and under control.

### The comedy at work

Bray makes the sales pitch part of the storytelling. Corporate euphemisms, fake commercials and intrusive footnotes keep exposing the gap between what the girls are sold and what is happening to them.

### Try this if…

For readers who enjoy broad media satire and an ensemble of girls discovering abilities beyond a rehearsed performance. The targets include beauty standards, celebrity culture and corporate sponsorship.

### Good to know

The opening depicts a fatal plane crash, injured contestants and bodies in the water. The jokes continue alongside that violence.

## What to expect

- Kind of humor: Dark comedy · Satire
- Audience: Young adult
- Format: Novel
- Length: 400 pages
- Audiobook: 14 hr 33 min
- Published: 2011

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Publisher’s paperback page](https://www.scholastic.ca/our-books/book/beauty-queens-9780439895989)
- Review: [Kirkus review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/libba-bray/beauty-queens)
- Book information: [Ebook publication details](https://books.apple.com/us/book/beauty-queens/id786192686)
- Reading sample: [Opening excerpt](https://admin.bookreporter.com/reviews/beauty-queens/excerpt)
- Book information: [Unabridged audiobook listing](https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Beauty_Queens?hl=en_US&id=AQAAAACPhhuGhM)