Synopses & Reviews
A gorgeous and magical collaboration between two
critically acclaimed, powerhouse YA authors offers a richly imagined
underdog story perfect for fans of Dumplin' and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
There hasn't been a winner of the Miss Meteor beauty pageant who looks like Lita Perez or Chicky Quintanilla in all its history.
But that's not the only reason Lita wants to enter the contest, or
her ex-best friend Chicky wants to help her. The road to becoming Miss
Meteor isn't about being perfect; it's about sharing who you are with
the world — and loving the parts of yourself no one else understands.
So to pull off the unlikeliest underdog story in pageant history,
Lita and Chicky are going to have to forget the past and imagine a
future where girls like them are more than enough — they are everything.
Review
"McLemore and Mejia tell a
warmly inclusive story rooted in the bonds of family and in female
friendship. For anyone who's ever felt like an outsider, this joyful
#OwnVoices tale will fill a void." Booklist
Review
"A love letter to the misfits who have been scared to let their stardust shine." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"A dual perspective brings
both girls to life, and casual, genuine pansexual and trans
representation, along with a racially diverse cast, adds nuance. An
inclusive story brimming with tenderness for its characters while
championing love and self-acceptance." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Tehlor Kay Mejia is the author of the critically acclaimed young adult fantasy novel We Set the Dark on Fire as well as its sequel, We Unleash the Merciless Storm; Miss Meteor (co-written with National Book Award nominee Anna-Marie McLemore); and her middle grade debut, Paola Santiago and the River of Tears. Her debut novel received six starred reviews and was chosen as an
Indie Next Pick and a Junior Library Guild selection, as well as being
an IndieBound bestseller in the Pacific Northwest region. It has been
featured in Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, and O The Oprah Magazine and named a best book of 2019 by Kirkus and School Library Journal. Tehlor lives in Oregon with her daughter, two very small dogs, and several rescued houseplants.
Anna-Marie McLemore (they/them)
was born in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and taught by
their family to hear la llorona in the Santa Ana winds. Anna-Marie is
the author of The Weight of Feathers, a finalist for the 2016 William C. Morris Debut Award; 2017 Stonewall Honor Book When the Moon Was Ours, which was longlisted for the National Book Award in Young People's Literature and winner of the James Tiptree Jr. Award; Wild Beauty, a Kirkus Best Book of 2017; and Blanca & Roja, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice. Dark and Deepest Red, a reimagining of "The Red Shoes" based on true medieval events, will be released in January 2020