Newark, NJ, 1983: Thirteen-year-old Vanessa Martin is thrilled when another Black woman named Vanessa wins the Miss America pageant. But Vanessa's skin is much darker than the new Miss America, so even when a new (white) teacher tells her about the very first Miss King Middle pageant and encourages her to audition, Vanessa is reluctant. Mrs. Walton, however, won't take no for an answer and is willing to help, even as Vanessa's best friend Tanisha falls away into basketball practice. Vanessa feels the unexplained absence of her mother keenly: her father is either at work or locked in his room and won't talk about her, leaving her with her loving, alcoholic veteran Pop Pop and a cousin, TJ (who, incidentally, is studying fashion and agrees to make Vanessa's dress for the pageant). Beatriz Mendez, a popular mean girl, suddenly becomes friendly toward Vanessa, and Vanessa accepts her overtures even as Tanisha warns her. Throughout, Vanessa confides in "Darlene," her diary. Over the course of a few months, Vanessa's support team - small as it is - helps her have the confidence to sing onstage, and the courage to seek answers in her own life.

Triumphant. See also: Miss Meteor (YA), You Should See Me In A Crown (YA), Some Places More Than Others by Renee Watson

Quotes

Closed mouths don't get fed...If you don't say what's in your heart, it ain't never gonna come to you. (50)

What in God's eyes did I do wrong to not have a mom like that? (104)

No mother would leave her daughter without a good reason. There has to be an explanation. (105)

...and right then I realize we'll never be okay. We'll never be us again. Our old selves are buried deep in our pretend selves. We pretend that life is normal...that it's okay to live like this - hungry and angry and empty and wanting. (194)

When all along what I really needed was to find a way to be like...me. Like Vanessa. (230)

You can't buy beauty or pray for it to come in the form of what you see on the television screen. Beauty is just something you gotta be. (249)

From the back matter:
Life is an arrow. Sometimes you get pulled back only to be launched into something beautiful. ( )

Vanessa Martin is a dark skinned black girl living in Newark in 1983. After Vanessa Williams becomes the 1st black Miss America her school puts on its 1st ever pageant & Vanessa gets convinced to sign up. This book looks at race, racism, ideas of beauty, poverty, competition, friendship etc. ( )

This is one I had a hard time booktalking based on the flap copy. The kids would go, "...beauty pageants?" and pass. Vanessa Williams is not a person they've heard of and pageants aren't part of their world. Now that I've read it I can give them a quickie plot summary and add, "This is a book about a Black girl figuring out that she's beautiful just the way she is," and they are IN. There's so much more going on than that -- friendship, serious family struggles, the complications of a mentor teacher who doesn't seem to come from your world, the pain of being a queer kid of color in the 1980s -- and every bit of it manages to be hopeful yet honest. Nothing resolves too easily.

I struggle with pageants as a way to self-confidence. The author's note talks about her positive experiences as a contestant, and I want to be open-minded, but it's hard to deny that the girls are being judged as objects of beauty and entertainment. This book also could have been more fat-positive...but it also could have been a lot less so. It's not a weight-loss makeover story; Vanessa's fat re-positions itself as she goes through puberty and as she builds a healthy walking habit, which is also meditation and bonding time with her cousin (as opposed to an unhealthy exercise obsession that's focused on losing weight). By the end she speaks of her big hips and boobs and rounded belly with approval. I'm going to give it a cautious thumbs-up on that front, but I would welcome conversation about that.

I've seen reviews that say her queer cousin's assault just happens to teach Vanessa lessons, but I think I disagree. His story is a subplot all along; everything in his life is seen through her mostly clueless eyes. She struggles with who he is, as will some readers. Nothing happens to him that isn't, tragically, realistic (to my knowledge). His character arc is about the readers' emotional growth more than Vanessa's, and isn't that a goal of YA? Side note: at the end he moves to San Francisco to live as an openly gay man in the mid-80s, and it broke my heart because, statistically, there's no way his story ends without a lot of pain. It's an invisible epilogue the reader has to know a bit of history to notice. ( )

Personally, I do not agree with the practice of beauty pageants so I was not excited about reading this book, but I was engaged from the beginning and I was relieved by the end. This is not just some boring tale about the ugly duckling who turns into a swan through the magic of cosmetics and diet... it's about the metamorphosis of the protagonist into something bigger, better and more beautiful than she expected. It's a story that is more about the beauty within, of love, family and acceptance of all it's forms. A must read for anyone who needs a boost of confidence but definitely for girls who need to know that beauty is more about your inner self, rather than what's on the outside. ( )

Literary merit: Fantastic
Characterization: Great
Recommend: Yes
Level: Older Middle School

A historical fiction novel set in the 1980’s right after Vanessa Williams is crowned the first Miss America. 13 almost 14-year-old Vanessa Martin watches on her TV when a black girl is finally crowned Miss America. It gives Vanessa a hope she has never felt before. Maybe she too could be Miss America someday. Vanessa is African American with dark skin, full figured and as always felt out of place. But when her middle school decides to host its first pageant with a little coercion from her grandfather and teacher she decides to enter. Vanessa has the best singing voice at her school and a desire to win. To finally show that beauty comes in all forms.
This is a beautiful novel that explores beauty, diversity, and so much more. It is a novel that also talks about alcoholism, family abandonment, sex, puberty, abuse, poverty, and drug dependency. For these reasons this book is intended for older middle school audiences and beyond. This book is an amazing positive story that looks at diversity, acceptance, LGBT issues, and poverty. Vanessa’s voice is full of hope for young girls as she tries to figure out her way in the world. This is a must read historical fiction that will resonate with teens today. A must buy for all public libraries. ( )