Tag Archives: Reality Television

YA – Batter Royale

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Adams, Leisl. Batter Royale. Amulet Books, 2022. 978-1-419-75075-5. 240 p. $24.99. Grades 7-10.

High school senior Rose is a waitress at the Quayga Diner, though she longs to be in the kitchen like her longtime friend Fred, whose mom owns the restaurant. Rose just has been accepted at her dream school, Toronto’s Fieldberry Culinary School, but her recently separated parents aren’t sure if they can swing the tuition. When an influential food critic visits the diner, Rose presents her with a strawberry shortcake (her own creation) and scores an invitation to participate in a televised baking competition called Batter Royale. The prize is a life-changing $500,000 and a book deal. However, the taping is in London and Rose needs a teammate. She convinces a reluctant Fred to join her in hopes that the publicity will help the struggling Quayga, and the pair jet off across the pond. Will their friendship blossom into something more, or will the pitfalls of a reality TV show (including booby traps, sabotage, and a flirty rival who fights dirty) drive a wedge between them? Author/illustrator Leisl Adams’ brightly-hued artwork is fresh and upbeat. Rose is biracial (her mom is white and her dad is black), and Fred is white. Illustrated recipes accompany all of the featured dishes in this delectable confection.

THOUGHTS: Exciting competition scenes, a heartwarming friends-to-romance trope, and adorable characters make this graphic novel a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!

Graphic Novel          Amy V. Pickett, Ridley SD

YA – If the Shoe Fits

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Murphy, Julie. If the Shoe Fits. Disney-Hyperion, 2021. 978-1-368-05337-2. 304 p. $15.99. Grades 9-12.

In this charming and modern re-telling of Cinderella, Julie Murphy hits the mark again with a body positive novel that makes everyone feel included (shout out to correct nonbinary pronoun usage!). Filled to the brim with one-liners will make teens and adults alike laugh out loud (or a least grunt in appreciation), readers of all types will almost immediately feel like they are friends with Cindy, the orphaned-recent-fashion-school-grad-turned-reality-TV-star and a mutual hatred for the mean girl, Addison. In classic reality TV fashion, there are tons of side-eye glances and catty situations that mostly make the suitor, Henry, shine even brighter. The lens of fashion as art gives the book a broader reader audience as Crow mindfully says, “life feeds art and art feeds into life.”

THOUGHTS: An atypical family dynamic, with a widowed stepmom, step sisters and half-sibling triplets seems complicated, but seamlessly comes together, pun intended. If the Shoe Fits has a lot more depth than a typical love story, from fashion references to art and questions about fate, this novel can be added to the shelves of high school and public libraries with fans of Dumplin‘, reality TV, or fashion.

Romance          Samantha Hull, Ephrata Senior High School
Realistic Fiction

YA – Cut Off

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Finlay, Adrianne. Cut Off. HMH Books for Young Readers, 2020. 978-0-358-00645-9. 384 p. $17.99. Grades 9-12.

A group of teenagers is competing for a one million dollar prize, each with their own reasons for needing it. In order to be accepted onto the new reality show Cut Off, contestants go through a rigorous interview process and psychological evaluation. As readers are introduced to each character throughout the early days of Cut Off, interview segments and details from the evaluations are provided. Contestants need to outlast each other while spread out around a large island jungle. When they have no choice but to work together, the contestants begin to realize they might be more cut off than they thought. Their skym cameras (3D cameras that hover and follow their every move) still work, but the tap out button seems to be malfunctioning. Could something be wrong with the fully immersive reality show? Determined to figure out what’s going on, the contestants work together to survive, being more cut off than they ever thought was possible.

THOUGHTS: This action-packed adventure has three distinct parts. What starts out as serious outdoor survival takes a sharp turn towards science fiction. Readers will want to know who outlasts the others, but those who stick with it may have questions.

Science Fiction          Maryalice Bond, South Middleton SD

YA – Cut Off

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Finlay, Adrianne. Cut Off. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. 978-0-358-00645-9. $17.99. Grades 7-12.

Contestants on the new virtual reality television show Cut Off have their own reasons for competing. Part I begins with contestant interviews as each player is introduced at their current location on a remote island. Readers get to know River, a natural survivalist whose parents died in a car accident; Cam, who feels responsible for her little brother due to their mom’s is incarceration; Trip, whose technology is what makes the show’s virtual reality experience unmatched; and Liza, who seems to know a lot but isn’t inclined to share much about herself. As the contestants are forced together to survive, they begin to realize that they may be more cut off than they signed up for. When technology begins to fail and fears become real, they have to rely on each other to survive. But they signed on to compete for a one million dollar prize, and they each have fears, some that may be too difficult to overcome.

THOUGHTS: Told in several parts this action-packed adventure begins with meeting basic survival needs and evolves into a high tech world of survival. Fans of stories like Warcross by Marie Lu, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, The Eye of Minds by James Dashner, and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline will get their tech adventure fix in this stand alone title.

Science Fiction          Maryalice Bond, South Middleton SD