Miss Meteor

Meteor Central High sophomores Estrellita “Lita” Perez and Chiquita “Chicky” Quintanilla are ex-best friends unexpectedly reunited for the same goal: winning the annual Miss Meteor beauty pageant in Meteor, N.Mex. Lita, the free-spirited daughter of town witch Bruja Lupe, has always dreamed of becoming Miss Meteor; after all, she’s from the meteor whose crash-landing gave the town its name. But she’s beginning to turn into stardust, and a traumatic, racist bullying incident diverted her pursuit of her dream—until now. Nonconformist Chicky also has a secret, which tore a past friendship apart and currently affects her relationship with artistic Junior Cortes. Fed up with feeling small, however, she comes up with a plan: help Lita steal the crown from beauty pageant royalty and mean girl Kendra Kendall. With the help of Chicky’s runner-up older sisters and Kendra’s brother, kind-hearted Cole, Lita takes on the thin, white blondes who always win. 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. Ages 14–up. [em]Agents: (for Mejia) Taylor Martindale, Full Circle Literary Agency; (for McLemore) Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Sept.) [/em]