They aren't here to make friends.
Cram ten hormonal teens into a spaceship and blast off: that’s the premise for the out-of-this-world reality show Waste of Space. The young cast members are over-the-top, ready to fall to pieces at the drop of a space helmet, and completely ignorant of the fact that the production will be fake. Hidden in a desert warehouse, their spaceship replica is equipped with state of the art special effects dreamed up by the scientists partnering with the shady cable network airing the show.
Waste of Space is a tremendous success. Millions of people tune in. Ratings are through the roof.
And then something goes wrong.
And just as the cast members start to suspect something has gone wrong,
And just as the viewers start to know that something has gone wrong . . .
All communication is severed.
Now no one can tell what’s real and what’s fake, instability and paranoia loom large, and the only way for the cast to figure out what’s going on is for them to work together. The kids stumble closer to the truth, dread seeping into every corner of the ship as they find out what happens when a reality show loses its grip on reality.
Audiobook
Narrated by Dara Rosenberg and Maxwell Glick
Cheers
YALSA's Teens' Top Ten List nominee
"Everything that happens is over-the- top and ludicrous but cleverly crafted, the cynicism slathered on with layers of foulmouthed geniality. Like the TV show it's about, nothing in this novel is as it seems, but the journey to discover the truth is out of this world." -- Kirkus Reviews
"At times, Damico’s latest is a hilarious satire with over-the- top caricatures in over-the- top situations; it’s also a sweet YA love story of loss and redemption....Purchase where funny YA is lacking." -- School Library Journal
"A bitingly satirical look at the world of reality TV in the vein of Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens (2011). A sure pick for fans of sci-fi spoofs, black humor, and unusual formats." -- ALA Booklist
"Damico nails the anything-for-hype mindset of reality TV, keeping the action whizzing along at a zany pace and the punch lines humming." -- The Horn Book
"Author Gina Damico, best known for her humor/horror hybrids like the recent Wax, taps into a cultural zeitgeist of advertising saturation, Hunger Games spin-offs and self-mocking tales like Joss Whedon’s movie The Cabin in the Woods. A bit of real emotional power sneaks in with the mockery, leading readers to question the lines between realistic fiction, science fiction, magical realism and parody." -- BookPage