I teased about reality television being a microtrend last summer, but there are even more books that have a significant aspect to them relating to reality TV coming out this year. This is such an interesting trend to me since reality television seemed to have peaked in popularity….quite a while ago. It’s still popular, but it’s waned significantly, so it’s curious how it’s now peaking in YA fiction.

Here’s a look at teens and reality tv (with a side of teens and documentary films) past, present, and future. Not all of these are contemporary/realistic YA fiction — there’s a little bit of genre dipping, as well. In fact, of all the books tackling reality television, I think taking that to an alternate world could be most interesting and compelling.

All descriptions are from WorldCat, unless otherwise noted. If you know of others, either already out or to be published soon, feel free to add to this list. I didn’t limit my list to a time frame, since I think some of the older titles on this list could be really interesting to read and compare to more current offerings.

First Date by Krista McGee: Addy Davidson finds herself on a reality dating show with the first prize a prom date with the President’s son and, although initally not interested in winning, Addy finds herself increasingly drawn into the game.

Flash Point by Nancy Kress: Amy had dreams of going to college, until the Collapse destroyed the economy and her future. Now she is desperate for any job that will help support her terminally ill grandmother and rebellious younger sister. When she finds herself in the running for a slot on a new reality TV show, she signs on the dotted line, despite her misgivings. And she’s right to have them. TLN’s “Who Knows People, Baby–You?” has an irresistible premise: correctly predict what the teenage cast will do in a crisis and win millions. But the network has pulled strings to make it work, using everything from 24/7 hidden cameras to life-threatening technology to flat-out rigging. Worse, every time the ratings slip, TLN ups the ante. Soon Amy is fighting for her life–on and off camera.

Girl Out Loud by Emily Gale: Fifteen-year-old Kass is trying to resist her manic-depressive father’s attempts to make her try out for “The X Factor” while she also deals with her crush on the same older boy her best friend likes, her distant mother’s mysterious comings and goings, and her younger brother’s criminal activities.

How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love by Ken Baker (April 22): “Thick. Heavy. Big boned. Plump. Full figured. Chunky. Womanly. Large. Curvy. Plus-size. Hefty.” To sixteen-year-old Emery Jackson, these are all just euphemisms for the big “F” word—”fat.” Living on a Southern California beach with her workout fiend dad, underwear model sister, and former model mother, it is impossible for Emery not to be aware of her weight. Emery is okay with how things are. That is, until her “momager” signs her up for Fifty Pounds to Freedom, a reality show in which Emery will have to lose fifty pounds in fifty days in order to win the million dollars that will solve her family’s financial woes. Emery is skeptical of the process, but when the pounds start to come off and the ratings skyrocket, she finds it hard to resist the adoration of her new figure and the world of fame. Emery knows that things have changed. But is it for the better? (Description via Goodreads). 

Infamous by Lauren Conrad (“Fame Game” series): Kate and Carmen are about to become big stars, but they’re going to have to survive some backstage drama first. Madison is learning hard lessons about fame as she deals with backstabbing ‘friends’ and family, out-of-control paparazzi, and a scandal reported in every tabloid.

L. A. Candy by Lauren Conrad (“L. A. Candy” series): When nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts is cast in a new reality show, she discovers that the fame and fortune of her new life come at a high price to herself and her friendships. 

Lights, Camera, Quince by Veronica Chambers (“Amigas” series): Carmen is turning fifteen and her friends Sarita, Alicia, Jamie, and Gaz plan to throw her a quinceañera; but when the group decides to join a reality show competition, Carmen feels like her party is becoming less important.

Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous by Kathryn Williams: Although sixteen-year-old Sophie has grown up working in her family’s Mediterranean restaurant in Washington, D.C., she is not prepared to compete on the new reality show, Teen Test Kitchen, when her best friend Alex convinces her to audition.

Premiere by Melody Carlson (“On the Runway” series): When two sisters get their own fashion-focused reality television show, vivacious Paige is excited, but Erin, a Christian who is more interested in being behind the camera than in front of it, has problems with some of the things they are asked to do.

Reality Boy by A. S. King: An emotionally damaged seventeen-year-old boy in Pennsylvania, who was once an infamous reality television show star, meets a girl from another dysfunctional family, and she helps him out of his angry shell. 

Reality Check by Jen Calonita: When a television executive signs Long Island sixteen-year-old Charlie and her three best friends to be the stars of a new reality television show, their lives are suddenly not the same.

Rumor Central by Reshonda Tate Billingsley (series): After appearing on the reality show “Miami Divas,” Maya Morgan is offered her own television show, but stepping up to the fame means spilling secrets about her friends, and someone will do anything to shut her up. (This series, while new, does so well at my library with teens). 

Simply Irresistible by Jennifer Banash: With rivals Casey and Madison set to star in their own reality show, Madison ponders just how much of her life of privilege she wants to reveal, while Casey wonders how much of her luxurious New York City lifestyle is an illusion.

Something Real by Heather Demetrios (February 4): Since the cancellation of her family’s reality television show, seventeen-year-old Bonnie Baker, one of twelve siblings, has tried to live a normal life with real friends and a possible boyfriend, until her mother and the show’s producers decide to bring “Baker’s Dozen” back on the air.

Stir It Up! by Ramin Ganeshram: Thirteen-year-old Anjali dreams of hosting a televised cooking show featuring foods based on her Hindu and Trinidadian heritage, but when an opportunity presents itself, she will have to defy her family to go to the audition. Includes recipes.

Taste Test by Kelly Fiore: While attending a New Hampshire culinary academy, North Carolina high schooler Nora suspects someone of sabotaging the academy’s televised cooking competition.

The Real Prom Queens of Westfield High by Layrie Boyle Crompton (February 4): High school senior Shannon Depola, who could use a popularity makeover, instead gets a beauty makeover as a contestant for a million dollars on the hidden-camera reality show, The Prom Queen Wannabees.

The Real Real by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus: When Hampton High senior Jesse is cast in a reality television show along with five other, more popular students, drama on and off screen reveals that what the audience and producers want is not the same as what Jesse wants.

Trash Talk by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld: Six girls and guys are invited to be part of a reality television program in New York but the real drama goes on behind the cameras.

The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer (April 8): When a sleazy reality television show takes over Ethan’s arts academy, he and his friends concoct an artsy plan to take it down

Watch Me by Lauren Barnholdt: When Ally Cavanaugh, a freshman at Syracuse University, gets picked to spend the year as part of a reality television show she soon learns that people are not always as they seem, and that love may not conquer all.

You Don’t Know Me by Sophia Bennett: Me and Rose. In a band. Singing together, all the way to the live finals of Killer Act. Only to be told one of them must go. But no girl would drop her best friend in front of millions…Would she? If this is fame, it sucks. Everybody is talking about us, but nobody knows the truth. It was all so good. Sasha and Rose. Best friends in a band, singing together. Right up to the finals of Killer Act when the judges tell them one of them must go. Suddenly their friendship is put to the ultimate test. On TV in front of millions . Two girls. One huge mistake. Can they ever forgive each other?

You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle: Five teens starring in a documentary film series about their ordinary lives must grapple with questions of change and identity under the scrutiny of the camera. 

For Real by Alison Cherry (December): Shy, cautious Claire has always been in her confident older sister’s shadow. While Miranda’s life is jam-packed with exciting people and whirlwind adventures, Claire gets her thrills vicariously by watching people live large on reality TV. When Miranda discovers her boyfriend, Samir, cheating on her just before her college graduation, it’s Claire who comes up with the perfect plan. They’ll outshine Miranda’s fame-obsessed ex while having an amazing summer by competing on Around the World, a race around the globe for a million bucks. Revenge + sisterly bonding = awesome. But the show has a twist, and Claire is stunned to find herself in the middle of a reality-show romance that may or may not be just for the cameras. This summer could end up being the highlight of her life… or an epic fail forever captured on film. In a world where drama is currency and manipulation is standard, how can you tell what’s for real? (Description via Goodreads).