Bookish social media people may have noticed an uptick in conversation about Modelland, the YA Fantasy masterpiece by Tyra Banks. For years, the Haters and Patrons persisted in trying to get me to recap the book. In 2023, they were successful, and Modelland was crowned the official Jealous Patrons Book Club selection. I gritted my teeth and buckled up for what I was certain would be the the worst book I ever recapped, including Apolonia.
Dearest, Gentle Hater: I was so wrong.
Modelland encapsulates everything good about the 2010s YA Fantasy boom. Sure, the tropes are very much a product of their time, and the names are pretty ridiculous (Tookie De La Crème is the name of the FMC), but it has one of the most unique fantasy worlds I’ve ever read, a focus on female friendship over heterosexual romance (in fact, the heterosexual romance aspect feels almost begrudgingly added), all without ever taking itself so seriously that you can’t have fun.
Recently, bookish social media has been discussing Modelland, with a few prominent BookTok influencers reading it and weighing in. Team Tyra has noticed; people (including myself) have noticed Tyra Banks’s social media accounts liking and commenting on Threads posts and TikToks about Modelland.
I started thinking about how odd it was that my Modelland content on TikTok is like three years old. The Threads posts Tyra’s account liked were two years old. Someone on her team was searching up Modelland. But why?
I’ve decided (because I am nothing if not reliably delusional) that Team Tyra is looking to refresh and revive the Modelland concept. Tyra hasn’t gotten great press lately, after that Netflix documentary. What if she’s pivoting her brand toward Modelland, and Team Tyra is tracking down proof that not only is there an audience for a Modelland follow up, reboot, or adaptation, but it’s a passionate audience?
Well, allow me, fancy big Hollywood and publishing people, to tell you that Modelland is everything its fans are saying and more. And I’m going to prove it.
I’m going to bring my Patreon-exclusive Modelland recaps here to the Trout Nation blog. They won’t be exactly the same as the ones behind the paywall, but they’ll get the point across just fine. Because the mellifluous magnificence of Modelland stands on its own. But I would cross the Diabolical Divide to bring people the gospel of Ci~L, the Belladonna, and Tookie De La Crème. Cross-platform posting doesn’t seem quite as difficult.
Stay tuned for the prologue and chapter one, coming Tuesday.
