Title: The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl Author: Barry Lyga
Publication date: 2007
Number of pages: 311
Genre: Young Adult fiction
Geographical Setting: small town/suburban America
Time Period: mid 2000s
Series: planned sequel for fall 2009 titled Goth Girl Rising
Plot Summary: Fanboy is a really smart high school sophomore who is considered a geek by many or a punching bag or just invisible. His parents are divorced and he lives with his pregnant mom and her new husband, the “step-fascist.” Keeping him going is the most important thing in his life—his own (secret) graphic novel that he has been creating with his ancient and constantly crashing computer. He soon meets Kyra, a.k.a. Goth Girl, whose shares his love of comics and disdain for pretty much everybody at school. Finally he has met someone who just might understand him but women can be complicated.
Subject Headings: friendship, comic books, graphic novels, high school, geeks, bullying, suicide, jocks
Subject Headings: friendship, comic books, graphic novels, high school, geeks, bullying, suicide, jocks
Appeal: Mentions of comic books/graphic novels and their authors will appeal to fans of this genre however, there is not so much insider information that would exclude other readers, death of a parent by cancer, teens coping with bullies, teens coping with their own rage/anger, teens coping with stepfamilies, there is some toying with ideas of school shootings and the outcast student creating a “hit list”, but there is never a real threat for this level of violence, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
If you liked The Astonishing Adventures…., you might enjoy: John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines. Gail Giles’ Playing in Traffic. K.L. Going’s Fat Kid Rules the World.
