The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl |  | Author: Barry Lyga
Publisher: Graphia
List Price: $8.99
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Seller: oncesoldtales
Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 279199
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 0618916520
EAN: 9780618916528
ASIN: 0618916520
Publication Date: September 24, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year *“Fanboy’s whip-smart, often hilariously sarcastic voice . . . adds fresh, urgent perspective to age-old questions about how young people cope with . . . being misunderstood as they try to discover themselves.” —Booklist, starred review “A captivating, darkly entertaining first novel.” —Tom Perrotta, author of Election and Little Children
Fanboy has never had it good, but lately his sophomore year is turning out to be its own special hell. The bullies have made him their favorite target, his best (and only) friend seems headed for the dark side (sports and popularity), and his pregnant mother and the step-fascist are eagerly awaiting the birth of the alien life form known as Fanboy’s new little brother or sister.
Fanboy, though, has a secret: a graphic novel he’s been working on without telling anyone, a graphic novel that he is convinced will lead to publication, fame, and—most important of all—a way out of the crappy little town he lives in and all the people that make it hell for him.
When Fanboy meets Kyra, a.k.a. Goth Girl, he finds an outrageous, cynical girl who shares his love of comics as well as his hatred for jocks and bullies. Fanboy can’t resist someone who actually seems to understand him, and soon he finds himself willing to heed her advice—to ignore or crush anyone who stands in his way.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 24
 great introduction to a new to me author November 15, 2009
Irish of Tickettoanywhere.blogspot.com (Central MA United States)
I have to admit before I picked up The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl I didn't know much about it. In fact I really didn't know much about the author. It wasn't until I went to Book Expo America last May and had the good fortune to go to a part for the book anthology, Geektastic. It was at this party that met Barry Lyga and became interested in his books so shortly after returning home I picked up The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. Sadly though my Mt TBR is huge and it wasn't moving up very far so I was very excited when I saw the audio version sitting on the shelf of my local library. I popped in the first disc before leaving the parking and soon found myself taking the long way home.
The narrator, Scott Bick, was AMAZING in bringing to life all the characters...and what characters! Fan Boy, or Donny as called by his mom, is this awkward loaner with a huge chip on his shoulder. He assumes no one will like him for him and so he refuses to even try and so then isn't shocked when that is just what happens. In many ways, Donny prefers to exist on the fringes of High School society because then life is easier. As it tends to be easier to hate someone then to like them and there is a lot less chance of getting hurt. So, things are going well for Donny in that aspect until the day he meets Kyra, another soul that exists on the fringes. Together these two form a strange bond over their shared love of comic books, social status, and just general angst at the world around them. They are these two delightfully messed up people that with every page turn (well in my case change of the CD) you just want to know more. You want to know what makes Kyra tick and why Fan Boy has such a chip on his shoulder. Its a powerful story about what it means to be a friends and the treacherous waters known as high school. Lyga has a unique writing style and is a gifted story teller. He doesn't tell light and fluffy stories and he doesn't hold anything. He is one of the few adults that seems to remember what its like to be an awkward teen who doesn't fit into the mainstream waters of high school which just adds layers of realism to the story. He's an author that I'm glad to have met in person and I can't wait to read more by him.
 Sheer Genius! November 15, 2009
BeatleBangs1964 (United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"I'm telling you, my friend, that I'll get you, I'll get you in the end, yes I will, I'll get you, oh yeah..." -- Beatles, 1963
Donnie, aka "Fanboy" is 15 and trying to survive the tough social life at South Brook High in Maryland. He has challenges on the home front as well with his stepfather Tony, whom he calls "Step-fascist" and a baby sister on the way (half-sister, as he reminds them). Fanboy keeps a List of people he'd like to see taken out. These are the "Jock Jerks" and everybody else who has ever bullied and hounded him. A comic/graphic novel and computer expert, Fanboy's big dream is to have his graphic novel, brilliantly titled "Schemata" join the pantheon of famous illustrated characters and be reviewed by his idol, Brian Michael Bendis (Bendis).
Fanboy has one good friend, a lacrosse player named Cal. Cal is smart, funny and shares Fanboy's love for comics. Fanboy feels let down when Cal cannot attend a comic convention with him as he has a lacrosse game ("the playoffs," as Cal tried to explain to Fanboy were just as important to him and because he made a commitment to the team, he feels he has to honor that).
Fanboy has a very unusual security blanket. He has a lone bullet, filched from his stepfather's supply that he carries in his pocket. When he is at home, he stores it in his computer. For him, just knowing that he has it has a palliative effect.
Gym is Fanboy's personal hell. A Neanderthal-like boy named Mitchell Frampton uses Fanboy as his own personal punching bag and target during dodgeball. Their coach and gym teacher stand aside and do nothing to protect Fanboy from his nemesis' daily torture. A girl, dressed all in black with a spiky haircut photographs the Neanderthal making pulverized steak out of Fanboy and from there, a friendship of sorts blossoms.
The girl, Kyra Sellers (whom readers will get to know even better in "Goth Girl Rising") is a very interesting and complex character. She insists that Fanboy stand up for himself; she worms her way into his confidence and even critiques his magnum opus, Schemata. It is Kyra who bestows the nickname of Fanboy on Donnie.
Kyra encourages Fanboy to explore beyond the boundaries of his creative genius; she draws Fanboy into her chaotic life of danger and intrigue.
Indeed, Kyra's influence is so prevalent that Fanboy takes a personal interest in her welfare. He even helps save her from being arrested after she acted a fool at the comic/graphic novel convention by making a spectacle of herself. Her public scene was done on Fanboy's behalf, her misguided effort to defend him from what she saw as an outright rejection by Bendis.
An excellent, cutting edge book. Kyra makes one think of the John Lennon with the Beatles' classic, "I'll Get You in the End" as she will bulldoze her way over anything and anybody who crosses her.
Barry Lyga is a genius. His novels and cast of characters are cutting edge, diamond-sharp and precise. It is almost as if he has drafting skills in the precision and life he gives his characters and stories. He, like Chris Crutcher deals head on with some very serious topics in an intelligent and plausible way. Be sure to read his other works. The man is brilliant!
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl November 5, 2009
Cool Mom-Lori (Jonesboro, GA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book was purchased for my 14 yr old daughter. She loved this book and finished reading it in a day. She has passed it on to her friends.
From J. Kaye's Book Blog October 18, 2009
J. Kaye Oldner (http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I received GOTH GIRL RISING, unaware it was the sequel to this book. I quickly went online to get a copy of this book. I'd read one other book by Barry Lyga and one thing that remains consistent is the author's ability to get deep inside his character's psyche. These people become so real that I question how much of this is fiction.
There really aren't any astonishing adventures for this fifteen-year-old Donnie, a.k.a. Fanboy who doesn't fit in. Lyga tackles real teen issues from bullies to divorce to sexual attraction and everything between. Donnie has a high IQ, but lacks social graces. His one best friend plays football, but Donnie doesn't like sports. The only thing they have in common is their love of comic books.
Donnie meets Kyra, a.k.a. Goth Girl, who has pale skin and wears all black, including black lipstick, hair, and nails. The more he hangs out with her, the more attracted he feels about her, but when it comes to understanding Kyra, he is clueless. Even so, he shares things with her he has never told anyone, including his secret dream to publish a graphic novel he's been working on.
Their relationship doesn't go down a predictable road. It changes Donnie, gets him to look outside himself. This story is told from his point of view. The next book, GOTH GIRL RISING, is told from hers. I simply can't wait!
 It was only OK October 16, 2009
Robert Guyette (De Pere Wisconsin)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The characters, at first, really had me. The story, at first, really had me. A comic-book geek looks forward to a big convention, meeting his hero, and has a secret that even his best friend doesn't know about. The IMing and dialogue made the novel a fast read and intriguing. But then it took a series of turns that disappointed me. First, Kyra (Goth Girl) shows up -- and does something -- at the convention that doesn't make sense. Then, the geek boy ends up making out with the hottest girl in school, an action that happens in almost 95 percent of all YA novels already. Ugh. And in the end, he loves his mom and the baby she's having. It all seemed too Hollywood. Great idea, great first half of the novel, but the ending really fizzled.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 24
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