YA Realism and Romance: THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FANBOY AND GOTH GIRL by Barry Lyga

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga

Lyga, Barry. 2007. THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FANBOY AND GOTH GIRL. Boston: Graphia. ISBN 0-618-91652-0

Fanboy is a comic-loving, highly intelligent geek with some serious angst. He’s frequently bullied, feels constantly threatened, even carrying a bullet for comfort and regularly adding to The List. Fanboy turns to his own graphic novel creation for hope. His only friend Cal is split between two worlds, but he soon makes a new friend in the Kyra a.k.a. Goth Girl who shares his anger with the world and his isolation. Through their rocky friendship, they discover things aren’t always as they seem, impossibilities can be possible, and teen life is not easy for anyone.

This book is distinct in YA literature because of the detail and focus of comics and the comic world. This setting creates some uniqueness in the plot, but the overall setting of high school drives the plot with its cliques, peer interactions, and trying to fit in. The pace of the plot is fairly slow, but intriguing, and somewhat predictable in some of the events, the geek hooks up with the hot girl who’s tired of the jocks. Though some things seem somewhat far-fetched and stereotyped, it is overall believable and realistic. The problems of bullying, isolation, not fitting in, teen frustrations, and friendships are the overwhelming focus of the story. These issues and themes of obstacles of ambitions, sexuality, and dealing with divorced families are presented in a non-preachy way and inspire the reader to think of other’s situations while also seeing how perception can be skewed. The main character of Fanboy is richly characterized which allows the reader to put themselves in his place. “Barry Lyga includes countless hilarious anecdotes about Donnie’s life as a comic book lover and high school geek. With this excellent characterization of Fanboy and Gothgirl, readers cannot help but laugh out loud at the witty dialogue and the sarcastic inner thoughts of Fanboy” (Angela Sinisgalli , Children's Literature).He is an intriguing contrast of morals.  Lyga presents a realistic insight into the mind of a geeky teen boy and his perceived life. ”Fanboy's whip-smart, often hilariously sarcastic voice skillfully captures a teenager's growing self-awareness, and adds a fresh, urgent perspective to age-old questions about how young people cope with bullying and their own feelings of helplessness, rage, and being misunderstood as they try to discover themselves” (Gillian Engberg, Booklist, Sep. 1, 2006).His use of details from the comics world clearly show his background in comics. This story would not necessarily be universally appealing, but could appeal to both genders, those with similar life experiences of Fanboy, particularly outsiders and those into comics.

Classroom Connections

-        Create your own graphic novel or comic, could be related to class book study, historical event, etc.

      -        Socratic circle discussion about bullying, its affects, and how to help prevent

Best Books Lists

Book Sense Children's Picks, Fall 2006 ; American Booksellers Association; United States
Booklist Top 10 Art Books for Youth, 2006 ; American Library Association; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to Ninth Edition, 2007 ; H.W. Wilson Company; United States
School Library Journal Best Books, 2006 ; Cahners; United States
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, November 2006 ; Cahners; United States
Senior High Core Collection, Seventeenth Edition, 2007 ; The H. W. Wilson Co.; United States
Teen Books, 2006 ; Bank Street College of Education; United States
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2008 ; American Library Association; United States