The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, #1)

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The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl #1)

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 3,592 ratings · 563 reviews

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 s...more

Hardcover, 311 pages

Published October 2nd 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (first published September 6th 2006)

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Mar 01, 2008 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-kids-are-all-right, gmba

I really had no idea what this book would be about. I had been hearing good things about Barry Lyga's other book, 'Boy Toy' and when I was at the library, this stood out as well. When I find an author that I like, I tend, like most people, to want to read everything by them, so, I grabbed it in the hopes that I liked his writing enough to want more... and I'm glad that I did.

That being said, The AAOFBAGG is truly well written, I don't know what I expected because I never read the back of the boo...more

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Sep 13, 2010 Ariel Acupan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Before I start, I want to thank Ace (The Godfather of GR-TFG) for the book.

Who would not pick this book up from a rack? Great cover, a very clever title and not only that, as what Newsday said, what a find. I know some of you might say, what’s the diff, pretty sure that it’s another geek story novel but I tell you, it’s on how it was told. Barry Lyga makes me remember the fanboy in me. References to the comic gods like Brian Michael Bendis (House of M, Powers, Jinx), Neil Gaiman (Sandman) and Al...more

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Aug 31, 2009 Annalisa rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: older teens

Shelves: young-adult, coming-of-age, voice, contemporary

A novel for all the underdogs out there. I'm giving this book four stars for the voice. Lyga captures that tortured, conflicted, awkward stage in life with Fanboy, a nerdy boy who's smarter than everyone else, a little picked on for his size and goody two-shoes, and completely clueless about girls. So authentic 15-year-old boy it hurts. Obsessed with his graphic novel and focused on getting good grades as his way out, Fanboy's view of life changes when he meets Goth Girl, an emo chick who questi...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Cassie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, read-via-audiobook, not-worth-finishing, disappointing

I'm in the middle of the third disc of the audio book and cannot finish it. This book is doing very little for me. It's not that that the story is unrealistic or unbelievable, it's just uninteresting.

Donnie (Fanboy), lover of comic books, is a complete nerd. He has one pseudo-friend, Cal, who is a jock. He discusses his favorite comic book writers, fantasizes about panties and boobs, and is writing his own comic book. Then enters Kyra (Goth Girl) to make life a little more interesting. Not a ba...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Alyssa rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Comic book enthusiasts and fans of Tim Tharp's prose.

Shelves: 2012-read, a-guy-of-ya, actually-funny, contemporary, emotional, great-books, great-realistic-fiction, really-excited-for, surprised-me, what-a-weird-book, ya-loved, ya-romance

The Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, as a title, is misleading in all sorts of ways. Not knowing anything of the plot, I was prepared and looking forward to a light, cutesy teen romance, with maybe a couple good one-liners. To say I was shocked by the staggeringly dark and disquieting story of the very angry Fanboy and Goth Girl would be a huge understatement. Though I’m not upset about the outcome of my reading experience, or about the depth Lyga unearthed in his characters, I think it suffi...more The Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, as a title, is misleading in all sorts of ways. Not knowing anything of the plot, I was prepared and looking forward to a light, cutesy teen romance, with maybe a couple good one-liners. To say I was shocked by the staggeringly dark and disquieting story of the very angry Fanboy and Goth Girl would be a huge understatement. Though I’m not upset about the outcome of my reading experience, or about the depth Lyga unearthed in his characters, I think it suffices to say that I wasn’t ready for such an emotionally charged read, or for such an important one.

Fanboy, self-proclaimed geek and comic book enthusiast, is lost. His mom’s pregnant with the step-fascist’s child, his best friend is slipping more and more into the promise land of popularity, and he keeps getting beat up at school. The only thing that keeps him grounded is his security blanket: an old bullet he keeps in his pocket at all times. That is, until he meets Goth Girl, whose anger brings out plenty of his own, who seemingly connects with him on a level no one else ever has. The two build their friendship upon Fanboy’s sole dream of publishing a graphic novel, and for a while, everything goes totally smoothly. But Goth Girl has more problems than she lets on, and if Fanboy gets sucked into them with her, they’ll both end up with bigger problems than ever.

When authors write from the perspective of a victim of bullying, I tend to find that their voices aren’t authentic enough and don’t really explore the many emotions outside of helplessness or frustration. Lyga, though, pulled out all the stops and provided what I feel to be a totally accurate – and thusly horrifying - portrayal of a victim’s state of mind. Fanboy was resentful, aggravated, lonely, and livid, and his characterization and voicing perfectly demonstrated that, leaving nothing to be desired. This book made me so, so uncomfortable, and I love that, because it means Lyga did his job with Fanboy’s simplistically furious tone and Goth Girl’s destructive behaviour. The only disservice I think Lyga made by his characters was in the way he left them off in the ending of the book – the way that both characters were left off psychologically and socially seemed a little rushed – but there seems to be a sequel to their adventures that I’m sure will build on their stories.

What I especially enjoyed about Fanboy and Goth Girl was that both the school and home lives of Fanboy were developed and equally balanced in importance and page-time. Sometimes I feel that one area is more focused on, so it was wonderful to see so much attention being paid to even the smallest details in all aspects of Fanboy and Goth Girl’s lives. Although there’s a great focus on archetype and stereotyping – even the title of the book suggests as much – clichés are overpowered and there are reasons, from Fanboy’s jaded outlook on life to Goth Girl’s exasperation, for absolutely everything.

There are some all-too-convenient outcomes, and some totally unbelievable events take place, but if you take it in stride, I think there’s a lot to admire about this book. There’s no power imbalance between races or genders, there are parents always around, and tons of hilarious dialogue. If you’re looking for an authentic male voice in YA, look no further. Fanboy and Goth Girl certainly delivers.

3.5 stars
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Oct 14, 2008 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of John Green, Sherman Alexie, real life fanboys

Recommended to Susan by: Iran G

Lyga captures awkward misery better than just about anyone (save John Green or Sherman Alexie, maybe--and it would be close). The Fanboy of the title is a true comic book geek: a comic con attending, aspiring graphic novelist, and friend of superheroes. His life is not easy to say the least. He gets outrageously bullied on a regular basis. His best friend Cal, a jock with a closet case of comic fanaticism himself, turns his friendship on and off at school depending on which of his popular crowd...more

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Aug 26, 2008 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: teens and those who teach them; lovers of voice

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. All right, an occupational hazard associated with doing an extended research project at the beginning of the school year is that the students are still figuring themselves and you (the teacher) out. So questions to the teacher are often few and far between, which leaves me with an extended portion of the period to wander about more or less aimlessly.

Often, when doing so, I'll pick up one of the books the MC specialists have on display. Because I know I'll be reading it in spurts, between those o...more All right, an occupational hazard associated with doing an extended research project at the beginning of the school year is that the students are still figuring themselves and you (the teacher) out. So questions to the teacher are often few and far between, which leaves me with an extended portion of the period to wander about more or less aimlessly.

Often, when doing so, I'll pick up one of the books the MC specialists have on display. Because I know I'll be reading it in spurts, between those occasional questions, I usually choose something light and something I more or less avoid outside of school -- Teen Lit.

It's not that I have an overt dislike for the genre, it's just that many authors tend to oversimplify their work or take it too seriously. Fanboy manages to avoid those traps, and becomes a book about outsiders that doesn't feel an innate need to be The Outsiders. Lyga's dialogue and internal monologue of his main character are realistic without sounding stupid or overly sophisticated.

The book (aside from a very nicely managed close that ties together the title of Fanboy's comic book and the theme of the novel) manages to convey growth as it often occurs in the high school set -- Not as earth-shattering, life-rocking change nor yet as the whole "High school's a stupid joke and you should just sneer at it cynically" idea. The main character and the people in his life learn to see the world just a little bit differently, and their world becomes a slightly -- not completely -- better place.

As multiple hours pass there are a couple of other rather annoying attributes of teen lit that surface so often in the genre, I skipped over them in my initial review. The self-centered, power-hungry, overweight, bureaucratic assistant principal is there and, like in King Dork, is accused/implied to have a thing for kiddie porn. And there's a teacher who is stupidly made a fool my the brainier, more sophisticated high school student (although in this book she's charmingly amused and impressed by the high schooler who tricked her, rather than vindictive and revenge-driven). And there's the oft-present scene in which the Senior Goddess warms to and briefly makes out with the geeky protagonist (if this happened in line as often as it does in male-authored teen fiction, everyone would want to be the geeky kid). Honesty compels me to admit that I was probably most riveted to this scene. It was either written well enough to let me suspend my disbelief, or else there's still enough of that geeky kid in me to root for him.

In retrospect, FB/GG really does little to stretch the high school of youth fiction closer to a realistic view. But despite pandering to these stereotypes Fanboy/Goth Girl was a good read, and I'll stand by my four stars, though 3.5 would probably be more accurate.(less)

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May 20, 2011 Lloyd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Being a former fanboy of comics myself, perhaps that's why I would always note this book every time I walked by it. Well, I finally decided to read it and am glad that I did. I REALLY enjoyed this book. It's one of those books that, now that it is over, I'm sad. I want to keep reading more, to know what happens to these characters. (Luckily, I found out he wrote a sequel of sorts that just came out - so I CAN...I hope.)

I related SO much to the main character of this book (with the exception of c...more

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May 14, 2013 Aisha Patel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, realistic-fiction

for the full review check http://vassalisia.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-astonishing-adventures-of-fanboy.html

Huh well when i picked up the book I though it would be two losers being losers and having fun being losers and even though it is about a loser (no offense fanboy)its not all rainbows and flowers quite the opposite really. Inverted smiley faces and everything.An intelligent outcast Donnie seems so be geting it from everywhere and i really felt fort the poor thing. Then he meets goth girl and...more

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Feb 17, 2009 Ryan Mishap rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: novel

The title of this drew me in and the story was fairly good. Fanboy lives with his mom and step-dad in a crappy town like every other crappy town in suburbia. He's tormented by the kids at school, his only friend pretends he doesn't know him at school to keep in with the jocks, and only two things keep him sane: working on his graphic novel and carrying around a bullet as a safety blanket. Lyga does a good job witht he inner thoughts of Fanboy--a fifteen year old geek, horny but lonely, who has...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Von Fritz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teens, general-fiction

I had fun reading this. This is like my life's story. And it was just an accident how I found my copy at Booksale. The title's very catchy. Fanboy sounds like me. Goth Girl sounds like this someone I adore.

Written by Barry Lyga who is a comic book geek, the talker in the book is Donnie the Fanboy who is obviously, a comic book geek. Troubled by his dysfunctional family and some bullies at school, he finally found a companion with Kyra, the Goth Girl. The two had a series of sweet escapades and i...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Christopher Tang rated it 3 of 5 stars

All I knew when I picked this up was the information on the back that made it out to be a sort of of high school romance. I made it only slightly past chapter 3. On the one hand, the author captures the feeling of being constantly picked on by bigger people in high school. On the other hand, it seemed like that was all there was. The first chapter that included the narrator getting picked on and mooning over the popular girl more or less summed up his character. If this is a character driven nov...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Nick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Why did I read it?

This novel has showed up on multiple teen lists that I keep track of, so when I had a long drive to a library training ahead of me, I figured I'd get the CD book and listen to it.

What happened?

Donnie sometimes wishes that all the jock jerks in his school would get killed by some terrorists. For absolutely no reason they trip him, beat him up, pick on him, and generally make his life miserable.

That isn't the only thing; his Mom doesn't get him at all, and the step-fascist (his...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Taylor M. rated it 5 of 5 stars

I honestly expected a bare bones revenge plot from the summary of this book: nerdy, one dimensional boy meets angsty, one dimensional 'mystical' goth girl and get even with one dimensional jocks. Thankfully, that was entirely not the case and I finished the book feeling a little sad that the ride was over. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl was to me, an entirely satisfying read that not only feels copy-and-pasted from average high school in how close the protagonist's life and i...more

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Aug 12, 2012 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: completed

Wow! Despite the amusing title this story was a dark and compelling book! A total loser, suffering in every area of his life, is befriended by an outcast gothic girl. Somehow, he comes of age so to speak, and matures enough to realize that a lot of his own personal problems stem from his negative attitudes and skewed view of life.

This book, written for the young adult crowd, is a powerful and evocative tale, lots of emotion. The author manages to give us insight into the mind of this geeky kid...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Kelly Herta rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was pretty good. I am not into comic books but I imagine teens will love the plot of his graphic novel. I think the personalities of the main 2 characters were well developed and I couldn't help but root for him, the underdog, in many of his escapades.

This is the story a a 15 year old geek who doesn't fit in at high school. He is picked on, shoved around, and basically ignored except when a teacher needs an answer to a difficult question in class. He keeps a bullet in his pocket and a...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Ruby rated it 3 of 5 stars

PERSONAL REACTION: Overall, the story is good and worthwhile, although it took me a while to get to the point of feeling that way about this book. The horrible, terrible, very bad days that Fanboy had every day got to be somewhat tedious for me too. When Goth Girl befriends him, I was grateful for her intervention. Their relationship seemed true and real and was the best thing about the novel, although they didn’t seem to have many adventures of any kind, especially not “astonishing” ones. Howev...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Christetta Butts rated it 3 of 5 stars

SUMMARY:
Fifteen-year-old Fanboy is a sophomore at South Brook School and is a loner except for his one friend, athlete Cal, but even Cal’s commitment as a friend is questionable. Oppressed Fanboy puts classmates’ names on “The List” and finds comfort in a bullet he carries in his pocket. When Fanboy isn’t at school he buries himself in computers, comic books, and creating his own graphic novel, Schemata. He retreats to a basement bedroom hoping to avoid his pregnant mother and his step father th...more SUMMARY:
Fifteen-year-old Fanboy is a sophomore at South Brook School and is a loner except for his one friend, athlete Cal, but even Cal’s commitment as a friend is questionable. Oppressed Fanboy puts classmates’ names on “The List” and finds comfort in a bullet he carries in his pocket. When Fanboy isn’t at school he buries himself in computers, comic books, and creating his own graphic novel, Schemata. He retreats to a basement bedroom hoping to avoid his pregnant mother and his step father that he calls “step-fascist”. Fanboy is contacted through instant messaging by a girl who took pictures of him getting punched by a school bully. Her name is Kyra, but after dubbing him “Fanboy”, he dubs her Goth Girl. Fanboy’s quest to meet his favorite graphic novelist, navigate through school and family, keep his friendship with Cal, and learn more about Goth Girl proves to be a rougher ride than he expected, but with a new found confidence things may take a turn for the good.

PERSONAL REACTION:
I think certain male and female tweens would find this book appealing, I however, did not find the story appealing but found some passages witty and funny. I felt it had a smidgeon of a taste of a modern, very watered down version, of Catcher in the Rye but I didn’t feel a connection to the characters. I did have a laugh out loud moment with Fanboy’s reaction to his mother telling him she’s pregnant with his half brother or sister: A week or so later, I e-mailed Planned Parenthood and had them send a bunch of brochures about abortion to our address. That didn’t go over very well. This book had a list and a mostly loner character as did the book “Hate List”. I think many junior high and high school students have a list even if it isn’t physically manifested. Wasn’t sure what the “bullet” was referring to at first….turns out it was just a bullet. I don’t think Fanboy’s name was ever mentioned.

ACTIVITY:
Using online cartoon creating software, Bitstrips, I would have the students create a comic strip with themselves as the main character, their best friend as a side kick, create their own superhero names, and name the strip “The Astonishing Adventures of __________ and __________.” They would then create a cartoon on how they helped or could help an incoming 7th grader.
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Sep 08, 2011 Lori Holbein-Gutierrez rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: high-school, social-outcast, young-adult, step-parent, teenage-boy

Summary:
Fanboy is a high achieving academic student who tries to be invisible from all of the bullies, cliques, and jocks in school. It seems as if he adds more people to The List that have pissed him off in someway. He is a sophomore who figures he can make it at home and school for a few more years.

Fanboy lives with his pregnant mom and step-father better known as "step-fascist." He resents his mom for leaving his dad for "step-fascist."

Fanboy has one friend Cal, since he started going to Sout...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Eileen Lepetit rated it 4 of 5 stars

My experience with my students is that even the ones who say they hate reading, are happy to read a graphic novel. Enter “Fanboy,” so-named because he is a tremendous fan of graphic novels and all things comic book. He is so much in love with the genre, in fact, that he is constantly at work creating his own graphic novel, Schemata.

I’m glad Fanboy has a hobby because he doesn’t have a life. “I’m a computer geek, a comic book geek, a study geek,” he says of himself. High school is, as it is for m...more My experience with my students is that even the ones who say they hate reading, are happy to read a graphic novel. Enter “Fanboy,” so-named because he is a tremendous fan of graphic novels and all things comic book. He is so much in love with the genre, in fact, that he is constantly at work creating his own graphic novel, Schemata.

I’m glad Fanboy has a hobby because he doesn’t have a life. “I’m a computer geek, a comic book geek, a study geek,” he says of himself. High school is, as it is for many people, Fanboy’s version of hell. The jocks and assorted popular kids seem to love tormenting him and he expects a kick, a punch, or an all out beating at every turn. His pregnant mother has an incredibly weird paranoia about allowing him to have friends over, so, even if he did find someone to hang out with, it wouldn’t be easy. Fanboy’s step-dad, Tony, speaks in monosyllables between beers. Even his one and only friend, Cal, a closet nerd member of the lacrosse team, often lets him down in favor of the jocks. Sounds pretty crappy, huh? Or is it? Do you think maybe it could be that Fanboy exaggerates everything? Do you think maybe if he stopped assuming everyone was against him, he might find out they’re not? It’s something to think about.

Enter Goth Girl, the title’s other hero. I have to be honest: even I’m more interested in Goth kids than comic book nerds - although I am quite proud to be nerdy. I mean, I may dress like a Lands End catalog, but I can appreciate the Goth look without actually attempting it. Goth Girl, Kyra, is, in my opinion, the really interesting character of the book. She’s pretty much crazy, running over anyone who gets in her way, and her entry into Fanboy’s life is the beginning of great things for him.

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl is a great summer read; that is, it is definitely not lame. Fanboy got on my nerves sometimes and Goth Girl needs about five years’ worth of detention, but I cried at the end and that’s a good thing.
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Jun 15, 2011 Tim Canny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Downloaded the audio book from the library. An interesting story that sometimes seemed to go on for a little too long but overall was enjoyable. I'm guessing this is considered YA fiction. I'm trying to listen to and read as much YA as possible to get a feel for the genre and the different types of YA fiction. I would compare this with Fat Kid Saves The World as far as the subject matter goes. Outcast nerdy kid has few if any friends and meets dangerous friend who pushes him out of his comfort z...more

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May 26, 2011 Paul Eckert rated it 3 of 5 stars

This story worked well as a character driven story that is told from the point of view of someone who wouldn’t normally propel a story. This unlikely hero is Donnie, aka Fanboy, a quiet, intelligent kid who spends his time reading comics, working on his own graphic novel, and finding ways to avoid bullies at school. His one, and only, friend is Cal, a sports jock who shares a common interest in comic books. Certain events lead him to meet Kyra, aka Goth Girl, who shows interest in him after he t...more This story worked well as a character driven story that is told from the point of view of someone who wouldn’t normally propel a story. This unlikely hero is Donnie, aka Fanboy, a quiet, intelligent kid who spends his time reading comics, working on his own graphic novel, and finding ways to avoid bullies at school. His one, and only, friend is Cal, a sports jock who shares a common interest in comic books. Certain events lead him to meet Kyra, aka Goth Girl, who shows interest in him after he takes a beating from someone at school with the stoicism of “an Indian warrior.”

There is little plot to speak of, except for Donnie’s anticipation over going to a comic convention and showing his portfolio to his favorite comic author/illustrator. This novel is mostly about the people he interacts with on a daily basis, and the hate he harbors for most of them. He has a kindred spirit in Kyra, except she hates everybody.

What I enjoyed most about the novel was the way Lyga really got in the head of a teenage boy whose precociousness is counterbalanced by his naivete and insecurities. Donnie wants more than anything to be independent and live his life the way he wants, and for everyone else to leave him alone. He thinks he’s more of an adult than he really is, and his experiences in the novel give him a glimpse of how far he has yet to go. He may be one of the smartest kids in his school, but he still doesn’t know how to talk to a girl thanks to his crippling insecurities. He assumes the worst in the people around him, but he fails to see things from anyone else’s perspective. Donnie learns that people aren’t always who they seem to be. Watching him grow in this regard was really the crux of the story.

“Goth Girl” was done well for the most part. I once dated a goth girl in high school, so many of the things about Kyra I could relate to, like the multiple suicide attempts, the black clothing, pale makeup, and judgmental demeanor. She is a breath of fresh air in Donnie’s life, a straight-shooter who pulls no punches and shows Donnie what it’s like to live without worrying about what other people think. The most frustrating aspect of her character is that she never really grows as a person, and she fails to ever notice what a hypocrite she is for dismissing everyone around her as some kind of enemy. At least Lyga avoided a typical character arc with her.

All in all it was a fun story that makes one empathize for the plight of teenagers, so anxious to prove themselves but without any real means to do so, and with few solutions for the inexplicable angst that roils inside them like a hormonal tidal wave.

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May 10, 2011 Rhiannon Ryder rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Surprise book love affairs are the best! You know those books you get randomly lent, or just stumble into and don't know what to expect, only to open the pages and find yourself being swept away?

A few weeks ago I got a copy of Goth Girl Rising (book two) randomly in the mail from the lovely folks at Harcourt Mifflin. I'd never noticed it in a book store before, and the blurb on the back was a bit cryptic for someone jumping into the story line without ever hearing of, or reading book 1, The Asto...more Surprise book love affairs are the best! You know those books you get randomly lent, or just stumble into and don't know what to expect, only to open the pages and find yourself being swept away?

A few weeks ago I got a copy of Goth Girl Rising (book two) randomly in the mail from the lovely folks at Harcourt Mifflin. I'd never noticed it in a book store before, and the blurb on the back was a bit cryptic for someone jumping into the story line without ever hearing of, or reading book 1, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. But low and behold, a few pages in I found myself falling for this tough ass little goth chick. I tore through Goth Girl Rising and was so enamoured by the end (which I finished at work on my afternoon coffee break) that I walked straight to the bookstore after work and grabbed The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl so I could read it on my trip home. There was no way I was going to let these characters go until I was forced to by a lack of any more books.

Fanboy is 15, skinny, loves comics, and has one friend. His parents are divorced, and his mother is not only remarried to the Step-Fascist but she's grossly pregnant with his spawn. Life is pretty bad, but the light at the end of the tunnel is a quickly approaching comic con with one amazing attendee who Fanboy is going to show his very own comic book to. The only thing getting him through the days until college is his beloved graphic novel Schemata, which he's secretly been drawing and writing for six years. Until goth girl blows into his life and turns it upside down.

Fanboy is a classic stereotype geek, right down to his charmingly sarcastic in-my-head-only monologue. His first reference to the step-fascist had me rolling on the floor, and his absolute lack of being able to deal with the social norm in high school makes you love Kyra even more for taking him under her wing. It's fun to have such a sophistcated character be so naive at the same time, and throughout it all author Barry Lyga strikes a really believable note with Fanboy that leaves you feeling like you knew this guy growing up. I can 100% vouch for his artistic bent and all it's inherent foibles being dead on. The idea that Fanboy has drawn and written 100 pages of his graphic novel but is only really happy with 10 pages is my hubby down to the T.

All in all this is a charismatic and fun story, you and Fanboy are never quite sure what Kyra is going to do next and finding out is an exquisite pleasure that will have you dying for more by the last page. Not to mention the ups and downs of geekdom in high school are all played out in such a relatable way ,that even if it wasn't your personal high school experience, you'll feel like it was.

As I mentioned before, I read the two books out of order, and it wasn't an issue at all. Although the story is a continuing one, Goth Girl Rising being six months after The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, each of the two books is from a different view point. Book one is Fanboy, book two is Goth Girl (Kyra). They work like two parts of a whole but if one is available to you before the other than don't worry about the order, it worked just fine for me backwards. However it did make me biased to love Kyra right off the bat in the Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, but hey, there's nothing wrong with that!

Make The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl one of your must reads for March/ Spring break this week and I promise you, you won't be disappointed! I'll be focusing on three of his Brookdale books this week as well as featuring an Interview with the Lovely Barry Lyga himself. In the meantime, if you find yourself in NYC this week, make sure to check out the New York Teen Authors Festival, Barry is participating and you don't want to miss out!

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Feb 04, 2011 Mack Aroney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, school-life, slice-of-life, raw-emotion, comedy, favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Because I think the summary on the book jacket (and the summary on the upper portion of the book page on this website) does not capture even a tiny bit of this book, I will you give you my own brief summary (I don't do this if I think the official summaries are fulfulling).

Fanboy (his real name remains undisclosed throughout the entire book, except when his mother calls him "Donnie," which makes him Donald or something, but then we still don't know his last name) is a comic book geek; he is work...more Because I think the summary on the book jacket (and the summary on the upper portion of the book page on this website) does not capture even a tiny bit of this book, I will you give you my own brief summary (I don't do this if I think the official summaries are fulfulling).

Fanboy (his real name remains undisclosed throughout the entire book, except when his mother calls him "Donnie," which makes him Donald or something, but then we still don't know his last name) is a comic book geek; he is working on his own comic, Schemata, which in my opinion has a pretty genius plot, which I will not disclose. His best friend, Cal, is one of ten black kids at the school they go to (never really paid much attention to the name, whatever). Unfortunately, Cal puts off the comic book convention for lacrosse playoffs, which Fanboy sees as some kind of best friend blasphemy for reasons I really don't feel like explaining. The "Goth Girl" that is so stunningly spelled out on the bottom half of the lips on the front of the book is Kyra Sellers, a Goth/emo/whatever. Fanboy's mom divorced his father because she met some guy named Tony and cheated on the father with him and got pregnant. There's some other stuff, but that's the book in a nutshell.

Moving on!

This book made me cry. At the end, at least. Maybe I'm just sensitive and I get way into books, but hey, that's why they're there, right?

Another thing: Fanboy was so totally in love with Kyra. He's sitting there making out with Dina Jurgens and he's thinking about freaking KYRA. How does that not scream "in love"?! I swear, ever since her official debut, it mentioned something related to her on close to every single page. And this is first-person. Sure, she flashes people. Sure, she used to cut. Sure, she was contemplating suicide there at the end. But he loves her. There's a minor amount of lust mixed in there, sure. But it's not Dina-lust. Deep down, it's puppy love. And then, when he thinks she's going to commit suicide, or committing it, he completely freaks out. Okay, maybe he's kinda pitiful. But he loves her, doesn't he?

I wonder if Fanboy was really as ugly as he was convinced he was. First Kyra tells him he's not ugly, in a way that implies the contrary, then Dina's like, "What, do you think you're ugly or something?" So I'm thinking he was actually pretty cute, but since he was at the bottom of the Popularity Scale, girls didn't even spare him a glance, so he kind of tricked himself into believing he was ugly. I never really had an actual picture of him in my mind, like I did of his mother and Dina and Cal and Kyra and Bendis. Maybe he was kinda like Anthony from Smosh? He's not ugly, he's actually pretty cute, but he's not someone who would have girls crawling all over him.

Also, I really liked Dina. She was cool. She wasn't shallow; she actually had some amount of intelligence, and she called high school BS. (Which it is.) Maybe she only had a few very short chapters with actual dialogue, but she had an impression.

Kyra also amused me to no end. For anyone who's read the book: I don't need to elaborate on this topic. (Well, she amused me until near the end. I was really scared for her.)

The prose was utterly hilarious, and when it wasn't hilarious, the raw emotion was almost overwhelming. The voice was perfectly pitched; as a nerdy comic geek myself (though I'm into Japanese comics, not American ones, which is why I liked the Ranma comment on page 218), I understand Fanboy. There's something truly endearing about him, I think.

Overall, a great book. Pretty true to its title, though it's not a superhero book. Because personally I think Kyra conspiring to crash into a minivan and flashing a famous comic book author is pretty astonishing.(less)

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Feb 04, 2011 Love YA Lit rated it 3 of 5 stars

Nora's Review: I know this book is kind of old (well, like five years old or something), but I kept hearing so much about it that I felt the need to pick it up. The title is great, and seems to promise some romance etc…and I naively thought it would be something along the lines of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. It is not.

Not that it isn’t a great book – it is. I think it really captures the voice of an alienated and bullied adolescent who is also trying to be a good person and just get thro...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have been wanting to read this book for a while. When I got "Goth Girl Rising" through the Amazon Vine program; I decided that that was the perfect excuse to go ahead and buy this book. It was a very good book. I enjoyed it and had trouble putting it down.

Fanboy is having a rough year. His mom is pregnant with his step-dad's kid, his step-dad doesn't understand him, he only has one friend, and everyone at school picks on him. There is one thing that he lives for and that is a graphic novel he...more

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Dec 18, 2010 Kyra rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Kyra by: Noone

In my opinion this book was fantastic. It's a very real story mostly about a boy named Donnie. He's a misunderstood comic book writer with divorced parents. He lives with his mother and step father named Tony, that he calls step-fascist. His only friend is a lacrosse player named Cal, who is often blowing off Donnie for his fellow jock friends. One day in gym class a girl named Kyra sees Donnie getting beaten up and takes pictures, which she sends to Donnie to prove someone is seeing whats going...more

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Jul 15, 2010 ICPL Staff Picks added it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, kara, staff-picks-blog, fiction

I recently listened to Barry Lyga’s debut novel and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s not what I typically read nor listen to, but I admit I looked forward to time in the car so I could listen to the book. Scott Brick is a great narrator and his voice was great for the teen protagonist.

Fanboy is a self-proclaimed geek who escapes the cruelties of the world by writing and illustrating Schemata, a graphic novel that draws from his life’s experiences. When Fanboy meets Kyra ("Goth Girl"), his world chang...more

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Jul 09, 2010 Sonja rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let us take a moment to analyze the title of this work of fiction.

Titles are tricky beasts -- you have to be careful with them. Titles, much like first sentences and paragraphs, make promises to the readers. Now readers, as everyone should know, are demanding little three year olds who want those promises kept, gosh darnit. As a reader, I demand (petulantly) that those promises be kept.

Astonishing -- that's a big word with lots of baggage that promises to be absolutely amazing and fantastic. For...more

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 23, 2010 -k The Lady Critic rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was a little worried that I wouldn’t like this book but something made me pick it up at the library anyways. I mean, it sounded intriguing with the title and the summary was just vague enough that I was still left wondering. I have to admit, though, that I did enjoy reading this. The take on life was one that completely lived in the grey areas and it was interesting to see how the characters changed and evolved within the eyes of Donnie (AKA Fanboy).

Actually, it’s rather interesting; Fanboy’s...more

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About Barry Lyga

Barry Lyga is a recovering comic book geek. When he was a kid, everyone told him that comic books were garbage and would rot his brain, but he had the last laugh. Raised on a steady diet of comics, he worked in the comic book industry for ten years, but now writes full-time because, well, wouldn't you?

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl is his first novel.

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Goth Girl Rising (The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, #2)

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“I just have an allergic reaction to lung cancer. Gives me tumors.” — 17 people liked it

“I suddenly realize that I'm naked, which shouldn't bother me since it's the phone, but for some reason it does.

"How's it hanging?" Kyra asks and now I think I'm blushing. It's just an expression, but jeez!” — 8 people liked it

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