The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl

published	2006 by Houghton Mifflin
binding	Hardcover
isbn	0618723927 (isbn13: 9780618723928)
ebook
pages	320
description	Is this my hidden Mutant Power--The ability to screw up absolutely any decent situation? Fanboy has never had it good, but lately his sophomore year...more [close] Is this my hidden Mutant Power--The ability to screw up absolutely any decent situation? 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 favourite 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 away from all the people who 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 stand in his way. But Kyra has secrets, too. And they could lead Fanboy to his dreams...or down a path into his own darkness. [close]
date added	03-06-07 edit book

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 334)

Rita

Rita rated it:

05/24/08

bookshelves: kids, loved-, most-recent

Read in May, 2008

This was a great book. It’s a teen-dork angst book. The main character, 15 year-old Fanboy (Donnie), copes with being bullied by the Jock Jerks in his school by entertaining Columbine-like fantasies (in which he’s the hero, saving most of the school from tragedy), keeping a List (of those who will someday suffer his vengeance) and rubbing a bullet he keeps in his pocket like a security blanket.

He’s a brainy dork who fits the brainy dork stereotype by being, well, brainy and dorky�...more

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Jennifer

Jennifer rated it:

(review of isbn 0618916520)

04/29/08

bookshelves: trt-reviews

Reviewed by Karin Perry for TeensReadToo.com

Barry Lyga explodes into the teen literature world with his unique debut novel. THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FANBOY AND GOTH GIRL is a novel about one young man's journey through confidence development.

Fanboy, a sophomore in high school, floats through life hoping to remain invisible since he has, more than once, fallen victim to bullies. His life is a lonely life. His parents have been divorced for six years, his mother is remarried and preg...more Reviewed by Karin Perry for TeensReadToo.com

Barry Lyga explodes into the teen literature world with his unique debut novel. THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FANBOY AND GOTH GIRL is a novel about one young man's journey through confidence development.

Fanboy, a sophomore in high school, floats through life hoping to remain invisible since he has, more than once, fallen victim to bullies. His life is a lonely life. His parents have been divorced for six years, his mother is remarried and pregnant, visits with his father are becoming less frequent due to his father's increased social life, and he doesn't relate to his stepfather at all.

Fanboy has been compiling a list for quite some time. The list includes people that have "pissed" him off for no particular reason. Once you are on the list, you never get off. This includes the jock jerks and girls from the cliques that seem to dismiss him as if he has no business even attending school with them.

One bright spot in Fanboy's day is visiting with his friend Cal. Cal is a jock jerk, but also has a passion for comic books, and the two often debate, in depth, about different issues in the comic book universe. The problem with being friends with Cal is, since he is a jock jerk, he doesn't act like much of a friend at school. Fanboy knows to back off when Cal's teammates approach them at school. Most of their conversations take place on the weekends or at night through instant messages.

Fanboy's life begins to change when he receives an instant message from an unknown person. Fearing it is another trick to humiliate him, he doesn't respond. After several messages and an email, he learns that it is a girl from his gym class. Kyra has been witnessing his torment the entire year. She has taken pictures of a bully hitting him in the arm while the teachers do nothing. After this initial contact through instant messaging, they agree to meet and Fanboy's life will never be the same.

The biggest secret in Fanboy's life, which he hasn't even shared with Cal, is the graphic novel he is creating. Schemata takes up all of his free time and he can't stop himself from sharing it with Kyra. She becomes a huge supporter and inspiration for the graphic novel. Fanboy is planning to attend a comic book convention where Michael Bendis himself is going to be signing autographs. Fanboy intends to show Bendis his work and truly believes it will be the break he needs to get Schemata published. Surprising and disastrous events at the convention lead Fanboy to worry about Kyra's well-being. While things don't work out exactly as he plans, Fanboy realizes confidence is the key to his problems. After many uncharacteristic behaviors, he manages to come to terms with some of the issues in his life and makes plans for the future. He even takes someone off "the list."

THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FANBOY AND GOTH GIRL will be enjoyed by readers who enjoy teenage problem novels. Comic book fans will enjoy the graphic novel references, especially the cameo appearance by Michael Bendis. While the ending left me slightly unsatisfied, it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of this novel. This will be a great addition to any collection. ...less

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Tim

Tim rated it:

08/26/08

bookshelves: fiction

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: teens and those who teach them; lovers of voice

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 t...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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Laurie

Laurie rated it:

09/06/08

Read in September, 2008

recommends it for: Anyone, especially those who love comics or graphic novels

Barry Lyca’s The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl was so captivating I lost track of time as I read. I found myself sucked into the emotional angst of a teenage boy and his struggle to find his identity and confidence. I chanted “Go Fanboy!” as he worked on Schemata and had his first encounter with Bendis. I cheered as he made out with Dina, and pleaded with him when he talked to Goth Girl about her need for help. I couldn’t believe how caught up in the story I got unti...more Barry Lyca’s The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl was so captivating I lost track of time as I read. I found myself sucked into the emotional angst of a teenage boy and his struggle to find his identity and confidence. I chanted “Go Fanboy!” as he worked on Schemata and had his first encounter with Bendis. I cheered as he made out with Dina, and pleaded with him when he talked to Goth Girl about her need for help. I couldn’t believe how caught up in the story I got until it was over and I read the most touching line of the whole book, “Can I feel?”

I thought about the title of the book, and it seems appropriate that Fanboy is the main characters name. He’s a fan. He doesn’t participate in life, but he’s a fan, watching, waiting for the right moments to cheer, but ultimately going through the motions and remaining unnoticed. Fanboy moves away from just being a fan in the last few pages of the book. Kyra’s angry picture and message inform the reader that Fanboy has grown up, and found an identity and place in the world. Fanboy is a “you,” a “he,” and his mom calls him “sweetie” with the look of maternal care that Dina could not muster. He takes a step in the direction of the unknown without the security of his safety bullet and finds he is able to be an individual with confidence. The world seems clearer at this
point.

When Fanboy was suffering from his migraine the world was crashing around him. He lost his best friend, his could be girl friend, his chance of going to the comic convention, and his mother to the step fascist. Nothing was okay anymore and Lyca did a fantastic job of showing this. When Fanboy moved away from the migraine the following day it was as if the fog was beginning to lift on his life, only he didn’t know it yet; a fantastic job of foreshadowing and symbolism on behalf of Lyca.

What makes Fanboy’s character so appealing to me is the realness of his thoughts, and motivations. I could be wrong, but I don’t think Fanboy was given any other name. His “real” name was never mentioned, which made it easier for me to really get into his character; even though I’m a female. I love it when authors do this; allowing the reader to put his or herself into the position of the main character and go through each page as if they were the character.

Lyca did an amazing thing with this book. He hooked a graphic novel and comic book avoider into his world of comics and graphic novels. This hook was so effective it made me look up the comics mentioned and the Giant Size X-Men #1 poster to see what was so special about them that a teenage boy could get so inspired. I’ll admit, I still don’t completely understand the appeal, but I do understand passion and the power of inspiration.

...less

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Kim

Kim rated it:

03/01/08

bookshelves: gmba, young-adult

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 t...more

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5 comments

MAMA CIERRA z

MAMA CIERRA z rated it:

05/05/08

Read in April, 2008

Are you the type of person with uncontrollable thoughts? Is your mind constantly driving you wacky? I can say I know how it feels to think about the thought I just thought then wonder why I thought it in the first place and what it means that I thought that thought or even what it means to think about the thoughts I was thinking or are am a just thinking I’m just going crazy?
If you got confused at all in the previous paragraph this is absolutly not the book for you. Do not pass go, and do ...more Are you the type of person with uncontrollable thoughts? Is your mind constantly driving you wacky? I can say I know how it feels to think about the thought I just thought then wonder why I thought it in the first place and what it means that I thought that thought or even what it means to think about the thoughts I was thinking or are am a just thinking I’m just going crazy?
If you got confused at all in the previous paragraph this is absolutly not the book for you. Do not pass go, and do not collect 100 dollars. You should stop reading at this point.
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl, was a ride through the thoughts of a sophomore outcast tied together with dialogue. “Fanboy” the main character is a comic book buff, insomniac who is lost in his own head full of fantasies most of the time. While trying hard to keep it a secret from his only friend Cal (a jock on the lacrosse team, that so happens to be not like the rest) that he is working on his very own graphic novel. He comes across a girl named Kyra “Gothgirl” she is the only one who notices the terrible things people put him through at school. Gothgirl is defiantly not like the rest either, not one bit.
Now I don’t want to have to put a spoiler alert on this review, but I have to say I enjoyed every minute of reading this novel. I caught my self laughing out loud at his thoughts and fantasies. I found my self relating to him, in more then a few ways, and at suspenseful times I found my self hanging on by the seat of my pants. I thought about this book when I wasn’t reading it, and I wondered how they were doing inside there waiting to be read by me.
I learned about fear, and how some people wrap them selves up in an obsession to take care of that fear. This book looks at obsessions from multipul points of view. though structure also helps with that, not everyone is the same, even if they choose to make them selves seem like they are like the rest, they may not be, and then on the other hand there are the people that make them selves seem like their not at all like the rest when they are. So where do I fall in? Where do you fall in? ...less

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Bethany

Bethany rated it:

07/13/08

bookshelves: youngadultfiction

Fanboy is a high school sophomore taking all advanced classes, getting beat on daily by a bully in gym class, struggling with his feelings about girls, and he is creating a graphic novel. His only friend is Cal, a jock who is a huge comic book fan himself, but is also intellectual which is why Fanboy can tolerate him. Fanboy hates almost all the “Jerk Jocks” in school and has even gone so far as to create “The List” where he keeps mental track of all the people who have wronged him eithe...more

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Evil_Dead_Junkie

Evil_Dead_Junkie rated it:

02/21/08

bookshelves: ya

Read as part of Young Adult Literature section of a course I'm taking.

This book hit pretty close to home, capturing perfectly what it's like to be a geeky, obessive (though for me it was film not comics Sam Raimi not Bendis), alienated, kid whose about half as clever as he thinks he is and has a chip about the size of VW Bus on his shoulder. Further more it captures perfectly the kind of intense, necessary, and completely fucked up relationship you can form when you meet someone you see as ...more

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Kathryn

Kathryn rated it:

10/13/07

bookshelves: fiction, life-issues, love-story, young-adult

Read in December, 2006

There are three things that Fanboy wants more that anything in this world. The first is the newest, fasted Mac computer to be able to produce his comic--excuse me, I mean graphic novel. The second is a mint condition Giant-Size X-Men #1. The third he will never tell, but someday I hope to find out.

Fanboy fantasizes about what every under-challenged kid does--catching a glimpse of a perfectly toned flesh, kissing the most popular kid at school, finding a way out of a too-small town that does...more

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Jon

Jon rated it:

12/28/07

bookshelves: juvies

Read in December, 2007

Barry Lyga really knows and loves his comic books and graphic novels. He seems to know something about the high school/teenage experience as well. What might be astonishing to some is how rough that experience can be for some people. Here Lyga doesn't hold back and gives a story that's crude, nasty, touching, frustrating, disappointing and overall wonderful.

Fanboy, in all his smart and funny arrogance, tells the story and our focus is primarily on him and what he's going through. His own...more

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Holly

Holly rated it:

11/06/07

bookshelves: audiobook, romance, young-adult

Read in November, 2007

This is a young adult coming-of-age story that is very true to life in that it doesn't have a happy ending. The socially-inept and bullied comic fanboy lead character doesn't escape his bullies entirely, and still has a lot to patch up with family and friends. The little goth girl's problems are not magically solved, and she is still depressed and in danger at the end of the book. But the lead character learns to not take things as seriously, to give other people the benefit of the doubt a bit m...more

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Jackie

Jackie rated it:

03/20/08

bookshelves: humor, misery--oh-misery, youngadult

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: ages 13 and up

Gee, I though I hated high school. I've got nothing on Donnie, AKA Fanboy because of his love for comics and graphic novels. I had the heartbreak of horrible skin as a teenager, but I had some great friends and a good relationship with my parents.
Donnie is the school geek with a perfect record who regularly gets bashed against lockers, who barely grunts at his parents, and who has just one friend. He's made into a punching bag by a lowlife during PE, and that's when Kyra - Goth Girl - ...more

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Srcsmgrl

Srcsmgrl rated it:

10/07/07

Read in November, 2006

recommends it for: 14+

In this book, Fanboy is coping with a broken family and being teased and bullied at school. Fanboy (as the nickname implies) is a fan of comics and graphic novels and is hoping that publishing his own graphic novel will be his ticket out of town and out of his difficult life. Fanboy has one friend who loves comics but also loves LaCross. When a LaCross game interferes with the boys planned outing to a comic convention, the boys part ways. In steps GothGirl! She likes his graphic novel and will d...more

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Radford

Radford rated it:

03/25/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in March, 2008

I picked up a pre-publication editor's copy of this book through a book swap and it's pretty decent. In the same vein as The Perks of Being a Wallflower (quite possibly one of my top 3 books), but not quite on the same level. Perhaps just a more raw & current look at teen life these days. It's not as poetic as Perks, but it does give a great view into the mind of a highschool outcast in the post-Columbine era. I was definately a tortured student over the years - constantly teased - but I...more

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Christina

Christina rated it:

(review of isbn 0739339044)

08/27/07

bookshelves: realistic

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: graphic novel/comic book fans, teen boys, anyone who's ever felt like an outsider

The main character, never named, is a 15 year old boy, comic book fan and aspiring artist, who has only one friend (sort of--football jock Cal only wants to be his friend when other jocks aren't around) and a "List" of enemies--all the kids and teachers who've bullied him, hit him, or otherwise made his life miserable. He does well in school coz he's smart and likes to read, but otherwise he's not happy. His home life's nothing great either; parents divorced, he lives with his mom and ...more

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Havenisle

Havenisle rated it:

(review of isbn 0618916520)

03/25/08

Yet another book that I wanted to like more. It was good, but I couldn't identify with the main character. As an outcast, I too felt smarter than most kids, but unlike this guy, I didn't have a cool friend that changed my perceptions. I suppose I was more like the unhappy medium between the fanboy and the gothgirl here- full of rage and frustration, but never enough to wear black eyeliner or develop unhealthy addictions to comic books... I suppose it was the transformation scene at the party t...more

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Lisa

Lisa rated it:

08/27/08

bookshelves: childrensandyoungadultfiction, fiction

Read in August, 2008

recommended to Lisa by: Wendy at the library

I loved this book! And not just because it's a great book for any fan of sequential art, or a story about smart teenagers (always a winner for me). Lyga does a really good job of making a novel out of the stuff of everyday life, especially the highly magnified-out-of-proportion mundanities that are the stuff of high school. Fanboy's triumphs are often tiny, subtle; his devastations are real, but frequently internal -- but you wouldn't know it from Fanboy's own narration, which dramatizes his lif...more

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Jessica

Jessica rated it:

03/21/08

Read in March, 2008

recommended to Jessica by: the library
recommends it for: adults who used to be geeky teens, any teenager

This YA book takes a little while to get going, but the second half had me up late wanting to see what happens next. Basically this is the most accurate description I've ever read of what I remember it was like to be a dorky, loner type teenager, stuck inside your own head. There is a scene where fanboy meets his favorite comic book author and the interaction perfectly captures the discontinuity of a teen and an adult really trying to communicate but failing because the mental worlds they live...more

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Jennifer

Jennifer rated it:

02/06/08

bookshelves: ya-fiction

Read in January, 2008

Lyga offers his own take on the classic teen outcast story. Donnie is an overly smart 15-year-old with only one friend and a head full of violent fantasies in which he imagines taking revenge on everyone who torments or ignores him at school. He finds solace in comic books and dreams of publishing his own graphic novel. His life starts to change when Kyra, a pale-faced, black-swathed goth girl witnesses his humiliation and befriends him.

Donnie and Kyra are unique, engaging characters bu...more

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Erin

Erin rated it:

08/15/08

bookshelves: ya

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: Fanboys and Goth Girls

The adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl are not quite astonishing...but rather pretty good. Fanboy is a geek. High school is complete hell. His parents are divorced, and his mom is married to the "step-fascist." And he has one friend: a popular jock who shares his love of comics but can't talk to him in public. Then he meets Kyra a.k.a. Goth Girl, who turns his world upside down and changes his perceptions of himself and those around him. But Kyra has her own problems, which are r...more

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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.78 (334 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.70 (276 ratings)
number of reviews: 95

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