kellylynnthomas's review against another edition
4.0
If you have ever been a comic book nerd, gothy, weird, or gone to high school, you can probably relate to these characters. I happened to have been all at once, so I super related to the characters. Sometimes Fanboy got a little too "nobody understands me because I don't like sports and do like comics waaaaah" but he does have a mini awakening toward the end, that hey, high school is rough and people make fun of you regardless of what you like.
The dynamic between Fanboy and Kyra (Goth Girl) is interesting and thankfully not a typical romance. I'm not sure how I felt about Kyra flashing her boobs all the time, but she does clearly have some issues and knows more about life than she lets on to Fanboy in the beginning (as he discovers). Even so, the boob flashing seemed a little too comic booky, and I feel the author could have found a better way for her to express what she was trying to express without taking her shirt off in certain scenes (I was okay with her taking her shirt off the first time--the second I thought was just ridiculous).
The most rewarding thing about this book is how Fanboy grows. And he does grow quite a bit. He learns some important things about his family, himself, and his friends, and also how the comic book industry works. I'd give this book to any teen in a second. The only thing I can't figure out is why the heck they put giant lips on the cover--that is not a book a teenage dude is likely to pick up, whether he likes sports or superheroes. But that doesn't change the quality of the book inside, which is quite high.
The dynamic between Fanboy and Kyra (Goth Girl) is interesting and thankfully not a typical romance. I'm not sure how I felt about Kyra flashing her boobs all the time, but she does clearly have some issues and knows more about life than she lets on to Fanboy in the beginning (as he discovers). Even so, the boob flashing seemed a little too comic booky, and I feel the author could have found a better way for her to express what she was trying to express without taking her shirt off in certain scenes (I was okay with her taking her shirt off the first time--the second I thought was just ridiculous).
The most rewarding thing about this book is how Fanboy grows. And he does grow quite a bit. He learns some important things about his family, himself, and his friends, and also how the comic book industry works. I'd give this book to any teen in a second. The only thing I can't figure out is why the heck they put giant lips on the cover--that is not a book a teenage dude is likely to pick up, whether he likes sports or superheroes. But that doesn't change the quality of the book inside, which is quite high.
missprint_'s review against another edition
5.0
Fanboy wants three things more than anything in the world--he'll even tell you two of them. But there are also things that Fanboy needs, especially now that his sophomore year is morphing into his own personal hell.
Senior Goddess Dina Jurgens doesn't know he exists and his part-time-best-friend/full-time-jock, Cal, is distant. Nothing new there.
But at home his pregnant mother and stepfather (that would the Step-Fascist to anyone paying attention) are anxiously awaiting the birth of his half-brother or half-sister. As if that could make them into a real family. School isn't much better once the bullies and the Jock Jerks decide to make Fanboy their own personal target Every. Single. Day.
But that's okay because Fanboy knows exactly what he wants and he has a plan: a secret scheme that will get him out of his lame little town and prove his worth to everyone once and for all.
When the mysterious and angry Goth Girl bursts into his life, he might even have an accomplice in The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (2007) by Barry Lyga.
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl is the first of Lyga's intertwining books set in Brookdale. It's also a total powerhouse of a novel. Lyga brings an impressive amount of depth to Fanboy's narration about both his stifling discontent and his hope for something more.
What had the potential to be a devastating story turns into a tale of optimism as Fanboy realizes that some of the fundamental truths of his life might bebased on falsehoods, like the ones he tells so easily throughout the novel.
Fanboy is a really great narrator with charm that comes through even when he is as his lowest as seen in "The Great Ecuadorian Tortoise Blight of 1928"--one of my most favorite passages.
And Goth Girl, well, she's Goth Girl. Part catalyst, part friend, all angry, Goth Girl might just be the girl Fanboy never knew he always wanted. Or she might be a train wreck waiting to happen. Readers who feel the ending of her story is underdeveloped in this novel should also read this book's recent sequel Goth Girl Rising (2009).
Possible Pairings: Anything by Brian Michael Bendis, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going, Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart, The Superhero Handbook by Michael Powell
Senior Goddess Dina Jurgens doesn't know he exists and his part-time-best-friend/full-time-jock, Cal, is distant. Nothing new there.
But at home his pregnant mother and stepfather (that would the Step-Fascist to anyone paying attention) are anxiously awaiting the birth of his half-brother or half-sister. As if that could make them into a real family. School isn't much better once the bullies and the Jock Jerks decide to make Fanboy their own personal target Every. Single. Day.
But that's okay because Fanboy knows exactly what he wants and he has a plan: a secret scheme that will get him out of his lame little town and prove his worth to everyone once and for all.
When the mysterious and angry Goth Girl bursts into his life, he might even have an accomplice in The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (2007) by Barry Lyga.
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl is the first of Lyga's intertwining books set in Brookdale. It's also a total powerhouse of a novel. Lyga brings an impressive amount of depth to Fanboy's narration about both his stifling discontent and his hope for something more.
What had the potential to be a devastating story turns into a tale of optimism as Fanboy realizes that some of the fundamental truths of his life might bebased on falsehoods, like the ones he tells so easily throughout the novel.
Fanboy is a really great narrator with charm that comes through even when he is as his lowest as seen in "The Great Ecuadorian Tortoise Blight of 1928"--one of my most favorite passages.
And Goth Girl, well, she's Goth Girl. Part catalyst, part friend, all angry, Goth Girl might just be the girl Fanboy never knew he always wanted. Or she might be a train wreck waiting to happen. Readers who feel the ending of her story is underdeveloped in this novel should also read this book's recent sequel Goth Girl Rising (2009).
Possible Pairings: Anything by Brian Michael Bendis, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going, Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart, The Superhero Handbook by Michael Powell
piercethellouis_fandomaws's review against another edition
A male main character who fantasizes about school shootings, shamelessly looks up girls' skirts at his school, and always carries a bullet in his pocket needs a goth girl who encourages him to be as violent as possible. What could go wrong?
guerrillabooks's review against another edition
What to say?
I listened to the first 22 chapters, which is only 1/3 of the book, but I'm just not in the mood to continue... so I'm gonna stop, maybe I'll pick it back up at a later date.
The main character should take his complaints to this show that I ran across on MTV a few days ago called Bully Beatdown
For some reason it was just really hard for me to invest in the character. I didn't really care about what happened to him. I almost stopped listening to the book a few times, but I decided to keep on with the assumption that at some point I would start to care about the poor kid, but I didn't, call me a heal.
I know there is a problem with bullies in schools - but I think perhaps it affects boys more than it does girls. It would be interesting to do a little background study.
One thing that I did like, as bizarre and Columbine-ish as it was, was how Fanboy had his little "totem" that he kept in his pocket to calm him when people frustrated him... it was a bullet.
I can relate to that much at least - the need to something to calm me when people frustrate me.
I listened to the first 22 chapters, which is only 1/3 of the book, but I'm just not in the mood to continue... so I'm gonna stop, maybe I'll pick it back up at a later date.
The main character should take his complaints to this show that I ran across on MTV a few days ago called Bully Beatdown
For some reason it was just really hard for me to invest in the character. I didn't really care about what happened to him. I almost stopped listening to the book a few times, but I decided to keep on with the assumption that at some point I would start to care about the poor kid, but I didn't, call me a heal.
I know there is a problem with bullies in schools - but I think perhaps it affects boys more than it does girls. It would be interesting to do a little background study.
One thing that I did like, as bizarre and Columbine-ish as it was, was how Fanboy had his little "totem" that he kept in his pocket to calm him when people frustrated him... it was a bullet.
I can relate to that much at least - the need to something to calm me when people frustrate me.
dctigue's review against another edition
4.0
This is a good teen book. Stay true to yourself kinda book. One I can refer to as a go to book for students.
colleenaf's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed the whole thing but it was the ending the really knocked me over. Can't decide if the cover is so perfectly teen that any adult just finds it embarrassing to hold or actually just if it scares off high school boys as well. I'm a much bigger fan of the shiny blue paperback version.
anikoliab's review against another edition
3.0
This would have gotten a three, had the book actually had any conclusion at all. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl gives a wonderful insight into high school life. It shows that it isn't always just the goths that are depressed, and it shows that everyone can find someone.
However, there was no clear ending to this book. It just kind of...stopped. There was no conclusion whatsoever, not even a paragraph to distinguish it from any other old chapter. That is why this book receives only a three. Don't get me wrong, I will recommend it...but with hesitation. It seems like someone got lazy.
However, there was no clear ending to this book. It just kind of...stopped. There was no conclusion whatsoever, not even a paragraph to distinguish it from any other old chapter. That is why this book receives only a three. Don't get me wrong, I will recommend it...but with hesitation. It seems like someone got lazy.
blaarrosir's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite books of all time and one of the reasons Barry Lyga is one of my favorite authors!
tnbcgirl's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0