Goth Girl Rising: Lashing Out or Moving On

Goth Girl Rising by Barry Lyga

Why did I read it?

Because I finished The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl and had to know if Kyra was going to be able to work through her problems, or if she was going to get worse...

What happened?

SPOILER ALERT

So Donnie thought that he might have unintentionally told Kyra to kill herself, so he freaked out and called her Dad who swiftly dropped her back in the mental hospital. Oh sweet!

Well, Kyra just got released, and she is still ticked at her Dad and Fanboy (Donnie)! But, she is willing to give Fanboy a chance because she really did like him, and even though he still has a lot of work to do on Schemata (his graphic novel), he understands girls better than any other boy she knows.

But, she very quickly realizes that she can't forgive Fanboy like she thought. Not only did he not write her a single email while she was imprisoned, he seemed to forget she even existed and completely move on without her. He even had the nerve to publish Schemata in the ridiculous school art paper.

So needless to say, Kyra is not happy, and she is going to stop at nothing until she has absolutely destroyed Fanboy!

What did I like or not like?

As I mentioned, I decided to read the sequel because I had to figure out what was going to happen to Kyra, and I also got totally drawn into these characters and this world. Lyga's sequel doesn't disappoint. You still have the same interaction and characters from Fanboy and Goth Girl, but instead of it being from Donnie's perspective, this time we get a peek inside of Kyra's head.

Similarly to Donnie's experience, Kyra goes through a whole bunch of things that ultimately make her realize that she isn't as alone as she might have thought. But even more ultimately, Krya finds a way to deal with her anger, and her mother's death, that is both realistic and hopeful.

P.S. Just like the first title, there is language and sexual references throughout this one.

Fanboy and Goth Girl: You're Not Alone

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga

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 Mom's new husband) got her pregnant. Now he has to hear about all the terrible things that he is doing in the context of what a terrible older brother (step-brother!) he is going to be.

The only thing that makes his life worth living is the graphic novel he is working on. Donnie is convinced that this graphic novel is the key to getting out of his small town, and show all those jock idiots who is really the boss.

Enter Kyra, the weird Goth chick who loves his graphic novel and hates the jocks as much as he does. They would be a perfect team...if she wasn't possibly serious about killing the jocks and have some disturbing problems in her own past as well.

What did I like or not like?

This book dragged me in and wouldn't let me go. Lyga does an excellent job showing two troubled characters who might have problems with each other, but still find comfort in each other's presence and direction.

Ultimately, Donnie finds that he isn't as alone as he once thought, and if you want to find out more about Kyra, you can read my post next week about Goth Girl Rising.

P.S. There is language and sexual references throughout this one. 

What does it mean to be a hero?

How was the weekend? Hope it was a least a little bit relaxing.

This week (or should I say last night) I read another YA book that I wanted to chat with you about. Each Wednesday, I feel pretty accomplished because I have read a book before then, and I have something to write to you all about. Then its about that Sunday that I realize, have I started reading another book for THIS Wednesday? Some of the time the answer is yes, some of the time the answer is no. This week it was a no. But, what needs to get done gets done, so here we are at another book blurt.

This week I read Barry Lyga’s Hero Type. Lyga is the author of The Astonishing Adventures of FanBoy and Goth Girl, and Boy Toy. Both books have been highly acclaimed by the American Library Association and many other important places like the New York Times. I haven’t had a chance to read those books, but the synopsis of Hero Type really caught my eye, so I figured I’d read it.

The book starts just after our protagonist, Kevin Ross a.k.a Kross, is in the right place at the right time to save a girl from being raped. The entire town goes “Kevin Krazy” as he calls it. Everyone wants an interview, there are “Thank You, Kevin” signs in every store window, and the mayor wants to give him the key to the city. Then, just as quickly, Kevin is thrown from his pedestal by throwing some of the medals (some which said, “Support Our Troops”) away, with a reporter taking pictures of the whole thing. Now, the entire town is outraged! They can’t believe that their “hero” doesn’t support the troops!

So begins a roller coaster of Kross wrestling with what it actually means to support the troops, and trying to convince the other people in his school, and in his town, of what he finds out. Although this book wasn’t a light read, I had a great time with it. It brought up some very interesting points on the whole issue of freedom of speech, symbols, and thinking for yourself. It also brought up some interesting points about being popular and being patriotic.

While I enjoyed the book, I do have a couple words of caution. There is some swearing and some sexual references throughout the book. The uses weren’t gratuitous, and they were realistic for the characters and situations, but they are still in there. With any book, its important to look at the whole picture, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and ask why the author put the stuff in there. It is also important to know what you look for in a book, and if you are okay with that kind of content in the books you read.