The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl

By: Barry Lyga

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

"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 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 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 friend 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 stands in his way. But Kyra has secrets, too. And they could lead Fanboy to his dreams...or down a path into his own darkness.

©2007 Barry Lyga (P)2001 Random House Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"Plenty here to keep listeners engaged." (Publishers Weekly)
"So cool that you might want to wrap it in black fabric and have it delivered anonymously to your teenager....What a find." (Newsday)
"Fanboy's whip-smart, often hilariously sarcastic voice...adds fresh, urgent perspective to age-old questions about how young people cope with...being misunderstood as they try to discover themselves." (Booklist)

Not to be missed!

What a hysterically funny coming of age read!… Loved “the list”, Loved the “magic cards”, Loved “The Great Ecuadorian Turtle Blight of the 1920’s” and Love, Loved Fanboy!
I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard throughout a book… Actually I don’t believe another book has ever cracked me up the way THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FANBOY AND GOTH GIRL did.
Who knew a story about a lonely and geeky comic book (excuse me, graphic novel) loving kid and his high school woes could be so captivating. The highly intelligent, yet socially invisible (when not being tormented) Fanboy’s internal snarky dialog kept me rolling from start to finish.
Surprisingly, Barry Lyga addresses quite a few serious topics in this book; from divorce, second marriages and true friendship to bullying, depression and even teen suicide and he does it well and in a way that feels very real. Also to Mr. Lyga’s credit as a writer, he manages not to cheapen the issues, which would be very easy to do considering the amount of humor invested in the story.
With a charming and believable cast, complete and chock full of teen awkwardness, raw emotion and just an abundance of funny, THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FANBOY AND GOTH GIRL is a read that is sure to win you over and steal your heart… I know Fanboy stole mine. Can’t wait to see how the story continues in GOTH GIRL RISING.

:D

Amazing story and voice acting!! I was sucked into the world. Give this to your teenager

Complex Characters and Wonderful Narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this. Lyga took two of the stereotypical "outcast" types and really fleshed them out wonderfully. There is humor and sadness and more than a little awkwardness that made me cringe with the embarrassing memories of being a teen myself. As a parent I was annoyed at the teenage stupidity and drama, but I also recognized the the angst from my own days in high school nearly 30 years ago. The book could have taken place in the 90s or today. My teen daughter identified with the character as well as I did.

What did you like best about this story?

The depth of the characters' personalities was wonderful and Scott Brick truly brought them to life.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Scott Brick has a way of digging into the text and finding the kinds of intricate details that make up the story, the characters, and their motivations that most people could easily miss unless they read it more than once. He delivers these complex characters and motivations in such a subtle way that it is easy to lose yourself entirely in a world he has built through his narration.

Any additional comments?

My daughter is not a fan of audiobooks, but we listened to this together on a road trip and she was hooked. She couldn't help getting so completely lost in the story that she would talk to the characters when things got intense. I think Scott Brick has made a new fan.

Great story with a Bitter ending

Without spoiling too much for me the ending could've Been handled a little bit differently it seems the author wasn't fair not only too he's main characters but to the people who are listening I mean this is fanboy and goth girl this is their love story whether you like to see it that way or not there's no happy ending here, and you as the reader will feel what I mean when you reach that point in the story specifically with goth girl.What saved this review and recommendation was the narration of Mr.Brick and the core of the story.

Got it for my daughter, like it myself

This is not great fiction, but is a fun listen for the nerdy or geeky of any age. Nice characters and is both touching and funny. Not altogether believable or deep, but well worth the listen.

It makes feel and it makes you think

Scott Brick made this book come alive. I had to stop at times, pause and wait for what was to come. I hope Mr. Lyga continues Fan Boys life in new volumes to come.

Meh

The narrator is SO boring, reads so slow and doesn't fit the character at all.

What I mean by this is the narrator is like, 40 by the sounds of it, and the kid is supposed to be like, 15. When I listen to an audiobook told from the perspective of a teenager, I expect the narrator to pass for a teen's voice, as if they are performing the character, not just simply reading the book aloud. That's my biggest grip with this particular recording. The guy also spaces out his sentences so much, listening to him makes me feel like I'm drifting to sleep. Guess you can call this book a real snoozer.

It's not just the performance that sucks, it's really the story overall. The author didn't even bother to give our protagonist a real name, we're just supposed to accept him as "fanboy", and I have absolutely no idea what the point of his journey is or what it's supposed to be to begin with. He wants to meet his favorite author and some goth girl pushes him to make his work better or something like that? I have no idea, I thought I could relate to this book and I honestly don't even know what I'm listening to.

Also, it's one of those old audiobooks where tracks are split by original CD discs, not individual chapters, which makes listening to this book an even bigger pain in the ass.