The Adventures of Fan Boy and Goth Girl (Young Adult Realistic Fiction)

  Lyga, B. (2006). The Astonishing Adventures of Fan Boy and Goth Girl. New York. Houghton Mifflin Company.

   I didn’t really realize it at the time but both of my realistic fiction books feature “outsiders” and goth teens. I didn’t do that on purpose! In fact, as a high school teacher for the last 10 years, I have seen that the whole “goth” look has pretty much disappeared in my school. Anyway, I did find this book to be, again, an interesting, quick read.

   Fan Boy is a comic book nerd in high school with one real friend. He is small and is the frequent target of bullying. He escapes into comic books and has, in fact, written one himself. His dream is to show it to a famous writer and get it published.

   Fan Boy connects with Kyra, Goth Girl, after she takes pictures of him being beaten up in gym class. She has problems of her own and the two of them find a deeper connection than he has had with any girl. Fan Boy eventually gets a chance to live out his dream but finds that things aren’t always what he had hoped.

   This book will appeal to probably most teens. It’s not as odd as “Debbie Harry”. It’s more upbeat because it shows that finding something to focus on, in this case comic books, can help you through anything and can help you set goals.

 

Debbie Harry Sings in French (Young Adult Realistic Fiction)

       Brothers, M. (2008). Debbie Harry Sings in French. New York. Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

   This book was a quick, interesting read.  I don’t think all high school students feel like outsiders but those who do will be able to relate.

   Johnny’s father is dead. His mother is having trouble coping. He starts dressing like an emo (goth) and drinking heavily. Johnny loves 80’s punk type music and falls in love with Debbie Harry. After he almost dies when someone slips him drugs, he is sent to live with his uncle in the South. Johnny discovers he has a penchant for dressing in women’s clothing. His new girlfriend, who has her own problems,  encourages it and, in fact, helps him put together a Debbie Harry outfit to try to win money in a drag show in Atlanta.  

   The story is about accepting and embracing who you are. It is an easy read that will appeal to most teenagers, even if they don’t feel like outsiders.

 

The Giver (Young Adult Classics)

 Lowrey, L. (1993). The Giver. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Adults.

 I’ve never been a big science fiction fan, beyond the old Star Trek television series, but I really like The Giver.  When well written, it’s an interesting concept to me; what is going to happen in the future?  In this future, humans basically have choices taken away from them, particuliarly the ability to have their own children and to decide how many to have.

   When the protagonist, Jonas, turns 12, he becomes an adult. He also becomes The Receiver of Memory, meaning he, alone, holds all old memories of pain, war, etc.  He gets this honor from The Giver, an old man who is the current Receiver of Memory.  He and Jonas grow close, as the only two humans who have memory.

   Jonas also develops a relationship with a small problem child, Gabriel, who is in danger of being “released,” or killed. The two escape the community but the ending of the book is left up to the reader to determine.

   I like the story because it tells us that our feelings are what make us human. Taking emotions away leaves little more than robots and putting all those emotions and memories on one person is too much for them to bear. My daughter read this book for a class in middle school and I highly recommend it for all young adults.

 

The Outsiders (Young Adult Classics)

   Hinton, S. E. (1967). The Outsiders. New York: PUTNAM BOOKS.

 The focus of my blog is changing from childrens literature to young adult literature. The first book I’m going to talk about is “The Outsiders.” This book was published nearly 45 years ago but holds up even today. We have copies of it available in our reading department at my high school and teenagers still enjoy reading it.

   I think this is due, in part, to the fact that it is still relatable to teens. Gangs still exist, although on a much tougher level than 45 years ago. It’s amusing to read the “gang” names, like Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Two-Bit. The plot is kind of “West Side Story” ish. The Greasers versus the Socials (the poor, wrong side of the tracks against the rich kids). There is romance among the two sides, there is fighting, and there is death. I think the fact that “The Outsiders” has been so durable is mostly due to the fact that it’s an entertaining story. By the time kids get to high school, most of them have read this book in middle school. And I don’t see that changing any time soon.