Whitney Matheson, USAToday…
“While comic fans will appreciate references to Brian Michael Bendis, Alan Moore and the like, others will be transfixed by Lyga’s deadpan yet heartfelt tale of romance and ambition. The book is an entertaining read no matter what age you are, especially if you’re a fan of sarcastic high-school tales and/or comic-book references.”
Complete review in the Life section of the September 28, 2006 USAToday and in the “Pop Candy” blog at USAToday.com
Gillian Engberg, Booklist…
“…sharply authentic….Fanboy’s whip-smart, often hilariously sarcastic voice skillfully captures a teenager’s growing self-awareness, and adds fresh, urgent perspective to age-old questions about how young people cope with bullying and their own feelings of helplessness, rage, and being misunderstood as they try to discover themselves.”
Starred review! Complete review and interview with the author in the September 1, 2006 Booklist
Edie Ching, Booklist…
“Brick’s narration makes the tension of this debut novel palpable…. A memorable listening experience.”
Starred review for the audiobook in Booklist
Stephanie L. Petruso, School Library Journal…
“[Lyga’s] love of comics carries over into all three teen characters, breathing animation into a potentially sad but often funny story.”
Starred review! Read the complete review in the November, 2006 School Library Journal
Sonja Bolle, Newsday…
“Here is a novel that contains both the hopeful resilience of childhood and the shadow of despair. It takes graphic novels seriously as an art form and gives no easy answers. What a find.”
Read the complete review in the December 3, 2006 Newsday
Geri Diorio, VOYA…
“This engaging first novel has good characterization with genuine voices — one can hear real teens in the dialogue…. The book captures the joys, the troubles, and the aloneness that one can and often does feel as an adolescent. Teens will gobble it up and wait eagerly for Lyga’s next title.”
Complete review in the October 2006 VOYA
Paula Rohrlick, Kliatt…
“Dark at times yet often wryly funny, this is a penetrating and convincing look inside high school life.”
Complete review by Kliatt
Lucy Freeman (teen reviewer), VOYA…
“A triumphant finale leaves readers wanting to read the novel again and again.”
Complete review in the October 2006 VOYA
Publishers Weekly…
“Lyga’s debut novel…will quickly win over readers. In the end, there is plenty here to keep readers engaged.”
Complete review in the October 27, 2006 Publishers Weekly
Kirkus…
“…authentic and well-written…teen readers will appreciate the complexities of these unique characters and root for them to triumph.”
Complete review in the October 1, 2006 Kirkus
Chris Wiegard, Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch…
“This novel has a freshness of idea and execution that keeps the reader involved…. Bitter but funny sarcasm rules, but just as in real life, hope arrives without warning.”
Complete review in the Books & Authors section of the March 11, 2007 Times Dispatch
Parkersburg (WV) News and Sentinel…
“…a very true look at those disenfranchised teens that do not fit into the mainstream. Poignant, at times funny, and powerful, ‘Fanboy and Goth Girl’ is utterly captivating..”
Complete review in the October 2, 2006 News and Sentinel
Amie Rose Rotuck, Children’s Literature…
“Barry Lyga perfectly captures teen angst and ironic humor in this gritty portrayal of the life of a teenage geek. Fanboy’s voice manages to be truly original and, at the same time, speaks to everyone who ever felt like a geek, even for a moment.”
Read the complete review in Children’s Literature
Greg Glasgow, Daily Camera (Boulder, CO)…
“No matter your age or geek quotient, you’re sure to identify with Fanboy….smart, funny, and very readable.”
Read the complete review in the Daily Camera
Rob Levy, NeedCoffee.com…
“High Fidelity for the teen generation, this powerful story about being an obsessed misfit in the midst of teenage angst resonates.”
See it online at The Curmudgeon on NeedCoffee.com
TadMack, Reading YA: Readers Rants blog…
“A painfully funny, true-voiced novel for those of us geeky geniuses in high school who don’t fit the mainstream mold, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl comes highly recommended.”
Read the complete review at Reading YA: Readers Rants
Lyn Seippel, BookLoons Reviews…
“Lyga paints the picture of two very different adolescents who have always lived outside their teenage society.”
Read the complete review at BookLoons Reviews
Barb Fraze, Tidings Online…
“This first-person novel…is truly written in a teen voice. From the first page, it will draw in teen readers…”
Read the complete review at Tidings Online
Emma Rodgers, Courier Mail (Australia)…
“This is an intense and cleverly plotted story…”
Read the complete review at the Courier Mail
West Australian…
“This is a book whose price indicates the teen market, although its subject matter could cross over to an adult audience…. a debut novel of genuine sweetness, for Geeks and Goths of most ages.”
Read the complete review at the West Australian
The Herald Sun (Australia)…
“Fans of Heathers, Ghostworld and pretty much any hip, ironic high-school tale will dig The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl.”
Read the complete review at the Herald Sun
Audiofile…
“Comic book readers will get all the inside jokes, asides, and allusions in this novel. Everyone else will love it, too.”
Audiobook review! Courtesy of Audiofile.