Module 7: Realistic Fiction (Young Adults)

I had a hard time picking just two books from this module. I enjoyed all of the ones I read, but I narrowed it down to two: Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going and The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga. Both of these books are about teenagers who have real problems in their lives but find friendship with another messed-up teen and they help each other through.

Troy Billings weighs almost 300 lbs. and he's only 17. The book starts with him standing by the train tracks contemplating suicide. There, he meets Curt MacCrae, homeless guy and guitar legend. Curt befriends Troy and convinces him to join Curt's punk rock band as the drummer, although Troy hasn't played since middle school and isn't very good. As Curt helps Troy accept himself, Troy helps Curt get off the street and away from drugs.
This book is painfully honest at times about both Troy and Curt. I think it would appeal to young adults because it doesn't talk down to them or try to allude to difficult issues. Parents, I think, would have a harder time dealing with this book because of the swearing and graphic descriptions than young adults would. However, those elements make the book as realistic as it is.

"Troy's voice is candid, irreverent, realistic, and humorous. He imagines the events of his life in facetious headlines always related to his weight. Curt himself is the product of a dysfunctional family, and he has plenty of problems of his own, including a reliance on drugs. Going has created three-dimensional characters whose behavior rings true. There are many unexpected twists and turns, including the horrifying and hysterically gross depiction of Troy's first gig. Fans of Joyce Carol Oates's Big Mouth & Ugly Girl (HarperCollins, 2002) will love this wonderful, engrossing tale." -- School Library Journal

"First-time novelist Going has put together an amazing assortment of characters. Troy is the ultimate fat kid, the kind whose every move, every thought is predicated on what it is like to wear a coat of blubber. Curt, as thin as Troy is fat, is a combination of Kurt Cobain, Ratso Rizzo, and a fairy godfather. He sprinkles Troy with the dirt and grime of punk rock and brings out the prince hiding inside the weight (to the book's credit, Troy doesn't get any thinner). Equally well drawn are the lesser characters, including Troy's father, a former Marine with an innate sense of what kids need. The narrative could have been tighter in places, but this is an impressive debut that offers hope for all kids--dross transmuted into gold." -- Booklist

Because this book is so similar in theme to the next, I'll leave my suggestions for use in a library until the end.

Donnie, a.k.a. Fanboy, is an outcast. He lives in the basement of his mom's house, hoping to avoid contact with his stepfather, whom he calls the step-fascist. He is obsessed with graphic novels and is writing one of his own. His best friend is a jock who ditches him every time other jocks come around. Then Fanboy meets Kyra, a.k.a Goth Girl, another outsider who encourages him to pursue his graphic novel dream but has problems of her own.

Like Fat Kid, this book is made better by the realistic elements that parents would shy away from but teens would be intrigued by. Young adults will find their feelings are reflected by Donnie and Kyra, which could help them understand what they are going through. I enjoyed this book a lot, though I'm sure graphic novel fans like Donnie would enjoy those parts more than I did.

"The two form a tentative friendship based on hatred of their classmates, particularly jocks, and her interest in Schemata. Fanboy is a rule follower, but Kyra is a rebel with a foul mouth. She teaches him to stand up for himself, and gives him the confidence to do it. Lyga looks at how teens are pushed to their limits by society. Though he toys with such concepts as teen suicide and Columbine-like violence, the novel never turns tragic. His love of comics carries over into all three teen characters, breathing animation into a potentially sad but often funny story. This is a great bridge book for teens who already like graphic novels." -- School Library Journal

"Lyga's debut novel is a darkly comic, realistic, contemporary story of bullying and a teen's private escape in artistic pursuits. Fanboy entertains plenty of violent thoughts. He carries a bullet, keeps a tally of his abusers ("The List"), and lashes out with sometimes-cruel remarks, which feel sharply authentic. The insider comics details will slow some readers, and the open-ended questions about Kyra's personal story will frustrate others. Yet Fanboy's whip-smart, often hilariously sarcastic voice skillfully captures a teenager's growing self-awareness, and adds a 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." -- Booklist

I would use these books in a teen book club focusing on realistic fiction. For Fat Kid I would include a discussion of punk rock and how it has evolved from The Ramones and The Clash and has warped into bands like Green Day and Fall Out Boy.