Barry Lyga

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Barry Lyga is an American young adult novelist and short story writer. He lives in Pennsylvania.[1][2] Lyga (born September 11, 1971 (1971-09-11) (age 36)) majored in English at Yale receiving his BA in 1993.[3][1] He then spent ten years working at Diamond Comic Distributors after having spent his teenage years immersed in graphic novels. During this period, Lyga had seen his short stories published.[1]

Contents

[edit] Works

[edit] The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl is Lyga's first novel and was published in 2006.[4] The story arose from Lyga's youthful exploration of plotting and charaterization he found in graphic novels.[1]

Lyga acknowledges that Fanboy and Goth Girl is autobiographical in that "...a lot of what Fanboy describes is [what] I went through...the book has autobiographical elements, but it also has a lot of wish fulfillment."[5] Lyga says that "the entire book just popped into my head all at once."[5]

Fanboy and Goth Girl has two starred reviews and made the School Library Journal's 2006 Best Books list.[1] Kirkus reviews calls it "authentic and well-written".[6] All reviews, though, mention that the "story unfolds slowly."[7][8] The story is darkly comic.[9] It is told in the first person point of view of Fanboy, a 15-year-old boy who maintains an internal sarcastic and funny commentary throughout the story. Reviewer Gillian Engberg described Fanboy and Goth Girl as a "realistic, contemporary story of bullying and a teen's private escape."[9] Fanboy is obsessed with comics - graphic novels as he corrects Goth Girl - and a sub-plot trip to a "comic-book convention ...feels authentic."[10]

The looming threat of violence darkens the story. As Lyga says,"I didn't want to shy away from the violent fantasies. We're living in the post-Columbine world."[11] The threat of violence, though, is just a threat and "...the lack of bloodshed was a pleasant surprise" as one book reviewer, Spencer Korson, said.[12]

Publishers Weekly reports that Jeremiah S. Chechik, director of Benny and Joon, is negotiating for film rights.[1]

[edit] Plot summary

A fifteen year old comic book geek, who has only one real friend at school, encounters a goth girl named Kyra Sellers, who becomes a friend to him, all the while helping him to change his outlook on many things in life, including himself.

[edit] Boy Toy

Boy Toy is Lyga's second young adult novel.[13] Reviewer Kristin Kloberdanz said that it was an " astounding portrayal of what it is like to be the young male victim."[14]

[edit] Plot summary

[edit] See also



[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Pavao, Kate (2006-12-18), “Barry Lyga”, Publishers Weekly 253 (50): 20 
  2. ^ Barry Lyga (2007). The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. Boston: Graphia. ISBN 0618916520. 
  3. ^ Contemporary Authors Online, Thomson Gale, 2007, Permanent Entry Number: 0000174583 
  4. ^ Barry Lyga (2007). The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. Boston: Graphia. ISBN 0618916520. 
  5. ^ a b Engberg, Gillian (2006-09-01), “Rage--after Columbine”, Booklist 103 (1): 113 
  6. ^ “The astonishing adventures of fanboy and goth girl (review)”, Kirkus Reviews 74 (19): 1018, 2006-10-01 
  7. ^ “The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (review)”, Publishers Weekly 253 (42): 52, 2006-10-23 
  8. ^ Ching, Edie (2004-06-01), “The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (Starred review of audio version)”, Booklist 103 (19/20): 106 
  9. ^ a b Engberg, Gillian (2006-09-01), “The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (Featured review)”, Booklist 103 (1): 113 
  10. ^ “The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (review)”, Publishers Weekly 253 (42): 52, 2006-10-23 
  11. ^ Engberg, Gillian (2006-09-01), “Rage--after Columbine”, Booklist 103 (1): 113 
  12. ^ Korson, Spencer (2007-04), “The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (Review)”, Library Media Connection 25 (7): 81 
  13. ^ Barry Lyga (2007). Boy Toy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0618723935. 
  14. ^ Kloberdanz, Kristin (2007-11-24), Reality checks; Sweet and sad stories that deal with everyday, and not-so-everyday, issues of life, - Chicago, Ill: Chicago Tribune 


[edit] External links

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