Saturday, September 10, 2011

Going Bovine

Going Bovine by Libba Bray, ISBN 978-0385733984, Delacorte Press, 2010.


Teaser: Cameron just wants to make it through high school, but he learns that he is going to die, so he decides to go on a huge road trip to find a cure.
Plot Summary: Cameron is a 16 year-old boy that is very lazy and puts minimal effort into whatever he does.  He spends a lot of time smoking weed.  His dad is a college professor and one day when he was visiting his dad's office he saw a picture with a bunch of college students and a dwarf.  His dad told him it was a game to see who could take the best picture in a crazy place with a dwarf.  With his parents prodding, he gets his first job at a burger joint and soon after he is diagnosed with Mad Cow Disease.  While at the hospital he befriends one of his angel hallucinations.  This angel tells him that she knows of a cure, but Cameron must go on a road trip to find this cure. So Cameron escapes the hospital and sets out on his road trip with Gonzo, a dwarf and the reader is left wondering if this trip is really real or not?
Critical Evaluation:  This is a wonderfully written book by Libba Bray, she really gets into the head of a 16 year old boy.  Even though the language gets a little over the top for my taste, I was still able to laugh my way through this book with all the hilarious situations that Cameron got himself into.  Bray is a master of writing funny and witty books.  I loved how she interlaced Cameron's imaginary ideas with reality.  It was great to read a book from the perspective of a male character and you can't help but root for Cameron to find the cure.
Author Information: According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libba_Bray Libba Bray was born in Alabama on March 11, 1964.  She lived in Texas, until she moved to New York at the age of 26.  She now lives in New York with her husband and son. She graduated from University of Texas at Austin with a Theater degree. She moved to New York to try her hand at playwriting.  In New York she worked editorial jobs and such, but she was encouraged to write a young adult novel by her husband.  She went on to write several young adults novels, included Going Bovine, which won the 2010 Michael L. Printz award.
Genre: Adventure
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Booktalking Ideas: Read the part when Cameron gets his first job and talk about first jobs. 
Reading Level/Interest Age: 14+
Challenge Issues: This book is likely to be challenged because of foul language and drug usage.
If the book was challenged I would go to, ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.
Why included?  Libba Bray is a very funny person and I wanted to read one of her books.  This book is also a YRCA book at my library.

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