Going Bovine

Author:Libba Bray

ISBN:978-0385733977

Publication Information:Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Plot Summary:Cameron's life is on cruise control. He just wants to get through high school and life with as little effort as possible. According to his family, Cameron needs an attitude adjustment. Then, something happens that will change Cameron and his family's life forever. Cameron contracts mad cow disease and is told he is going to die. As he lays in a hospital bed, he is visited by an punk rock angel named Dulcie who tells him that his mission is to save the world, and in the process he may be able to save his life as well. This begins an epic cross country road trip with Cameron, Gonzo (another teen who happens to also be a dwarf) and Balder (a garden gnome that can walk, talk and dance). This madcap trip takes the three amigos on a series of crazy adventures that eventually lands them in Florida at the biggest spring break party in the country, and on track for a showdown with the person that is trying to destroy the world. Will Cameron succeed in saving the world, and his life?

Critical Evaluation:Libba Bray creates an emotional, funny, touching and surreal novel that deals with love, life and death in a beautiful way. The very deserving recipient of the 2010 Printz Award, this book is widely though of as one of the best, if not the best young adult novel published in 2010. Bray creates a character that doesn't have a lot going for him at the beginning of the book, and takes him on a journey of self discovery that turns him into a character that everyone can feel empathy for, and that many will fall a little in love with by the end of the novel. The character development is near perfect, and Bray has an uncanny ability of creating quirky loner characters that almost anyone can identify with on at some level. The plot, like the characters is quirky and a bit off the wall, but incredibly enticing and intriguing, and immediately draws the the reader in. This is a book that should be recommended to a large variety of teens, and many teens will probably find themselves devouring the book in a day or two. There are a few adult themes in the book, which may make it a difficult book to use for a book club, but a book club with an older teen demographic with a mixture of boys and girls may find this novel to be a valuable addition.

Reader's Annotation:Cameron is a slacker, until he is diagnosed with mad cow disease. While in the hospital, Cameron is visited by a pink haired, punk rock angel who sends him on the adventure of a lifetime, to save the world, and his own life.

Author Information: Libba Bray was born in Alabama, but spent most of her life in Texas. She moved to New York in her 20s, and still lives there with her husband and son. She is the author of six books, the first was published in 2000, and the most recent Going Bovine was released in 2009. She has a past career in theater, as a playwright, among other positions. She has a fake eye, as a result from a car accident that she was in at 18. (Information taken from the author's website http://www.libbabray.com/bio.html)

Curricular Ties:Health

Genre:Issues, Fantasy

Book talking ideas:

• What would you do if you were diagnosed with mad cow disease?
• Discuss the relationship dynamic between Gonzo and his mom. Do you think that Gonzo's mother's concern with Gonzo's health is helpful or hurtful? Why or why not?
• Discuss the relationship between Gonzo and Cameron. Are they friends out of convenience (because they are on the quest together), or do they have a real friendship?
  

Challenge issues:Sex, Drugs, Underage Drinking

• Familiarize yourself with the book and its contents.
• Check the library for specific policies on challenged books.
• Check the ALA website for advice on how to respond and react when a book has been challenged. (http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/index.cfm)
  
• Find positive reviews from reputable websites.
• Ask the challenger for their specific objections and try to address them using information from the above research.

Interest Age: Grades 9 and up

Why I selected this piece: Going Bovine was the winner of the 2010 Michael L. Printz award, which is reason enough to read the book.