Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Hardcover, 480 pages
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
September 22, 2009
★★★★ ½☆
★★★★ ½☆
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Source: Personal Collection
"Can Cameron find what he’s looking for?
All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most."
Cameron is your normal 16 year old boy – that is until he finds out that he has Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease or the human version of mad-cow. While lying in his hospital bed he is visited by a punk fairy who tells him he must go on a journey to follow clues that will eventually lead to finding a cure for his disease. Cameron takes this trip with a talking lawn-gnome and a dwarf and has many crazy adventures. But will all of these adventures lead to his cure?
I couldn’t stop laughing throughout this entire book. The almost 500 pages just flew by; I was having such a good time. Bray creates her own words to describe things (which is something I do ALL the time) and is really in-tune to how teenagers talk and act. I was disappointed by the ending, but not because it wasn’t good, but because I wanted more of it. I wanted more adventures; Cameron was a totally lovable character.
I still have to say that my favorite part of the book was the first chapter. There is just something so hilarious about what goes on in 5 year old Cameron’s mind as he rides the It’s a Small World ride at Disney.
I think that this book was a great depiction of Bray’s personality. I really enjoyed listening to her read this book at the author event I went to and she is a wonderful person.
Author Libba Bray also has written a Victorian YA trilogy: A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and A Sweet, Far Thing. You can visit Bray's website or blog for additional information about the book.
Here is the crazy book trailer for Going Bovine:
My other reviews of this author's works:
Reviews of this book by other bloggers:
Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, RJ Julia (my fav indie bookstore).
Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court
Hah! This sounds hilarious. I don't eat "bovine" as it is but I think I would find this book really enjoyable. Thanks for the review Heather!
ReplyDeleteI seen this title around but wasn't sure what the book was about. Sounds like one I would enjoy though!
ReplyDeleteI had the chance to hear Libba read an excerpt from the book at the Baltimore Book Festival in Sept. Before that, I had no interest in this book at all, but after hearing her HILARIOUS reading, I might give it a try sometime. She did a great job with the excerpt she read and had the audience in hysterics. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I meant to mention that Libba told the audience that this book was supposed to be like a modern version of Don Quixote - THAT made everything make much more sense, at least to me.
ReplyDeleteI like Bray so I'm glad this is also a good book. The story is certainly different and that is what also attracts me. GReat review Heather.
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