Going Bovine
by Libba Bray
First published 2009 · 488 pages · about 8 hours to read
Won: Michael L. Printz Award (2010)
Also as Kindle · AudiobookFind in a library · Wikipedia
About this book
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.From the Hardcover edition.
Will you like it?
Readers who like funny, restless teenage narrators and a story that mixes fantasy with serious questions about dying will find this book rewarding. The road trip through a warped America, with a winged punk angel and a pair of odd companions, gives it a fast and strange shape.
- mortality and dying
- finding meaning
- reality and hallucination
- friendship on the road
Written with AI.
Books like Going Bovine
The Fault in Our Stars
John Greenabout 5 hours to read
A funny, sharp-tongued teenage narrator faces terminal illness and a search for meaning.
Books like it →A Monster Calls
Patrick Nessabout 4 hours to read
A young protagonist confronts a serious illness through a fantastical figure that helps him face fear and grief.
Holes
Louis Sacharabout 4 hours to read
A quest story with odd, comic characters and a plot that twists together past and present.
Books like it →Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Lewis Carrollabout 2 hours to read
A bewildering journey through absurd worlds where logic breaks down and the narrator's sense of self is tested.
Books like it →
More
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adamsabout 4 hours to read
A comic road-trip adventure through absurd places, told with irreverent humor and a deadpan voice.
Books like it →The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chboskyabout 4 hours to read
A teenage narrator writes candidly about growing up, friendship and difficult feelings.
Books like it →Ready Player One
Ernest Clineabout 8 hours to read
A young protagonist searches for a hidden prize through a world built around games and pop culture references.
Books like it →
Quick answers
- What age is Going Bovine for?
- Young adult: teens, about 13 and up.
- Is Going Bovine a standalone?
- Yes, it stands on its own.
- Is Going Bovine based on a true story?
- No, it's fiction.
- Does Going Bovine have violence, sex or strong language?
- Yes: strong language.
Written with AI from what's known about the book.
Reader's guide
Themesmortality and dying, finding meaning, reality and hallucination, friendship on the road, pop culture and games, illness and fear
mortality and dying · finding meaning · reality and hallucination · friendship on the road · pop culture and games · illness and fear
StyleFirst-person narration in a fast, joking voice that moves between absurd fantasy, road-trip episodes and serious reflection. Chapters are short and the pace is brisk. Pop culture, wordplay and digressions are frequent, and the tone shifts quickly between comic and grave.
First-person narration in a fast, joking voice that moves between absurd fantasy, road-trip episodes and serious reflection. Chapters are short and the pace is brisk. Pop culture, wordplay and digressions are frequent, and the tone shifts quickly between comic and grave.
How it was writtenLibba Bray is an American author known for historical fiction and young adult novels. Going Bovine was published in 2009 as a young adult novel, and it was her first book after the Gemma Doyle trilogy.
Libba Bray is an American author known for historical fiction and young adult novels. Going Bovine was published in 2009 as a young adult novel, and it was her first book after the Gemma Doyle trilogy.
How it was receivedThe book won the 2010 Michael L. Printz Award for young adult literature. Readers and critics have praised its humor and its boldness with form, and some found its tone uneven. It is still read as a challenging, funny YA novel about illness.
The book won the 2010 Michael L. Printz Award for young adult literature. Readers and critics have praised its humor and its boldness with form, and some found its tone uneven. It is still read as a challenging, funny YA novel about illness.
Questions to discussIs Dulcie real, or is she a product of Cameron's illness? How does the book keep that question open?
These may talk about the whole book.
- Is Dulcie real, or is she a product of Cameron's illness? How does the book keep that question open?
- How does Cameron's humor help or hide what he feels about dying?
- What does the road trip reveal about the difference between searching for a cure and searching for a way to live?
- How do the companions, Balder and Gonzo, change Cameron's view of himself?
- What role do games, pop culture and fantasy play in the way Cameron understands his situation?
- Why might the author use a surreal setting to tell a story about illness?
Written with AI from what's known about the book.
More by Libba Bray
- Under the Same StarsUnder the Same Stars2024
- The King of CrowsThe King of Crows2020
- Before the Devil Breaks YouBefore the Devil Breaks You2017
- Lair of DreamsLair of Dreams2015
- It's Just a Jump to the LeftIt's Just a Jump to the Left2015
- Vacaciones en el infiernoVacaciones en el infierno2013
Parts of this page are written with AI from what's known about the book, and can get details wrong. How BookSense works