GOTH GIRL RISING

After six months in a mental hospital, Kyra, the newly shaven-headed heroine of The Astonishing Adventures of Fan Boy and Goth Girl (2006), has only one plan: to exact embarrassing revenge on sweet, loyal Fan Boy for not contacting her while she was away. His status at school has risen since she left, and now his graphic novel—published in the school’s literary magazine—has made him a legend. This, of course, only augments her eagerness to spill his secrets. Lyga’s latest is more character sketch than story. Kyra may be traumatized by her mother’s death and furious at her dad for sending her away, but her anger doesn’t feel strong enough to fuel her determination to take Fan Boy down, in the absence of a logical rationale. She’s definitely confused, but she doesn’t seem heartless. Plus, Fan Boy’s dog-like devotion to her makes her look like an even bigger jerk. Still, goth teens and fans of the first novel will be drawn into the darkness that is her life. (Fiction. YA)