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Libba Bray's GOING BOVINE tells of a teen looking to get through high school and life with a minimum of effort - until he finds out he's sick and going to due. A punk angel appears to tell him there is a cure - but he must undertake a strange journey to find it in this different tale.

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. 4.5 out of 5 stars

Completely different from her Gemma Doyle trilogy, I found this to be funny and tear jerking at the same time. I think just mentioning mad cow disease, a hypocondriac little person, talking yard gnome, and Disney World should be enough to ctach your attention to read the book. One of my favorites this year.

I'll admit it, I was a little nervous to read this book. I wasn't quite sure how Libba's jump from the Gemma Doyle books (Victorian, girls, supernatural...) would be to a book like Going Bovine. In the end, I had nothing to worry about, because Libba wrote something just as magical and captivating but entirely different. When the book starts, we see how Cameron is living his life (or not living). Then, he is diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob's (Mad Cow disease). His body slowly starts to breakdown, having twitches, seizures, hallucinations. His life will soon be over before it ever really began. Then angel Dulcie pops in, and the story gets going. Told he needs to follow the random clues, he and his hypochondriac dwarf friend Gonzo are on a mission to find Dr. X, Gonzo's purpose, and the cure for Cam's illness. Going Bovine is wild, crazy, fun, comedic, scary, sad, and everything in between. The story is amazing, the characters are beautifully written, and at the end, you'll have a whole new appreciation for life. Highlights: Way to go, Libba Bray, for stepping out into something new. This novel really hits home that you need to get out there and live while you can, because you might not have much time. Lowlights: Honestly, nothing. Going Bovine is a must-read.

For those who have read Libba Bray's earlier books (the completely awesome Gemma Doyle trilogy) Going Bovine might seem like something out of left field. It's set in the present day, the narrator is a teenage boy and it is based loosely on the Don Quixote story. It's so completely different than the Gemma Doyle books that its hard to believe that this is the same author. It shows that she is a talented writer. Going Bovine is set in a universe that bears a striking resemblance to our own, but is just slightly off. Cameron, the teenaged narrator of Going Bovine, is diagnosed with Mad Cow Disease and as his condition worsens confined to a hospital bed. It looks like he is pretty much awaiting death. Then he is visited by a punk rock angel who sends him on a quest to save the world. Cameron convinces his hospital roommate a teenaged dwarf named Gonzo to come along with him and the unlikely pair set off on wild road trip to save the world. Filled with alternate realities, strange snow globes, and folks obsessed with reality television, Going Bovine provides a wild ride in a book that straddles a fuzzy middle-ground between science fiction and fantasy. The humor and quirky characters reminded me a lot of Vonnegut. Listening to this audiobook was a nice accompaniment to my own (thankfully) far less eventful road trip. Going Bovine is a good book, and while I will probably take some heat for saying this, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as her earlier books.