The Carls just appeared. Roaming through New York City at three AM, twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world—from Beijing to Buenos Aires—and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight. Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.

I am so pleased to present to you my short story "Bonker Doesn't Die." I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this publicly, but the first time I imagined a protagonist named April May, it was for a young readers series I had considered writing called "The Peculiar and Fuzzy Mysteries of April May." They would be stories about a teenager who found people's pets, but in the process, also discovered dastardly plans and uncovered general misdeeds. I did a bunch of research on how pet detectiving works, and I still think it's a cool idea, but when I had an idea I was more excited about, I poached the character I had imagined as a precocious teen and made her into an adult. I also poached her name. It's weird how all of this works. Well, one of the problems is, we don't get to see April doing much pet detective work in the duology. Another frequently identified problem, there's NOT ENOUGH ROBIN!! So, I thought I would solve both of those problems with this little story. "Bonker Doesn't Die" takes place around mid-way through An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, and it does contain spoilers for that story! Thanks so much for supporting the Project for Awesome, and I hope you liked this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Hank

April May and the Carls are back in the much-anticipated sequel to Hank Green's #1 New York Times bestselling debut novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. The Carls disappeared the same way they appeared, in an instant. While they were on Earth, they caused confusion and destruction without ever lifting a finger. Well, that’s not exactly true. Part of their maelstrom was the sudden viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into Carl’s path, giving them their name, becoming their advocate, and putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories. Months later, the world is as confused as ever. Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame, speaking at conferences and online about the world post-Carl; Maya, ravaged by grief, begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda infiltrates a new scientific operation . . . one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension. As they each get further down their own paths, a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers; unexplained internet outages; and more—which seem to suggest April may be very much alive. In the midst of the gang's possible reunion is a growing force, something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the bold and brilliant follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. It’s a fast-paced adventure that is also a biting social commentary, asking hard, urgent questions. How will we live online? What powers over our lives are we giving away for free? Who has the right to change the world forever? And how do we find comfort in an increasingly isolated world?

This DFTBA exclusive zine serves as supplementary material for Hank's new book, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor. Written by Hank, with cover art by Sara Wong, hand lettered illustrations by Sam Schultz.