Boy Toy

Barry Lyga. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. 416 pages. ISBN 978-0618723935.

Plot Summary: Boy Toy is a scary book. It’s about a boy who was seduced and molested by his teacher when he was twelve. He’s now 18 but his life has never been the same. The book travels between Josh’s current life as a senior in high school and his memories of his relationship with Eve, the teacher who molested him. Josh learned a lot of things from Eve that a 12 year-old should not yet know. That he was being molested was revealed when he acted out some of the behaviors Eve taught him with a 12 year old girl when a game of spin the bottle landed them in the closet together. Josh’s secret is no secret in the small community in which he lives, and Josh has found it impossible to have a normal relationship with a girl his own age until now.

Critical Evaluation: This book contains a lot of explicit sex scenes. Eve seduces Josh slowly yet thoroughly and these scenes are described in detail, along with Josh’s feelings about what he is experiencing. Josh has frequent flashbooks of his memories of being with Eve. Because Josh is such a young child, I found that these scenes made difficult reading. Even though the young Josh is enjoying what is happening to him, it is clear that he is being abused. His early pleasure leads to his intense feelings of guilt when he is older. There are other plot developments in the story: Josh’s parents are having marital difficulties, Josh is anxious about getting into a good college. These aspects are almost a distraction from the main story. However, his renewal of his friendship with Rachel, who was his friend in the closet, is authentic and it is to her that he tells his story. I felt the ending a little trite—when Josh confronts Eve he comes to some powerful realizations that seem to happen a little too easily.

Reader’s Annotations: What happens when a boy looses his innocence too soon?

About the author:

Barry Lyga has a degree in English from Yale. He worked for ten years in the comic book industry and was responsible for developing “Free Comic Book Day.” He was the unofficial spokesperson for the industry and for promoting the use of comics and graphic novels in schools. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl is his first novel, and received excellent reviews. He has since written four more books for young adults, with the fifth on the way. He considers himself “a recovering comic book geek” (barrylyga.com). You can view his website at http://barrylyga.com/new/

Genre: Realistic fiction

Booktalking Ideas: How do Josh’s experiences affect his relationships with high school age girls?

Reading Level/Interest Age: Age 15 and up.

Challenge issues: This book contains explicit sex scenes. As a librarian I would be prepared with the library’s collection development policy and reviews of the book. I would also stress that it is not intended for children under 15.

Why included: I included Boy Toy because I was intrigued by The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl.