#6--Boy Toy

Bibliographic Information

Boy Toy by Barry Lyga. Houghton Mifflin. (2007).

Price: $8.99 for paperback

Pages: 410 for paperback

Plot Summary

Seventeen-year-old Josh Mendel should be looking forward to graduating from high school and spending time with his best friend Zik but all he can think about is that the woman who sexually abused him five years ago is getting out of prison. Living in a relatively small town Josh knows that most of the residents are aware of what happened to him, namely that his seventh grade English teacher had a sexual relationship that lasted several months when he was only twelve years old. He’s tried to move past what happened but how can he when he knows all the details are floating around on the Internet for all to see? How can he continue on with his life when he can’t get close to a girl for fear that he will somehow harm her? And how can he heal when he can run into Eve, his former teacher, at any minute? With the help of a friend he thought he lost forever, Josh will have to confront his past in order to live into his future.

Critical Evaluation

Although difficult to get through, Boy Toy is an invaluable book as it helps readers understand how male sexual abuse can occur. In an age where many still believe that boys cannot be taken advantage of sexually, Boy Toy suggests otherwise. This novel will make readers confront their own assumptions about male rape and the relationship between student and teacher while helping them understand that sexual abuse can contain nuances that society often neglects to mention. Some will no doubt challenge this novel on the grounds of it containing too many graphic sexual scenes however these scenes are important as they establish just how and why Josh agrees to have sex with his history teacher. They also explain why Josh cannot heal from his past as he believed at the time that he was in love with his teacher. In a time where sexual abuse scandals involving teachers seem to occur with increasing frequency this novel is needed now more than ever and will hopefully be available in both school and public libraries throughout the nation.

Reader’s Annotation

When Josh learns that the teacher who sexually abused him five years ago is going to be released from prison he must come to terms with his horrific past.

About the Author

Author of nine novels (so far!) Barry Lyga used to work in the comic book industry before becoming an author. Sadly, he was inspired to write Boy Toy by a real life story of a teacher who had sexually abused multiple high school boys.

To learn more about Barry Lyga and his books visit his website here.

Genre

Realistic fiction

Readalikes

Teach Me by R.A. Nelson

·         Also about a teacher/student relationship

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

·         Also about a boy trying to overcome his terrible past.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

·         Also contains sexual abuse and other difficult issues

Tags

Baseball, Cal Ripkin Jr., child rape, counseling, rape, sexy teacher stereotype, video games, X Box

Awards Won/Lists On

2007—Cybil Award winner for YA Novel

2008—ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Professional Reviews

Booklist

Chicago Tribune

Kirkus Reviews

KLIATT

New York Times

Newsday

Publishers Weekly

School Library Journal

VOYA

Booktalk Ideas

How Does Sexual Abuse Happen?

·         Abuser makes the victim feel guilty (166-167, 185)

·         Abuser treats the victim as special (170)

·         Abuser preys on victim’s fears (386)

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This book is an excellent resource for those that have been sexually abused by a person in authority such as a teacher, coach, government official, etc.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 4^th grade

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th grade

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder

Challenge Issues

This book includes the following potentially controversial elements:

·         Abusive coach

·         Abusive teacher

·         Adult punching out teen

·         Adultery

·         Child rape

·         Child sexual assault

·         Dysfunctional marriage

·         Graphic sex scenes

·         Lord’s name in vain

·         Male rape

·         Near rape

·         Profanity

·         Punching out a teacher

Librarians can point out that while this can be a disturbing book to read it is important to have it in a library collection as it is one of the few books to address male rape and, more specifically, female teachers raping male students. These male rape victims deserve a voice.

Why Was This Included?

I included this book because I was on the reconsideration committee for it. I was also fascinated by the subject matter as teachers sexually abusing students appears in the news at least once a year. I’ve always wondered what a teacher is thinking doing such an awful thing.