#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.

#7--Forever

Bibliographic Information

Forever… by Judy Blume. Pan Childrens. (2005).

Price: $8.99 for paperback

Pages: 178 for paperback

Note: This book was originally published in 1975.

Plot Summary

Seventeen-year-old Katherine enjoys dating Michael who is funny, romantic, and thoughtful. While Michael has told her that he is interested in having sex with her Katherine is not so sure that she is ready. She knows that once you have sex it is difficult to go back to things the way they once were. She also wants to make sure that she is absolutely certain she wants to have it before she does. Forever follows Katherine’s journey as she decides whether or not to have sex and, if she does, what the future will look like for them as they both are going off to college in less than a year. The book also explores the themes of family, romantic love, and sexual education.

Critical Evaluation

*SPOILERS*

It is easy to see why Forever is one of the most challenged books in the United States as it contains detailed descriptions of foreplay as well as frank discussions on birth control and general sexual. Some will also take offense at the blasé attitude some of the characters have about sex and abortion as well as Blume’s inclusion of Planned Parenthood. However, this book is in some ways greatly needed as it contains good role models and much needed facts. Clearly, Katherine’s parents are supportive of their daughters as they are willing to discuss sexuality in a frank, helpful manner while making difficult parenting decisions such as telling Katherine that she must become a tennis instructor for the summer. In my experience, a two family home where both parents are responsible and involved in their children’s lives is rare in young adult literature and should therefore be commended. Additionally, Blume’s inclusion of what Katherine goes through to obtain birth control is well-written and realistic. Never before have I come across a description of a pap smear in teen literature something that is puzzling since many teens have them. Inclusion of such details is great as they can help teens understand such procedures when their parents are unwilling to discuss them.

However, while Blume’s candor is appreciated many of the characters within Forever may disturb some readers. For example, while Michael tells Katherine that he loves her for more than her body it is hard to believe his statement when most of what they do is…well…have sex. Additionally, he seems to subtly pressure her into going farther than she is comfortable. For example, on page 48 the following conversation ensues between them:

Michael: I want you so much

Katherine: I want you too…but I can’t…I’m not ready, Michael…

M: Yes , you are…you are…I can feel how ready you are.

K: No…I’m talking about mentally ready.

M: Mentally ready.

K: Yes.

M: How does a person get mentally ready?

K: A person has to think…a person has to be sure…

M: But your body says you want to…

Come on, really? Later in the book Michael convinces her to go to his sister’s empty apartment to “just talk”…right. He pulls this stunt again later on as well. This just doesn’t seem very caring of him. Michael, sadly, is not the only character that may disturb readers; Theo the tennis instructor is as well. When Katherine goes off to a summer camp to help Theo teach tennis to the campers she writes almost every day to Michael. It is a well-known fact to all the staff that Katherine has a steady boyfriend and yet this does not stop Theo from expressing interest in her. What sort of a person flirts with a girl who is dating someone else?

Even Katherine and her best friend Erica have some fairly troubling ideas. In a discussion about a mutual friend who is pregnant Katherine asks Erica if the friend is planning on keeping the baby. Erica responds that she is going to have the baby but put it up for adoption. “Then why have it in the first place?” Katherine asks (p. 140). “For the experience,” Erica replies (p. 140). Nowhere throughout the novel does it mention that a reason to have a baby is because one might value the baby’s life. This thought doesn’t even cross Katherine’s mind. It’s one thing to be pro-choice and quite another to not even consider that someone might not want to abort their child because it is a human. Overall, Forever contains some positive elements including good role models and frank discussions about sexual health but I would be hard pressed to recommend the book as it does not fully explore sexuality by omitting discussions on pro-choice versus pro-life and includes two sketchy male characters readers are supposed to like.

Reader’s Annotation

Seventeen-year-old Katherine is very happy dating Michael but is not sure she wants to have sex with him as she believes it will change their relationship.

About the Author

Judy Blume is perhaps one of the most recognized children’s authors in the United States. While prolific, she is perhaps best known for her five Fudge books, Pain and the Great One books, Forever, Blubber and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Blume is no stranger to book challenges as Forever is one of the most challenged books in the U.S.. As a result, she is now an active anti-censorship activist. Her favorite books growing up were the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace (good choice!) while her favorite color is purple.

To learn more about Judy Blume visit her website here.

Genre

Coming of age, Realistic fiction, Romance

Readalikes

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

·         About a girl who must decide whether or not to have sex with her crush

Fifteen by Beverly Cleary

·         Another coming of age story by Cleary

My Darling, My Hamburger by Paul Zindel

·         Also about a couple’s first romance

Tags

12^th grade, 17 yr. old, 18 yr. old, attempted suicide, boyfriends, girlfriends, tennis, skiing, summer camp, younger sister

Awards Won/Lists On

1996—Blume won Judy Blume the Margaret A. Edwards Award

2008—ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

2012—NPR Your Favorites: 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels

ALA’s 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000

ALA’s 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999

Professional Reviews

Booklist

 

Kirkus Reviews

New York Times Book Review

National Public Radio (NPR)

People Magazine

Booktalk Ideas

Sex is a Big Deal

·         Being mentally ready (48)

·         Discussion with Mom (79-80)

·         Be ready says Grandma

Snippets of Advice

·         Not all teens have sex (35)

·         Can you love someone you’ve only seen 19 times? (61)

·         Reading books about sex is nothing like actually having it (106)

·         Can love be for forever?

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This book would be excellent to use when learning about sexuality and would no doubt foster great conversations between parents and teens.

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:

·         Attempted suicide

·         Casual sex

·         Fake palm reading

·         Foreplay

·         Frank discussion of birth control

·         Getting drunk

·         Hand job

·         Marijuana use

·         Pap smear scene

·         Planned Parenthood

·         Profanity

·         Promiscuous sex

·         Sex scenes

·         Taking the Lord’s name in vain

Librarians can point out that while there are many controversial elements in this book they can be excellent for provoking discussion between parents and teens.

Why Was This Included?

I decided to include this book because it is a frequently challenged book and has been for some years. I’ve also read the Fudge books by Judy Blume and enjoyed them so I hoped that I would enjoy Forever. (The jury’s still out on that one).

#8--The Brides of Rollrock Island

Bibliographic Information

The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan. Knopf. (2012).

Price: $17.99 for hardback

Pages: 320 for hardback

Note: This book was originally entitled Sea Hearts. The name was changed to The Brides of Rollrock Island for the United States’ edition.

Plot Summary

Misskaella has spent her whole life being teased or otherwise overlooked as she is both the youngest in her large family and the most overweight. However, her life dramatically changes when, at the age of nine, she discovers that she can see things others cannot such as the true hearts of seals. This power frightens her and ostracizes her more than ever from her small island community. As she grows older, however, she decides that her power is something special even though the town refuses to see it as such. One night she decides to seek her revenge on her uncaring neighbors by drawing forth a beautiful, perfectly formed human girl from a female seal. Enchanted, slowly all the men want a seal-girl for their brides. This, of course, will cost them a pretty penny something Misskaella emphasizes before she agrees to find a seal-girl for each of them. In time, Misskaella grows rich although no more happy and each man soon learns that their seal-brides will cost them more than simply money.

Critical Evaluation

*SPOILER ALERT*

The Brides of Rollrock Island is the type of novel that will gnaw at readers’ thoughts long after they have turned the last page. While many of the mysteries within the novel are revealed by the end of it there are some that persist. For example, it is unclear whether the selkies Misskaella calls forth from the sea actually love their husbands or if there is truly any hope left for the town after Misskaella dies. As such, the book can be a frustrating read. Additionally, while it is presumed that readers are supposed to feel some sympathy for Misskaella some will feel hard-pressed to muster up such an emotion as the extent of the damage Misskaella inflicts upon the island’s populace is revealed. True, the emotional distress Misskaella suffers during her childhood and teen years is terrible with not even a kind word from her family to soften the harsh insults she must endure on a daily basis. However, the punishment surely doesn’t fit the crime. Is putting a wedge between everyone’s marriage, ridding the island of all women, and ensuring that every man, woman, and child is miserable fitting punishment? Absolutely not. While Misskaella states that she does not have the option of traveling to the mainland to seek her fortune it’s doubtful whether or not this is true. Surely she could have become a washerwoman or something, couldn’t she?

True, there are elements in Brides that are compelling such as Lanagan’s lyrical descriptions of both land and sea as well as the inner turmoil experienced by those who are half-selkie, half-human but overall I found myself disappointed by Brides. Perhaps this can be attributed to my aversion to stories with loose ends but whatever the case it will be a long time before I pick up another one of Lanagan’s novels.

Reader’s Annotation

Outcast Misskaella uses her magic to call forth beautiful women from seals in order to wreak her revenge on the townspeople who make her life miserable.

About the Author

Australian author Margo Lanagan writes both short stories and young adult novels with her most famous being the controversial novel Tender Morsels and short story collection Black Juice. She has won several prestigious awards including the multiple World Fantasy awards, a Printz Honor, and a Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book nominee.

Margo Lanagan was inspired to write Sea Hearts by some fabric she stumbled upon that reminded her of seaweed. From there she imagined a witch making blankets out of seaweed. The book was originally a novella but grew into a novel as Lanagan further explored Misskaella’s motivations behind her magical work.  

Read more about Margo Lanagan at her blog: http://amongamidwhile.blogspot.com/

And in the following interviews: http://bookonaut.blogspot.com/2012/01/margo-lanagan-interviewed-about-sea.html

And http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/lanagan_interview/

And http://weirdfictionreview.com/2011/11/interview-australian-writer-margo-lanagan/

And http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/aug/24/margo-lanagan-tender-morsels

Genre

Fantasy, Retold Fairy Tale

Readalikes

Beauty by Robin McKinley

·         Another well-written novel with retold fairy tale elements

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

·         Also well-written with mythological creatures

Ingo by Helen Dunmore

·         Another mermaid novel

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

·         The atmosphere is similar to that found in Brides.

Tags

Bullying, fishing, island, outcasts, seals, selkies, sons, storms, witches, wives

Awards Won/Lists On

2013—Carnegie Medal Nominee

2013—CBCA Book of the Year Shortlist (for older readers)

2013—Stella Prize shortlist

2012—Kirkus Reviews Best of Teen’s Books

2012—Publishers Weekly Best of Children’s Books

Professional Reviews

Booklist (starred review)

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

School Library Journal (mentioned in the Someday My Printz Will Come blog)

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

The Guardian

 

The Horn Book (starred review)

Booktalk Ideas

Why Misskaella Did It

·         Her dismal prospects (52-54)

·         Her lot in life (59)

Description of Selkie (84-85)

Why You Shouldn’t Take Selkie as Wife

·         Daniel’s Mam’s advice (222-223)

·         Everyone is unhappy (232-35)

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This book could be used to discuss parental infidelity towards their spouse and/or children.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 6^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:

·         Adultery

·         Foreplay

·         Having a child out of wedlock

·         Infidelity

·         Lying

·         Magic

·         Mention of testicles

·         Selkies

·         Sex

·         Suicide

·         Witches

Librarians can point out that this book has many positive elements including exploring how detrimental infidelity in a marriage can be as well as the impact bullying can have on a person. 

Why Was This Included?

I had been wanting to read this since December 2012 because it received lots of hype from the YA community. Some felt that it had a chance of winning the prestigious Printz award and it has an impressive number of starred reviews.