Teen Fiction

Boy Toy

Name: Boy Toy
Author: Barry Lyga
ISBN: 9780547076348

by Barry Lyga

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Overview

Josh Mendel has a secret. Unfortunately, everyone knows what it is.
Five years ago, Josh’s life changed. Drastically. And everyone in his school, his town—seems like the world—thinks they understand. But they don’t—they can’t. And now, about to graduate from high school, Josh is still trying to sort through the pieces. First there’s Rachel, the girl he thought he’d lost years ago. She’s back, and she’s determined to be part of his life, whether he wants her there or not.Then there are college decisions to make, and the toughest baseball game of his life coming up, and a coach who won’t stop pushing Josh all the way to the brink. And then there’s Eve. Her return brings with it all the memories of Josh’s past. It’s time for Josh to face the truth about what happened.
If only he knew what the truth was . . .

Synopsis

Barry Lyga is the author of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl and Boy Toy, both ALA Best Books for Young Adults. Hero-Type is his third book set in South Brook High School. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The New York Times - Jack Martin

In a culture so saturated with sex, where 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears's pregnancy is common knowledge to fifth graders, what are teenagers to make of this book? What Lyga gives only glimpses of, through Josh's difficulty connecting to Rachel (or almost anyone else in his life), is the collateral damage caused by child abuse. Still, the novel vividly explores the gray areas between love, lust, right and wrong. Josh has nearly convinced himself that he bears the responsibility for the affair with Eve, rather than the other way round—until he's finally able to end that chapter for good. Boy Toy is an unsettling read, but that's exactly what it ought to be.

About the Author, Barry Lyga

Barry Lyga is a recovering comic book geek and the author of many books, including, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, Goth Girl Rising, Boy Toy, and Hero-Type. He currently lives in Las Vegas, where Spandex and capes aren't just for superheroes. Visit Barry online at www.barrylyga.com.

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Editorials

From the Publisher

[S]uccessful...character development...Lyga's cast feels very real, and he knows how to play them against each other.
Booklist, ALA

"Lyga creates a tightly paced narrative...Authentic and fresh...Lyga's dynamic writing style creates an emotionally wrenching and haunting tale." Kirkus Starred 9/1/07 Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"Lyga again skillfully captures the turbulent world of high school...expertly woven humor...a powerful message."—VOYA, teen reviewer, October 2007 VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)

"Heavy stuff, but Lyga...pulls it off brilliantly...Sure to be a controversial and influential read."—KLIATT, September 2007 KLIATT

"Lyga's skillful writing subtly reveals...in a way that older teens will find fascinating, distressing, and worthy of their attention." SLJ Starred 10/2007 School Library Journal, Starred

"[R]eaders drawn by the provocative subject matter may likely find themselves thinking more seriously about the truth behind the ribald humor." The Bulletin October 2007 Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Lyga gives a moving account of innocence lost."—Newsday 11/04/07 Newsday

"[A] astounding portrayal of what it is like to be the young male victim." Chicago Tribune 11/24/07 The Chicago Tribune

"[R]eaders will be fully engaged." LMC January 2008 Library Media Connection

Jack Martin

Children's Literature - Drew Blanchette

From an outsider's perspective, Josh Mendel would appear to be the perfect teenager: He is exceptional when it comes to baseball, is good-looking, and still has the brains to qualify for Ivy League schools. Five years ago, however, Josh lost his chance to be a normal teenager when his seventh grade teacher, Eve, began to molest him. Haunted by the sexual experiences with Eve, Josh desperately wants to leave his hometown and escape to a place where no one will know about his past. At first it seems as if Josh might be able to float through the rest of senior year, going through all the motions, while never allowing himself to grow close to anyone besides his best friend, Zik. But soon, Josh finds himself falling for Rachel, a lost friend with whom he assumed he never again would be reunited. Now he finds himself reliving the moments he spent with Eve as he attempts to start from the beginning with Rachel. He knows everything about women, and yet he is completely innocent. Normal rites of passage for teenagers—kissing, relationships, and prom—are excruciating psychological hurdles for a confused Josh; furthermore, Eve has been recently released from prison due to good behavior. Josh is terrified of encountering Eve, but her return also forces him to face his past. While this is a disturbing story, it is impossible for it not to be. Josh brings to light the inner turmoil we all fight as we grow up and the dark secrets we all desperately try to hide from others, however great or small. It is a story that proves that our past might begin to shape us, but not necessarily defeat us, unless we allow it. Reviewer: Drew Blanchette

VOYA - Geri Diorio

When Josh was twelve, his young, female teacher seduced and carried on an affair with him until Josh was accused of attacking a girl and the teacher's molestation was discovered. As this novel opens, Josh, now eighteen, is about to graduate high school, might be going to a good college on a baseball scholarship, and learns that the teacher is about to be released from prison. If all that is not enough, the girl Josh was accused of attacking wants to get back into his life. Using several narrative voices-first person, transcribed therapy sessions, flashbacks-Lyga tackles this incredibly sensitive story with boldness and confidence. He does not shy away from graphic descriptions of Josh's past and even makes the audacious choice of showing young Josh enjoying the attention. Set in the same high school as his first novel, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (Houghton Mifflin, 2006/VOYA October 2006), and featuring younger siblings of some of the characters from that book, this story again captures the lives of high school students with humor and wisdom (sometimes beyond their years). The heartbreaking subject matter is leavened by Josh's intense interest in baseball statistics and an important subplot concerning a baseball game attended by college scouts. Josh is an intelligent young man with an eidetic memory, great athletic skills, loving friends, and a smart therapist. He works hard at healing himself and moving into healthy adulthood, and by the end of this well-written, challenging novel, the reader has high hopes that he will make it.

VOYA - Lucy Freeman

Lyga again skillfully captures the turbulent world of high school in this novel. Expertly woven humor makes the book fun to read, yet it projects a powerful message about growing up at the same time. Some readers may find parts of the book too explicit, but the scenes are important to truly understand the relationships that Josh Mendel has with the people around him. Kudos to Lyga for another incredible read.

Kirkus Reviews

Striking out on a baseball bet forces a teen to face past emotional scars. At age 13, Joshua Mendel's history teacher, Eve Sherman, molested him for three weeks and changed the rest of his life. Five years later, the 18-year-old baseball star is preparing to graduate and working on restoring his damaged relationship with Rachel, a childhood crush. When Sherman is released from prison, Joshua realizes he must confront her in an attempt to gain the answers to the questions that have haunted him for years. Blending present events with extensive flashbacks, Lyga creates a tightly paced narrative that explores psychological turmoil without resorting to either clinical terminology or oversimplification. Authentic and fresh, the narrative voice develops along with Joshua, gaining experience but never overpowering the tortured undertones. Lyga's portrayal of the fight between Joshua and Sherman's husband is riveting and tense; the main character's later reflections on that confrontation are equally powerful. Deftly weaving together a painful confession and ambiguous ending, Lyga's dynamic writing style creates an emotionally wrenching and haunting tale. (Fiction. YA)