Boy Toy (novel)

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Boy Toy
Author Barry Lyga
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Young adult novel
Publisher Houghton Mifflin
Publication date 2007
Media type Print (Hardback)
Pages 416 pp
ISBN ISBN 0618723935

Boy Toy is a 2007 young adult novel written by Barry Lyga. The book follows Josh, a victim of child sexual abuse, as he is about to graduate from high school.

Contents

[edit] Summary

Josh and all of the other boys in the sixth grade all lust after Mrs. Evelyn Sherman, their history teacher. One day, when Josh misses the bus, she takes him to her house. This marks the beginning of a sexual relationship that lasts for several months. Over that period of time, Eve tricks Josh into believing that she loves him.

As all of this is going on, no one suspects anything. Josh is warned repeatedly by Eve to never say a word. Josh's parents believe that he is being part of an educational experiment that Mrs. Sherman is conducting.

The truth finally comes out one night when Josh is at a birthday party. He attacks a girl in a closet. When his mother comes to pick him up, he accidentally lets slip a detail about his experience with Eve. After a trial, she is sent to prison and Josh's relationship with her becomes public.

During his senior year, Josh is still recovering from what happened. He avoids the girl he attacked who used to be his best friend. It becomes apparent though that she wants to be his girlfriend and has forgiven him for attacking her. Josh is also trying to get a baseball scholarship. To make things even more complicated, Eve has just been released from jail.

[edit] See also

List of books portraying paedophilia or sexual abuse of minors

[edit] Characters

Josh: The main character. he is shy, and good at sports, as well as school. His parents have a rocky relationship, which makes him feel alone much of the time. He is molested by one of his teachers.
Evelyn Sherman (Eve): Josh's sixth grade history teacher who pretends to love him so that she can molest him in her apartment.
Isaac (Zik): Josh's best friend and baseball teammate. He is incredibly devoted to his girlfriend.
Rachel: One of Josh's best friend. He attacks her in the closet at her birthday party.

[edit] External Links

  • Barry Lyga's Official Site [1]