Boy Toy - Realism, Romance and Censorship

1.  Lyga, Barry.  Boy Toy.  Boston:  Houghton Mifflin, 2007.

2.  Plot Summary.  Josh is a senior in high school.  He's about to graduate, but a secret from his past has come back to haunt him.  Unfortunately, it seems that pretty much everyone knows the secret, and he hasn't been able to escape from it for the last five years.  But a lot is going on in his life.  He's one of the star baseball players on his high school team, and he's being scouted for college.  His coach is giving him a hard time.  His best friend Rachel has been out of his life since the incident in seventh grade and now wants back in.  But Eve is back, bringing the past with her, and Josh can't seem to get past it - because Josh doesn't know the truth. 

3.  Critical Analysis.  Fitting squarely into the Modern Problem Novel genre, the main character Josh appears to the rest of the characters in the book to be coping; however, he has not effectively dealt with the issue that is constantly at the front of his consciousness: the fact that he had sex in seventh grade with his history teacher, Evelyn Sherman.  As with many problem novels, the adults in this novel are removed from the main character.  They are neither sympathetic nor supportive.  Even though Josh's therapist is sincere and Josh appreciates his help, Josh has not been able to count on any of the adults in his life to help him through the mental and emotional turmoil he is going through. 

Boy Toy is a difficult book to read as an adult, and as a teacher who works with adolescents.  The center section of the novel is a flashback to seventh grade when Mrs. Sherman begins a deliberate process to seduce Josh.  He's abused over a period of several months before an incident between Josh and his best friend Rachel brings the issue to light.  The scenes are graphically described throughout the section, and it's hard to "watch" a boy be systematically abused by someone he likes and trusts in a way that makes it impossible for him to understand that it wasn't his fault, even now as a senior.  His parents are angry with him for refusing to testify against Mrs. Sherman, which has alienated them from him.  His friends do not really understand him.  Only his friend Zik seems to instinctively understand what Josh needs, which is mostly not to talk about it.  It is only through his own actions that Josh finally makes a breakthrough and realizes that the blame he has placed on himself for five years is unfounded.  At that point, the reader feels that there is hope for Josh to be emotionally OK. 

Young Adult literature guru Teri Lesesne, author of Heinemann's Reading Ladders, cautioned classroom teachers about having this title on the shelf in a presentation I attended.  Based on her comments, as a teacher, I have chosen to not keep a copy of Boy Toy on my classroom library shelf, not as an act of censorship, but rather because I feel that this particular novel is better recommended on a person by person basis.  The subject matter is extremely sensitive.  Anyone reading the book who is not mature enough to handle the subject matter may react in a way that shows little sensitivity toward fellow students who may have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted adult, and I would never want someone who is dealing with such a painful experience to hear fellow students sniggering over the descriptions of the relationship between Josh and Mrs. Sherman. 

[Ironically, after reading this novel over the summer in preparation for this blog, a teacher at my high school was arrested for having sex with one of her students.  I recommended Boy Toy to an adult who made comments about how the teacher should not have to go to jail because the boy probably "had the time of his life" and will have this to "drool over for the rest of his life."  The situation is slightly different - 13 versus 16 years of age.  However, damage is done, and there will be much for the student to deal with.]

The encounter with Mrs. Sherman near the end of the story is powerful.  The reader is left with the hope that Josh is going to be all right because for the first time since he was 13, Josh actually begins to believe that he will be all right.  But what a long, painful process it was to get there.

4.  Review Excerpts. 

On his website, Barry Lyga has published a review of Boy Toy  by Caitlin, and high school senior.  In her review, she states, "People can be absorbed by a good book so that they can't stop talking about it, but few have ever been haunted by a book. Boy Toy was my literary poltergeist for the past few days" and "this book forces you to think about a dozen different issues . . . . When you finally think you have an opinion about the scandal, you're forced to rethink it because Josh changes his mind many times over throughout the course of the story.  (http://barrylyga.com/new/boy-toy-caitlin.html)

New York Times:  "This is an upsetting, intense, intricately drawn portrait of the fallout from a 12-year-old boy’s involvement with his seventh-grade teacher. . . . an unsettling read, but that’s exactly what it ought to be."

The House of the Scorpion - Classics and Awards

1.  Farmer, Nancy.  The House of the Scorpion.  New York:  Atheneum Books, 2002.

2.  Plot Summary.  Matteo Alacran has grown up on land belonging to El Patron, the ruler of Opium - a strip of land between the United States and what was once Mexico.  His "mother" has been Celia, and until he was almost six, she was the only person he ever saw.  She warned him that no one else must EVER see him.  But one day, three other children, including a little girl named Maria,  wander close to the little cottage where Celia and Matt live, and while Celia is at work, Matt makes friends with the children.  On one of their visits, Matt crashes through a window, and once he is carried to the main house in order to fix his cuts, he realizes that something isn't quite right.  At first everything is fine, but suddenly everything changes, and he is locked up and treated like an animal.  One day, Matt asks El Patron's body guard when Matt's birthday is, and the body guard's response is "you were harvested."  Matt was created in a test tube and grown inside a cow, and most people see him as a beast rather than a human.  However, El Patron treats Matt as the special person that he is - the person who holds El Patron's life within his own body.  And once Matt realizes why he has been created and what his purpose is, he begins a race to save his own life. 

3.  Critical Analysis.  Farmer has created a story full of suspense as Matt goes on a quest to find out the truth about his existence and figure out how to stop the trajectory his life has been created to follow.  The House of the Scorpion takes readers into a science fiction world of the future where humans create clones to be used for organ harvesting later.  At first, Matt cannot believe that El Patron will use him this way, but it becomes evident that this is exactly what El Patron intends to do.  With the help of Celia, and one of El Patron's body guards, Matt concocts a scheme to escape from Opium, a feat that is supposedly impossible to accomplish, but he does it.  And at first, it seems that Matt has gone from the frying pan and into the fire when he ends up crossing the border only to be placed into child labor with other orphans.

The emotions displayed by Matt lead the reader through a range of feelings from confusion about Matt's origins, to horror as his fate is realized, into fear as he tries to escape that fate, and finally relief as Matt's perseverance, intelligence, and determination lead him and three other boys to safety.   In the end the real savior of the situation turns out to be a very unlikely, and perhaps unrealistic, source in Maria's long-lost mother; Maria who was the only friend who always treated him like a human during the years Matt lived in El Patron's house.  As a seeker on a quest to find the truth about his existence, Matt's journey is compelling, if sometimes unlikely.  Young adults should admire his tenacity when the journey become extremely difficult, his courage when he is faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and his concern for others when he is unable to leave his young friends behind.  And while the ending seriously stretches the logic of what is possible even in a futuristic world, young adult readers will be glad to find that Matt is successful in his journey to find a new life.

The House of the Scorpion won The National Book Award, and was named as both a Newbery Honor Book and a Printz Honor Book.  Students who like science fiction should appreciate Farmer's story-telling.

4.  Review Excerpts. 

*"Farmer's novel may be futuristic, but it hits close to home, raising questions of what it means to be human, what is the value of life, and what are the responsibilities of a society. Readers will be hooked from the first page."--Publishers' Weekly, starred review


*"...Farmer has a talent for creating exciting tales in beautifully realized, unusual worlds. With undertones of vampires, Frankenstein, dragons' hoards, and killing fields, Matt's story turns out to be an inspiring tale of friendship, survival, hope, and transcendence. A must-read for SF fans."--Kirkus Reviews, pointer review

[A] solid modern classic."--U.S. News & World Report.

*"[A] remarkable coming of age story...."--Booklist, starred review.

The Graveyard Book - Classics and Awards

1.  Gaiman, Neil.  The Graveyard Book.  New York:  Harper Collins Publishers, 2008.

2.  Plot Summary.  He was only eighteen months old when his mother, father, and older sister were brutally murdered while they slept.  By by some twist of fate, the toddler had managed to leave the house before the killer reached his room at the top of the house.  At the top of the hill, he squeezed through the iron bars of the fence into the graveyard and was immediately taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Owens who had inhabited the old cemetery for over a hundred years.  With the help of the rest of the cemetery's residents and Silas, the guardian, Nobody Owens grew from toddler to young man.  Unable to leave the graveyard due to the continuing threat to his life, Nobody, Bod as he was called, was given the Freedom of the Graveyard which allowed him access to all areas of the cemetery, as well as providing him with many skills that would protect him should he find himself in danger.  As Bod grows up, he encounters gouls, the ancient Indigo Man, the Sleer, and the graveyard witch.  But his only human friend Scarlett unintentionally leads him to the greatest danger he will ever encounter.  Will the ghosts be able to protect him?

3.  Critical Analysis.  Neil Gaiman won the Newbery Award for this work of fantasy that pits a young boy and his supernatural caretakers against a very real and dangerous threat.  As in many works of fiction for Young Adults, Bod does not have parents.  While he has loving, caring surrogate parents in the forms of the ghosts Mr. and Mrs. Owens, he fits the orphan archetype and must in the long run take care of himself and prove his ability to make the decisions that will ultimately save his own life. 

After finding out what happens to Bod's family, the story moves through a series of seemingly unrelated events as Bod grows up that provides the backdrop for Bod to learn what he will need to know when the story eventually circles back around to the danger that has been threatening him his entire life.  Once Bod becomes aware of the Jacks of All Trades, he puts the education that seemed useless before to use as one after another he uses the skills he has been taught to protect himself from the fate that is determined to take him.  In the end, Bod successfully defeats the enemy and the danger is finally passed, his ghost parents and his guardian send him from what has been his home for 15 years to live the life that all humans should live - a life of adventure, excitement, and experiences. 

Inspired by Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, the novel is 307 pages, broken into eight chapters.  These long chapters might be daunting for reluctant readers.  However, the illustrations by Dave McKean that are spaced throughout provide support for the story in interesting, sometimes creepy scenes.  The pictures range in size from small sketches on the corner of a page to full two-page spreads.  As Bod converses with the residents of the graveyard throughout the story, their years and epitaphs are provided parenthetically for many of them, adding interest for readers who have a background in cemeteries and headstones.  Readers will meet characters such as Digby Pool (1785-1860, As I Am So Shall You Be) and Miss Euphemia Horsfall (1861-1883, She Sleeps, Aye, Yet She Sleeps with Angels). 

My favorite line in the book happens when Bod is discussing the reason some of the ghosts who live in the cemetery died.  When Bod has the realization that some have killed themselves, he asks his guardian, Silas, if they are happier once they are dead.  His answer is, "Mostly no . . . . Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.  If you see what I mean."  Indeed, wherever we go, we take ourselves with us. 

4.  Review Excerpts. 

Amazon.com Review:  In The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman has created a charming allegory of childhood.

School Library Journal:  Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family.

The New York Times:  “The Graveyard Book,” by turns exciting and witty, sinister and tender, shows Gaiman at the top of his form.

A Day No Pigs Would Die - Classics and Awards

1.  Peck, Robert Newton.  A Day No Pigs Would Die.  New York:  Alfred A. Knopf, 1972.



2.  Plot Summary.  Young Rob Peck lives on a Vermont farm, the son of Shaker parents.  When the Pecks' neighbor, Mr. Tanner, offers 12-year-old Rob a piglet as a thank you for Rob helping his old cow calve her twins as well as removing a goiter from the old cow's throat (resulting in great injury to himself), Mr. Peck declines the offer at first. "We thank you, Brother Tanner," said Papa.  "But it's not the Shaker Way to take frills for being neighborly.  All that Robert done was what any farmer would do for another."  (p. 21)  However, with some gentle persistence, Rob's father is persuaded to allow Rob to accept the piglet, and Rob begins a journey with Pinky, the first thing to ever really belong to him.  As summer turns to winter, Rob must face harsh obstacles which force him to grow up and by the time he is 13, his life is completely changed.

3.  Critical Analysis.  At exactly 150 pages, this book is a relatively short, easy read, if by "easy" we mean a book which can be read quickly.  However, the content of the novel is anything but easy at times.  The story includes events which can be hard for adults to read, let alone young adults, events such as the repeated forced, brutal mating of Pinky in an attempt to breed her, and the death of a family member.    However, from an adolescent's point of view, what might make the book difficult to read is a lack of background knowledge of rural life.  The story is generally told in a slowly unfolding manner without much of the adventure or excitement that young adults are used to in this era of video games and the constantly moving and changing experiences of urban and suburban life.

Peck's novel is a classic.  A Day No Pigs Would Die was one of the earliest novels for young adults, along with S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders and Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War.  While the the subject matter can be difficult to digest, Peck handle's it realistically, yet with sensitivity.  When it was first published in 1972, more adolescents were rural dwellers than they are now, which may have drawn readers in more readily than it would now.  However, many adult readers still discover the book and often comment on not only finding a powerful story, but also a humorous one.  After Rob brings home a D in English on his report card, his Aunt Matty takes it upon herself to teach him grammar.  After a particulary strenuous time of trying to diagram a sentence, Rob's mother asks, "How was the first lesson?"  "Next time," said Aunt Matty, "I'll teach the pig."  (p. 60)

The characters are well-developed, and the story is told from the viewpoint of Rob, who turns from 12 to 13 from beginning to end of the story.  While the plot is a little slow at times, Rob's character passes through this "coming of age" story by successfully meeting the challenges with courage and strength.  The emotions dealt with are emotions that are universal to young adults - fear, anguish, and uncertainty are all handled well by Rob without glossing over how difficult some of the situations are for him to confront.  While the story has a tragic ending, the reader will feel the hope which Rob feels that despite the difficulty of the situations, he will be alright.

If this novel has a weakness, it will be that many young adults today will not relate to the setting of the farm.  Adolescents who are used to fast-paced adventure stories with various and unique formats that are so readily available in YA fiction now may classify this novel as boring.  On the flip side, the fight Rob describes on the first page which leads to him skipping school and consequently rescuing Mr. Tanner's cow from her distress may be enough to hook some readers where they will quickly find the graphic descriptions of the birth of the calf, the removal of the goiter, and the dragging of Rob through the cactus-infested field rendering him unconscious.  The strength of the descriptions will keep readers engaged once they are involved in the story.

A Day No Pigs Would Die has had its share of controversy.  It ranked seventeenth on the American Library Association's "The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000" generally due to the graphic depictions of animal treatment and death.  (Geoffrey Skinner, MLIS, Sonoma State University).  Yet it also received several awards upon its release:

WINNER 1973 - School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

WINNER 1973 - Library of Congress Children's Books of the Year
WINNER 1972 - Colorado Children's Book Award
WINNER 1973 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults

4.  Review Excerpts.  

“Reading this book is like sipping hot cider in front of a crackling potbellied stove. Every page is suffused with wit and charm and glowing with warmth.”–Newsweek

“A lovely book. . . . Honest, moving, homely in the warm and simple sense of the word. . . . It is small, accepting and loving and it succeeds perfectly.”–Boston Globe

“You’ll find yourself caught up in the novel’s emotion from the very opening scene. . . . Love suffuses every page.”–The New York Times

"With plenty of Yankee common sense and dry wit, and some pathos as the boy at 13 takes on the duties of a man. For boys of this age and for the young of any age."--School Library Journal.

Young Adult Literature

The next postings will focus specifically on Young Adult literature.  A wide, deep, and interesting "genre," YA literature has changed from being geared mostly toward 12- to 18-year-olds to being more broadly aimed at ages 11 to 25 - the MTV generation. 

We will explore several types of literature for Young Adults over the next several weeks, some you may have heard of and some which will be new - all will provide some interesting exploration.