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Boy Toy

(2007, Fiction - Coming of Age, Written by Barry Lyga)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 16.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Very mature book about boy molested by teacher.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–18

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Not an issue.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Josh is only 12 when he is sexually molested by his teacher. Their relationship is discovered after Josh attacks a girl in a closet during a teen party. Josh is later beaten up by Eve's husband.
  • Sex:

    This book centers around a character who is sexually molested, but believes he is in a relationship. Josh's sex life with his teacher is graphically described, including oral sex, watching pornography, to very specific descriptions of sexual acts.
  • Language:

    All the big bombs: "f--k," "s--t," and "dick."
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Eve drinks and encourages Josh to drink.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Boy Toy

Parents need to know that this book is about a boy who is molested by his teacher; Eve tricks Josh into believing they are in love even though he is only 12. Their sex life is graphically described, including depictions of oral sex and the watching of a pornographic film. Their relationship is discovered after Josh attacks a girl in a closet during a teen party. Josh is later beaten up by Eve's husband. The book also features language that is as mature as its subject matter.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about where ideas for books might come from. The premise for this book, for example, seems very similar to some recent news stories about female teachers molesting their young students. Can you think of any other books that were derived from headlines? Why can news stories make good plot lines?

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language

    Amazing book!

    This book was incredible and intense. At times it is a little bit disturbing because of very explicet detail of how the teacher (Eve) molested a student(Josh). Josh believes he is in love but in reality, hi teacher is abusing him. I read this when I was almost twelve and I think that I am old enough. I am a very advanced child and I attend an extremely enriched high school so I was prepared to read this sort of book. If you are not a very experience reader I would consider waiting until I were fourteen or fifteen to read it. I hope you found this review helpful and enjoy ''Boy Toy" if you read it!!:)

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    Great for older teens, but not recommended for under 15

    This was a great book, but at times (i.e. when the flashbacks of Josh with Eve) I felt very uncomfortable.

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in New Mexico
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 4.0

    not for imature/young

    Great book i loved it. It has very expliciate language and flashbacks of sexual experiences. Very detailed about the differnt sexual experiences (detailed porn, oral sex, sex, hand jobs.. and so on

  4. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Connecticut
    I rate this title on for age 17 and give it 5.0

    Wonderful, but very mature book.

    This book is a wonderful look at a boy recovering from sexual abuse. The story is well-written and deals with its subject perfectly. There are extremely explicit descriptions of fondling, kissing, oral sex, pornography, etc. as well as a ton of language. This makes it inappropriate for younger teens.

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