My publisher sent advance copies of the book to some teens. Here are their responses.

“I really, really enjoyed Barry Lyga’s novel, Boy Toy. I wasn’t sure if I was going to when I read the summary, mostly because I wanted to hear more about Kyra and Fanboy. But I found that this novel surpassed my expectations. I was once again struck by how well Mr. Lyga creates completely believable teenage characters. I feel as if I am in my high-school when I read his novels; the characters are people I expect to meet when I round the corner. Their internal turmoil as well as their external voices are spot-on.”
— Giselle (age 19)

“The mechanics of the novel were perfect. I was expecting Boy Toy to be an easy-reading, typical, young adult novel but I couldn’t have been more wrong. This novel should be read by everyone.”
— Holly (age 16)

“I could not put this book down! The greatest thing about Boy Toy is that it’s so much more than just a story of a boy who got molested, it’s high-school, relationships, baseball, love, fear, friends, family, inner-turmoil, figuring out life and so much more.”
— Amanda (age 19)

“I loved it! I could not stop reading it from the first day I picked it up. I stayed up one night straight through the night reading this sucker! It was that addicting.”
–Shawn (age 19)

I recently received some reviews from Gretchen Ipock at Sellers Library in Upper Darby, PA. She had some teens read the book and respond to it. Here are some excerpts, but visit here to read more. And to read Caitlin’s complete essay (which is really funny and terrific), click here.

  • “Although Boy Toy tackles the very current subject of sexual abuse, it should not be relegated to the pile of teen problem novels.”
    –Gretchen (YA librarian)
  • “I recommend Boy Toy to anyone who enjoys stories about love and difficult truths. Boy Toy has become one of my all-time favorite books.”
    –Alexa (age 15)
  • “Overall, it was a very interesting read and shows Barry Lyga’s versatility as a writer.”
    –Kara (age 17)
  • “Boy Toy was my literary poltergeist for the past few days, and it refused to leave me alone until I sat down for a few hours and finally finished it.”
    –Caitlin (age 17)

“…one of the most challenging pieces of young adult literature that I have read in a long time…. Barry Lyga is one of the better YA authors out there.”

—Melissa (read the complete review on her MySpace blog)