"Boy Toy" Literary Review

Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a disturbing read that provokes human thought and interaction... Josh is an eighteen year old baseball player who just wants to graduate from high school and go to college. The only problem is that he's being haunted by Eve, his seventh grade history teacher who molested him, and the scandal that has somehow turned him into a social pariah.
The message is that Josh wants to be normal, but furthermore, understood teenager. Baseball, girls and straight A's take up most of his time. However, when a controversy involves you and puts pressure on you, it's hard to deal with.

As a teacher reading this, it was more like a horror story considering the molestation factor, but Lyga presents the book in a way that makes it a disturbing, upsetting read in which the reader doesn't want to put it down. I even gave up sleep to finish this page-turner. However, I have concerns letting young adults (especially my own students)read this for the events and content involved, for the simple fear of possible controversy.

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"Carrie" Literary Review

Carrie by Stephen King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have always avoided the horror genre, both books and films, and many other readers have recommended "Carrie" as a stepping stone. I also had never read Stephen King, so this was just a new experience overall that I was proud I was taking.

Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed. I was expecting a full fledged thrilling horror story, but I wasn't getting it. The style of the book has a variety of media; newspaper clippings, police reports, and even memoirs from the individuals that survived Carrie's wrath. However, it just was not my cup of tea. Maybe some more forward thinking or just psychological viewpoints? Oh well, no love lost.

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