Boy O'Boy (Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award (Awards)) [Hardcover]

Brian Doyle (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Series: Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award (Awards)

Martin O'Boy's life is not easy. His beloved Granny has just died, his pregnant mother and father fight all the time, and his twin, Phil, is completely incapacitated. For Martin, however, life in Ottawa's Lowertown is not all bad: there's his best friend, Billy Batson, the movies, his one-eared cat Cheap, and then there's Buz, his glamorous next door neighbor, who's off at the war. As the war comes to an end with the bombing of Hiroshima, Ottawa is in a state of turmoil - returning soldiers, parties, fights, and drunks fill the streets. All very exciting, except for one thing: Martin and Billy joined the church choir to earn some money, and the organist, Mr. T. D. S. George, is very interested in Martin. As the reader knows, though Martin doesn't, this interest is a very dangerous thing. But Martin has a pure soul, Billy's friendship, his cat's affection, Buz's imminent return, and his Granny's love - which all help him to deliver justice to Mr. George and heal himself and others. Boy O'Boy is a sensitively written story of a young boy's triumph over sexual abuse.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Doyle sets his story in the waning weeks of World War II. Martin O'Boy is an expert observer and narrator of the summer of 1945, focusing both on the ups and downs of his family and neighbors; news from the war; and the popular culture of the day, including Captain Marvel (who shares his name with Martin's friend Billy Batson). His naive voice mirrors the limited understanding of the book's prospective readers while adults will immediately see that the boy's presumptive mentor at his church is a sexual predator. Martin's world is believably real. Even the description of the sexual encounter seems like what a confused 11- or 12-year-old might say. Unfortunately, after Martin discovers that his molester is moving on to Billy, the plot becomes not impossible, but unlikely. The two boys take their revenge on the man, an organist, by sabotaging his showpiece at a celebration of the war's end. Later, Martin confesses what happened to him to a neighbor, just returned from the war, who immediately behaves as every boy would hope: the soldier confronts the organist and threatens him if he ever approaches either boy again. Thus what has been an adept and creepily believable tale edges into Captain Marvel land. Children will probably respond favorably to the "storybook" ending, but in a number of ways it trivializes what has preceded it. A flawed, but still notable, novel.--Coop Renner, Fairmeadows Elementary, Duncanville, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-8. In his latest novel, Doyle once again conjures up a tough neighborhood in Ottawa, Canada, during the waning days of World War II. In first-person, present-tense narration, young Martin O'Boy describes his neighborhood and the tension at home in a precise, highly observant voice that always seems genuine. The book takes a scary, somber turn when Martin is molested by a trusted church organist, Mr. George. When Martin discovers that his friend has also been molested, the boys exact a revenge of sorts. The scenes of abuse, described graphically from a child's viewpoint, are unsettling, and readers may be frustrated that even though the boys tell an adult, the organist isn't really punished. But Doyle's portrayal of Martin's naive bewilderment and gradual realization of Mr. George's true character are authentic, and the lively colloquial dialogue and period details create a rich historical portrait with a winning young character at its center. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 162 pages
• Publisher: Groundwood Books (March 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888995881
• ISBN-13: 978-0888995889
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,141,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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