Man Made Boy

September 23, 2013
Fleeing a claustrophobic life in a New York City theater that shelters mythological monsters from trolls to Medusa herself, Boy—the 17-year-old son of Frank-enstein’s monster—seeks self-understanding and an identity in contemporary America. Pursued by Viral Intelligence, or VI, a computer virus Boy created that seeks his love, he finds a traveling companion in Claire/Sophie, the granddaughter of Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. Their shared experiences and her revelation of a tortured past lead Boy to evolve from self-pity to compassion in this tumultuous tale of attachment and growth from Skovron (Misfit). The abundance of nonhuman characters and Boy’s search for answers underscore pointed references to yet another literary influence—The Wizard of Oz—and the fiery interactions between Boy and Claire/Sophie keep the tone light. The efforts of Skovron’s hero to fit in with the world, as well as his lack of control over his own life, appeal directly to teenage angst, and Skovron resolves the VI dilemma in a way that suggests a union between creators and that which they create. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management.

August 15, 2013
How do you circumvent the same, boring fate as your famous monster parents? Run away from home and launch a maniacal computer virus that might possibly annihilate human- and monster-kind. Oops. Seventeen-year-old Boy's name is mundane, but his life isn't. With his celebrity parents (Frankenstein's monster and the Bride of), he lives among a merry band of monsters and mythical creatures in catacombs beneath Times Square. Under the guise of a theater troupe, they perform a popular creature-feature show, their human audience blissfully unaware that the stage is populated by bona fide trolls, sirens and an egomaniacal gorgon. With their mostly scientific origins, Boy and his parents aren't fully accepted by the 100-percent myth-and-magic creatures in their commune. So rather than endure segregation--and the life his parents planned for him--Boy runs away. Tech-savvy Boy's plan to leave his stamp on the world backfires when the computer virus he engineers goes rogue, the troll he loves goes feral and returning home means facing parental wrath. From naiad to minotaur, the straight characters, gay characters, jerks, bitches, buddies and one major diva are fleshed out, not merely relying upon their exteriors for interest. And as Boy's journey takes him from the tri-state area to the West Coast, each locale rings with well-researched authenticity. A comically creepy coming-of-age road trip stitched together with action, romance, sex, combat and a couple of bootleg cocktails. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

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November 1, 2013

Gr 7 Up-In this intriguing fantasy set in contemporary New York City, Skovron takes readers into a tight-knit theater company that is secretly populated with literary and pop-culture monsters. The protagonist, Boy, is the stitched-together son of Frankenstein's Monster and the Bride of Frankenstein. As a scientific creation, he doesn't seem to fit in the world of magical creatures who look down on his father's ability to disconnect his emotions in order to serve as security for The Show. Instead, he begins to find his own place and personality when he leaves the troupe to try living in the human world. It takes a bit of effort to get there, but the principal plot focuses on a reluctant cross-country road trip accompanied by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde's granddaughter(s) while fleeing from Boy's out-of-control digital creation, Vi. Solid writing with witty dialogue makes this a good choice for a variety of readers. Although the typical hero's journey seems rather stock, the wide cast of characters will delight readers who know their origin stories as well as entertain newcomers with their carefully crafted personalities and hinted at backstories. The inquiry into responsibility toward one's creations as well as to family and friends resonates well with Shelley's original text while also developing relevant themes for teens without interrupting an entertaining adventure story.-Erin Reilly-Sanders, Ohio State University, Columbus

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Grades 9-12 Boy, the son of the original Frankenstein's monster, lives a sheltered existence at The Show, a Broadway revue featuring various fantastical creatures, such as Medusa, a troupe of dancing trolls, and a siren. But Skovron (Misfit, 2011) doesn't stop there. In a clever reimagining of Shelley's Frankenstein, Boy has also unwittingly created a sentient computer virus, VI, which has escaped into the world and seeks revenge. Passing for an incredibly ugly human, Boy flees the confines of The Show as well as the consequence of his creation, embarking on a road trip to L.A., where he finds a comfortable existence in an enclave of magical creatures working in TV special effects. But Boy still has to contend with the creature he spurned and takes drastic measures to set things right. Skovron's mile-a-minute latest is overstuffed with magical creatures of every type, dangerous pursuits, revenge narratives, and teenage romances, but fantasy-loving teens will get a kick out of the action-heavy, comical supernatural mash-up. Boy learns a handy lesson about self-acceptance and bravery, too. For more connections to Shelley's classic, suggest Stephanie Hemphill's Hideous Love (2013), reviewed above.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)