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.

Starred review from November 25, 2013
Seventeen-year-old Boy is the stitched-together son of Frankenstein’s monster and the Bride of Frankenstein. He lives in a Broadway theater in New York with a host of other monsters and mythological creatures. But otherwise, he’s a typical teenager, spending lots of time chatting online with friends (who don’t know he’s a monster) and yearning for something new and different. When he leaves home to see the outside world, he ends up having a more exciting—and far more dangerous—adventure than he ever imagined. Jon Skovron knows his characters inside and out, and it shows in his skillful narration. He brings out all the personality and emotions of his characters, as well as the excitement and suspense of the action-packed parts of his book. Best of all, Skovron creates a marvelously entertaining array of memorable character voices for the colorful cast, which includes a gruff werewolf, a sophisticated vampire, a German mechanical man, a Southern waitress, the English-accented granddaughters of Jekyll and Hyde, and at the center of it all, Boy, who sounds like a typical American teenager. With its blend of sci-fi, horror, action, romance, and—at its heart—the universal longing for identity and a place to belong, this audiobook should appeal to a wide range of listeners. Ages 12–up. A Viking hardcover.