It's summer and brothers Caleb and Bobby Gene are ready for adventure. Enter Styx Malone- a cool older kid who is ready to take their adventures to the next level. I loved this book and I have several students in mind that I think will love it as well.

Purchased this middle grade novel for my middle school library. Superb character development, elegant world building, and compelling plotting, Magoon is outstanding

The Season of Styx Malone is a great summer adventure and friendship story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who liked The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, or As Brave as You.

I loved this book - even more so because it was a positive depiction of black boy protagonists just doing kid things and living life over one summer.

A really excellent, heart-warming book about two brothers and their older friend who is both awe-inspiring and in need of help. I loved the adventures in this book, and how Magoon uses humor to confront the very real issues of being black and personal safety. A great book in the tradition of Christopher Paul Curtis!

In large part this is a pretty gentle story. There are hints that life can be harsh, references to what might get a kid put into foster care, fear of city living, young children of color warned how to behave around police officers. But these are only hints. The bulk of the plot is boys scheming and getting themselves in small trouble. They dig themselves increasingly deep until the expected explosion and confrontation.

Caleb and his brother Bobby are looking forward to another summer vacation. They meet a new boy who comes into their neighborhood that is great at making deals and getting what he wants. It has big themes of trust, loyalty, and family (in it's many forms). I think kids are going to love this one!

THE SEASON OF STYX MALONE by Kekla Magoon, one of my favorite middle grade authors, just appeared on School Library Journal's Best Books of 2018 List [link below]. Brothers Caleb and Bobby Gene live in Sutton, Indiana and Caleb especially longs to move beyond the restrictions imposed by a small town. Unfortunately, there is not much encouragement supplied by his father who worries about negative reactions to black people, especially young adolescents. The propensity to take risks changes when Styx Malone appears; the boys hustle to earn money and buy a moped. By necessity, Styx is a fast-talking schemer and he, of course, leads to adventure, humor and trouble. Given the preteen age of the brothers, this felt too young for our students, but late elementary and early middle school would likely be entertained by and relate to Caleb's desire for pushing boundaries. Magoon, who also wrote How It Went Down, is an award-winning and talented writer; THE SEASON OF STYX MALONE received starred reviews from Horn Book, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal (grades 4 to 7).

https://www.slj.com/binaries/content/assets/pdf/special-projects/best-books-2018/slj-bestbooks-listings.pdf

This book is written in the style of a contemporary classic--Christopher Paul Curtis comes to mind as does Stargirl. Styx Malone is a unique character, like Stargirl or The Mighty Miss Malone (no relation that I can find). He sweeps into Bobby Gene and Caleb's life out of nowhere and essentially takes over. Caleb is trying to figure out how to handle all of this. Styx is older, and there's something weird about his relationship with his family, which eventually turns out to be that he is in foster care. Caleb's parents are well-drawn, well-conceived and you can see why they make the decisions about their children's lives even if you don't like it.

Who wouldn’t be sucked into a book that begins with a character named Styx who appears as if from nowhere, right in the local woods, with the possibility that he had been summoned like a superhero responding to a beacon of night by Caleb, the narrator. If Caleb wants to be anything but ordinary; if his father assigns him and his brother to watch their one-year-old sister; if a bully named Cory’s large gunnysack of fireworks leads them trade that baby for the bag since Cory’s always wanted a baby sister – the promise of an enjoyable read seems almost too good to be true.

I read the middle grade novel, The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Malonein (on sale on October 16), in an advance reading copy provided by Net Galley. The narrator finds himself drawn to the promise of Styx that there will be no problem with the Great Escalator Trade where they exchange one thing for something slightly better until they achieve their wildest dream. The cool sixteen-year-old Styx magnet becomes more important than his father’s insistence that the small town of Sutton, Indiana holds all their family needs, his mother’s high expectations for them, or his big brother accomplice Bobby Gene’s conscience.

For one exciting summer, one adventure leads to another as both the narrator and the reader begin to sense that Styx has secrets of his own. The only negative I can find for the book is the interference it gave to my need to turn off the light and go to sleep. The Horn Book Magazine (Sept/Oct) shared my opinion and gave it a starred review.

Thanks to Random House Kids and Netgalley for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this 10/16/18 release. Caleb and Bobby Gene are brothers who live in a small Indiana (🙌🏻) town. When they happen upon Styx Malone one day in the woods behind their house, they are drawn to him. He seems to know so much, and he has big plans for them this summer. As the days wear on, the boys notice that Styx seems to be hiding something. Is he all that he seems?
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I really like how this book is present-ish day without being over-the-top with pop culture references or technology. It’s nice to have a realistic fiction book about tweens and teens that doesn’t center around social media, texting, etc. I also appreciated how Caleb and Bobby Gene’s parents were firm but loving and had a strong presence instead of being absent as parental figures can be in middle grades and YA literature. And, of course, I loved that the story was set in Indiana. I highly recommend this book for middle grades collections.

“Bobby Gene was everything familiar. Everything I already knew. Styx represented what was possible. All the invisible things that eventually might be seen. And to be seen would change everything.”

The Season of Styx Malone is a book that settles ever so slowly into the heart of the reader. Kekla Magdon’s writing is so vivid, so flowy that it’s easy to get caught up thinking that Caleb, Bobby Gene, and Styx are all real…three young men living their best summer yet.

One thing I love about this middle grade fiction book is that even though the main characters are all black, the story isn’t about them being black. Let me explain. About 15 years ago, I recall one of my 8th grade students at the time talking about how he was tired of reading books where blacks are slaves. “Black people are more than just former slaves,” he said. “When are we going to see books about that?”

That statement - profound and direct - yearned to be part of the cannon. Yearned to be realized.

Ms. Magdon brings that notion to fruition with The Season of Styx Malone. The adventures the boys have during this one memorable and life-changing summer are universal. Ones that could happen to anyone. Sure, readers know that the characters are black, but that blackness is just a fact. Part of who they are. It doesn’t drive the story. And that crafting makes all the difference to students who want to be seen for the totality of who they are. It normalizes a concept that many young people of color want to see reflected in the books they read. Thank you, Ms. Magdon, for doing that.

Suitable for grades 6-8.

Author: Kekla Magdon
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books/Random House Children’s Books
Release Date: October 16, 2018

I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I both loved and admired this book. The exquisite writing (how does she do that?) propels an emotionally charged (yet not too sentimental) story about a friendship between two brothers, Caleb and Bobby Gene, and the mysterious and bewitching character Styx. Magoon writes so convincingly from the point of view of a teenage boy, capturing the tension between needing independence from parents while respecting them. There are so many themes here, making this a great choice for a book discussion. I'm glad to see Kekla Magoon (known for her YA books) writing (or being marketed to) an upper-elementary audience. Newbery contender?

There's not a lot to do in small town Sutton, Indiana, and as much as Caleb and his brother Bobby Gene try to amuse themselves, they are a little bored, especially since their parents are very strict. There is a reason for this-- their father maintains that everyone in town knows them, but if they went somewhere bigger, like Chicago, it might be dangerous for two young black men. When slightly older Styx Malone shows up in their neighborhood, they soon find out that this young man, who is in foster care, doesn't care all that much about being safe. He wants to have adventures. Not only that, but he really wants a moped he has seen in a store in town, and tries to inveigle the brothers into helping him with an "escalator trade" so that they can work their way up to getting the moped. Since Caleb and Bobby Gene have just gotten into a lot of trouble for trading their baby sister to Cory in exchange for a bag of fireworks, they have something to start the trading. This is a little shady, and the trades get shadier. At one point, the boys hop a freight train and steal an engine from a junk yard. When their parents find out, they aren't allowed to hang out with Styx anymore. When the boys still manage to complete their trades, they are looking forward to the freedom the moped will provide, but things don't go well. Once they learn some secrets about Styx, they are finally able to understand him a little better and find a way to help him.

Strengths: This was an interesting novel, because it showed the dichotomy between street smart, city kids and small town kids with really involved parents. For some reason, many of my suburban African-American students are fascinated by the portrayal of inner city children. Seeing Caleb mouth off to his mother in a way that Styx would is perfect! Their punishment with Cory is interesting as well, since they previously hadn't gotten along with him but find they have a lot in common when they are forced to work together. The escalator trade concept is nicely done as well.
Weaknesses: Unlike Torrey Maldonado's Tight, this really doesn't get all that dangerous, and there's a moment that's a little too Leader of the Pack for my taste, not that students would have any idea of that reference!
What I really think: Something a little different from Ms. Magoon, whose work I really like. Definitely purchasing, but I REALLY want her to finish her nonfiction work on the Black Panthers.

I loved this! The Season of Styx Malone has the vibe of the classic Christopher Paul Curtis books. The characters were bold and original and so lovable. This book also brought up great discussion starters about foster care, racial profiling, family, brotherhood, and trust.

A rollercoaster ride from start to finish. You know Styx spells trouble from the beginning and from there on out it's a suspenseful string of events that makes you dare to hope for a miracle but dread the worst at the same time. The ending is satisfying and heartening.

In small-town Indiana we meet Caleb and his brother Bobby Gene. Caleb despises the idea of being ordinary, even as his father prefers the predictability of life as normal.

In this middle-grade book we watch their summer escapades, heavily influenced by their new, older friend Styx Malone. Styx is a foster child and is always angling for adventure. This summer, the primary objective is an Escalator Trade in hopes of ending up with a motorbike.

Throughout the book Caleb wrestles with where he belongs; there's a new tension with his brother, as Caleb is quick to embrace Styx's schemes, even when some danger is involved, whereas Bobby Gene's cautiousness reminds Caleb of how his parents would want him to act: "Bobby Gene was everything familiar. Everything I already knew. Styx represented what was possible. All the invisible things that eventually might be seen. And to be seen would change everything."

The children have a lot of freedom to explore and have adventures in their town, which harkens back to earlier periods in our history, but I believe it's set in what must be modern-day (there are some cell phones, even passages that I suspect are hinting at the unarmed shootings of people of color by police officers (Caleb and his family, as well as Styx, are black). Caleb's dad is trying to keep his family protected by keeping them home, in familiar environments: "I want you safe. Until you understand what the world is really like, I want you close....I don't want you going somewhere where people might look at you and see a threat. Here, we're just like everybody else."

Caleb wrestles with what it is to be a family and how to be a good friend. This would be a welcome addition to a classroom; I could easily see students, particularly boys, connecting with the daring adventures and working through the consequences of those actions.

I read this book at the beginning of summer and it brought me right back to lazy summers as a child. The story is told by Caleb Franklin. The beginning of the book finds Caleb and his brother Bobby Gene are just starting summer vacation. They come across a neighbor boy who is auctioning off fireworks. The only thing of value they have with them is their baby sister Susie. A deal is struck, and the Franklin boys are now the proud owners of fireworks. All is well until their mother comes home from work and notices their sister is missing.

This sets the boys up for a summer of chores and penance, until they come across a mysterious, slightly older new boy named Styx. He is magnetic, worldly and slightly dangerous. He will also provide a life changing summer they will never forget.

I liked this book A LOT. I liked that the Franklin family is slightly quirky, but loving and intact. We learn that Styx is a foster child, and we are able to see the system's weaknesses without making the whole system appear evil. The main characters are African American, but much of the story crosses race lines and is the story of boys during summer vacation. There are however references to Mr. Franklin's obsession with keeping his sons "safe" - an oblique reference to violence against black males, and show a father protecting his children the best way he knows how. This book made me laugh and made me cry.

I am always looking for children's books with diverse characters that are not preachy or condescending. This book fits the bill beautifully, and I'm looking forward to adding it to our library.