The Season of Styx Malone

The Season of Styx Malone
Kekla Magoon
Random House, 2018 295 pages
Grades 4-7
Realistic Fiction

Caleb is tired of being "ordinary". He and his older brother, Bobby Gene, are trapped in their small town by a fearful father, who feels that the outside world is a dangerous place. One summer the ordinary changes. It starts off with Caleb and Booby Gene trading their baby sister for a bag of fireworks, which lands them in a heap of trouble, yet also introduces them to a new older boy, Styx Malone. Styx is a foster child residing on the other side of the woods. He teams up with the brothers and leads them in an escalator scheme to trade the fireworks for something slightly better, continuing to make better trades until they get what they desire. In this case, they decide to go for a minibike. The trades lead them to many unexpected and dangerous situations, including hopping a boxcar and stealing an engine. The theft gets Caleb and Bobby Gene into even more trouble and forbidden from seeing Styx. Can their parents keep them from their new friend and idol? Slowly the boys work towards their goal, but the payoff does not turn out to be the ticket to freedom about which they dream.

Magee offers a new novel featuring an African-American cast and a father who is fearful of what the outside world will do to his sons. Reminiscent of The Great Brain or the Soup books, this story starts out as a folksie humorous story narrated by a small-town boy who idolizes his clever older friend. Then, much as in the way of The Watson's Go to Birmingham, the story gets serious and we see what drives Styx and the results of his less-than-ideal upbringing, as his impulsiveness leads to recklessness. Magoon weaves a serious family story with subtle racial undertones and infuses it with humor. The beginning of the story when the boys trade their baby sister for fireworks will draw readers in and, once Styx is introduced, their attention will be held. The tale eventually packs an emotional punch that will hit unsuspecting readers, who think that they signed on for a much lighter book. For this reason I would recommend this story to reluctant readers and it would be a great read aloud for teachers and parents to share. The father eventually begins to overcome his fears and all of the characters grow and emotionally move forward and learn to understand each other better. A happy ending for all will satisfy readers, as they breathe a sign of relief that Styx will be well taken care of. Craftily written with a lot to say, this book is a winner with appeal to a wide audience.