The Season of Styx Malone, by Kekla Magoon. Wendy Lamb Books, Penguin Random House. 2018. $22.99 ages 10 and up

"Pixie wore a zebra-striped headband with black-and-white mouse ears poking up off it. She was my age, I guess, though all the twirling made her seem like a little kid. Her name is Penny," Styx informed us. "Call me Pixie," she insisted. "Are you going to tell them why?" Styx asked wryly. Pixie crossed her arms. "It's personal." Styx had this little smile on his face now. It was funny. He seemed like a different kind of guy with her around. Softer, but no less cool.

Caleb and Bobby Gene are brothers whose father keeps them on a pretty tight rein in their rural Indiana home, wanting to keep them safe from the greater world and its perils. Caleb longs for excitement, to break away from being 'ordinary' as his dad calls the family and the life they lead.  Then one night, when Caleb tells his dad he likes classical music, his dad shows no surprise at all and calls him extraordinary, a compliment Caleb takes to mean extra ordinary ... a term he does not like at all. 

When they trade their sister to a friend for a bag of fireworks, they get themselves in a heap of trouble that ends with their having to complete assigned chores in order to make amends. Disgruntled and wondering what to do with the fireworks they cannot use, the time is ripe for meeting Styx Malone, a kid older than they are, who seems like an answer to Caleb's prayers. Styx is cool and carefree, always up for new adventure and wanting the boys to be part of his Great Escalator Trade. It is a scheme that involves trading up from one thing to the next, always for something better than the thing being traded, until you get exactly what you want.

As they follow in Styx's footsteps and find themselves in trouble with their parents, Bobby Gene tries to get his younger brother to back off and be careful. Caleb won't hear anything bad about Styx, even though he has begun to have some reservations about Styx's motivations. They learn as the days pass that Styx has no permanent family, having been moved from one foster home to another throughout his young life. What he wants is ordinary, while Caleb wants the freedom that he sees in Styx.

Humorous, heartbreaking and hopeful ... and quite extraordinary. You won't soon forget Caleb, Bobby Gene or Styx Malone. It is a great summer adventure, and would make a perfect read aloud in a middle grade classroom when students return after their summer break.

“A happy ending depends on where you stop the story.”