The Season of Styx Malone Summary
Kekla Magoon

The Season of Styx Malone Overview

In the The Season of Styx Malone, a 2019 Coretta Scott King Honor Book by Kekla Magoon, brothers Caleb and Bobby Gene are surprised when they encounter a boy named Styx Malone in the woods near their house. The chance meeting leads to a summer of adventure and possibility. The three young boys manage to make a series of trades that end when they trade for a moped. Caleb and Bobby Gene feel betrayed when they discover that Styx had always planned to use the moped to run away. Their hurt feelings give way to real fears when Styx is involved in a wreck that lands him in the hospital. Styx ends up returning to a foster home where he had been happy, and Caleb learns two important lessons during the summer. First, most people in his life can fill more than one role. Also, people can change for the better. The novel's main themes are betrayal and trust, the dynamics of family relationships, and the lure of taking risks.