CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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The Season of Styx Malone
CCBC Review:
Caleb and his older brother Bobby Gene have led a sheltered, idyllic life in a small Indiana town where everyone knows one another. That’s the way their father likes it—ordinary. Theirs is the only African American family in town, and he wants his sons to fit in, so they can grow up safe and protected. But Caleb longs for something more. Even the science museum in Indianapolis would be a great adventure to him. Enter Styx Malone, a streetwise older African American boy who’s come to live with a foster family nearby. Styx is full of ideas that take both brothers out of their comfort zone. He partners with them in a series of escalator trades that starts with a bag of fireworks and ends with a motorbike. It all seems to be working like a dream until some of the trades start to involve illegal and dangerous moves. Caleb’s wry observant voice recounts the boys’ escapades through a summer that proves to be anything but ordinary, and also shows Caleb’s growth and maturity as he wrestles with trust, relationships, and ethical dilemmas. ©2019 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-12
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
African Americans
Ethical/Moral Choices
Families
Friendship
Humor
Small Town Life
Diversity subject:
Black/African
On CCBC Booklist:
Small Town and Rural Life: Selected Books for Children and Teens
Publishers:
Random House, Wendy Lamb Books
Publish Year: 2018
Pages: 297
ISBN: 9781524715953
CCBC Location: Fiction, Magoon
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.
Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.