The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

I'm SUPER, SUPER EXCITED to celebrate The Season of Styx Malone with Kekla Magoon today. She dropped by to discuss Caleb Franklin, Indiana, school libraries, and Vanessa Brantley-Newton. I wrote the words in purple, and she wrote the words in black. Thank you, Kekla! 

The Season of Styx Malone tells the story of ten-year-old Caleb Franklin, his brother Bobby Gene (age 11), and their new neighbor, Styx Malone (age 16), who leads the brothers on the summer adventure of a lifetime. Styx is charismatic and worldly, while Caleb and Bobby Gene have rarely ventured beyond their own backyard…but that’s about to change.

Did you know Caleb Franklin would do just about anything to prove he isn’t ordinary? Following the enigmatic, charming Styx Malone seems like the ticket to being special, but it’s also the ticket to a whole lot of trouble. 

Sutton is a fictional small town in Indiana. I grew up in Indiana, so Sutton borrows elements from several real towns that I know, but for certain aspects of the story to work, I needed Caleb and Bobby Gene to live closer to Indianapolis than any of the real places I know best.

School libraries are essential resources for learning and exploration. They’re also a great place to curl up with a good book and forget about the rest of the world for a while. 

Story is the way we make sense of the world.

Mr. Schu, you should have asked me…who did the amazing cover illustrations for The Season of Styx Malone. It was Vanessa Brantley-Newton!

Borrow The Season of Styx Malone from your school or public library. Whenever possible, please support independent bookshops.