Two siblings meet a smooth-talking new kid, Styx Malone, who convinces them to attempt an escalator trade to get a new motorbike in this fun YA summertime read.

Caleb is a young kid living with strict parents who won’t let him leave Sutton, Indiana. But his whole world changes when he and his brother meet a new kid named Styx Malone, who eats candy cigarettes, can talk his way out of any problem, and promises to help them get a new motorbike through an escalator trade.

Fun ensues as the boys spend their summer running around town. It was hard not to compare this book in my head to The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963. Caleb, a lovable yet somewhat goofy kid, with an older brother (though Caleb’s brother Bobby Gene is much nicer than Byron of Watsons), enduring hijinks and key moments in their coming-of-age.

But this book lacked nuance and depth for me, and this kept me from getting excited about reading it. Styx Malone is a complex figure, sometimes leading the kids to do questionable things, and it would have been great to see the characters grapple with this more. They do, sometimes, but for me it never reached below the iceberg. A climactic scene where the kids get grounded and the parents find out that Styx Malone invited them to hop on a train with them is not expressed in a scene, but rather in a couple sentences. That should have been a key emotional part of the story, but it felt like it was skipped over.

The Season of Styx Malone was charming and funny, and it’s definitely more suited to kids, but I had a hard time enjoying the book. But for a fun summer romp, it’s a great choice for late elementary or middle school-aged kids.