“Bobby Gene was everything familiar. Everything I already knew. Styx represented what was possible. All the invisible things that eventually might be seen. And to be seen would change everything.” - - The Season of Styx Malone is a book that settles ever so slowly into the heart of the reader. Kekla Magdon’s writing is so vivid, so flowy that it’s easy to get caught up thinking that Caleb, Bobby Gene, and Styx are all real…three young men living their best summer yet. - - One thing I love about this middle grade fiction book is that even though the main characters are all black, the story isn’t about them being black. Let me explain. About 15 years ago, I recall one of my 8th grade students at the time talking about how he was tired of reading books where blacks are slaves. “Black people are more than just former slaves,” he said. “When are we going to see books about that?” - - That statement - profound and direct - yearned to be part of the cannon. Yearned to be realized. - - Ms. Magdon brings that notion to fruition with The Season of Styx Malone. The adventures the boys have during this one memorable and life-changing summer are universal. Ones that could happen to anyone. Sure, readers know that the characters are black, but that blackness is just a fact. Part of who they are. It doesn’t drive the story. And that crafting makes all the difference to students who want to be seen for the totality of who they are. It normalizes a concept that many young people of color want to see reflected in the books they read. Thank you, Ms. Magdon, for doing that. - - Suitable for grades 6-8. - - Author: Kekla Magdon Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books/Random House Children’s Books Release Date: October 16, 2018 - - I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. - - #netgalley #bookreviews #teachersofinstagram #teachingliteracy #thatbooklife #readalouds #reading #books #teachersfollowteachers #6thgrade #7thgrade #8thgrade #middlegradefiction #weneeddiversebooks #representationmatters #friendship #blackboys #adventures #theseasonofstyxmalone #styxmalone #wendylambbooks #randomhousechildrensbooks https://www.instagram.com/p/BnPKNhyHMa8/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1pyjxxhfvpsd3
