The Season of Styx Malone

In this story, two innocent young kids, who are brothers, become friends with a foster child who is a bad influence and teaches them how to be "bad". I was enjoying listening to the book with my nine year-old son, though we were stopping frequently to discuss the poor choices/morality of the boys under Styx's (the foster kid's) influence. Happily, I went ahead on my own when I got to the part where Styx convinces them to lie to their parents about where they are going and stow away on a train with Styx without knowing where they are going. Styx then convinces them to jump out of the fast moving train at a destination that they didn't know. As a parent, the idea of my kids lying to me to take off on a train to a destination they didn't know and possibly get killed along the way was rather terrifying. I was so glad that my son didn't hear that part of the story and didn't let him listen to more of the book. The story is a good read and very engaging, but more appropriate for older kids who have a stronger moral compass. The parents of the brothers are great and are trying hard to teach their kids well. There are also references to fear of racially motivated hate crimes. There also a lot of use of fake cigarettes.