Caleb Franklin wanted to be extraordinary. He wanted nothing more than to escape the small town sameness of his hometown, Sutton, Indiana. His big brother (by one year), Bobby Gene was a bit more content and ready to follow the rules and expectations of his parents. This all changed, however, when 16 year old, Styx Malone came into their lives.

Having obtained a gunny sack full of fireworks by somewhat nefarious means, Caleb and Bobby Gene needed to unload them fast. As they were looking for a hiding place in the woods, Styx suddenly appeared as if an apparition, an answer to their prayers. Styx was smooth, cool, with a bit of an undercurrent that might spell trouble. The boys were easily swayed by Styx's charismatic style and soon they were under his spell and doing things they knew they shouldn't but under Styx's spell, they did them anyway.
This book was a good portrayal of how younger kids can succumb to the influence of an older teen and how seemingly good kids can be peer pressured into doing things they know are wrong deep down in their hearts.

My main issue with this book was the age of Styx. I feel that realistically a sixteen year old would never hang out with a ten and eleven year old. I think that all the elements of the story would have still worked if either Styx were around 14 or if Caleb and Bobby Gene were a year or two older. I really don't know why those ages were chosen but I thought is was a major flaw in the book.