Ten year-old Caleb Franklin, living with his family in a small Indiana town, is tired of just feeling ordinary. The prospect of a more exciting summer appears to improve, however, when Caleb and his 11 year-old brother, Bobby Gene, meet a new neighbor, the older and very cool Styx Malone. When the younger boys get to keep a sack of fireworks they offered to give up their baby sister for, Styx convinces them that they can use the fireworks to make a series of trades that will eventually get them the shiny moped at the local hardware store. But as the trades get bigger, the boys find themselves in over their heads, resorting to sneaking out and evading the truth when their parents question their activities. They may not be the only ones keeping secrets though. It seems that Styx has kept some things from his new friends, things that reveal more about Styx than he wanted others to know. This Coretta Scott King Honor title is a rambunctious yet heart-warming look at friendship and acceptance.
