Sweet little story about a 12 year old boy who discovers his masculinity through sewing classes and cool socks. The kiddo has a speech problem that continues throughout the book and doesn't stop him from succeeding. Great example of healthy masculinity! ( )

I've begun my yearly Lone Star reading marathon. The list is released on December 1st. I strive to find the books as ebooks or audiobooks from the various public libraries with whom I have cards. I strive for a book a day, but life interferes, as you can imagine in December, of all months! This novel was my first LS novel for this December. After seeing the cover, I rolled my eyes, thinking middle school kids don't want to read a book that looks elementary. It's so cute; I mis-judged it (a different cover wouldn't hurt, I still say). It presents several wonderful lessons:

- You can do more than you think you can. Take a chance and try. Be brave.
- People can be nicer than you expect. Give people a chance--be brave again.
- Be yourself; be unique. People will like you. Yes, be brave to let others see you.

Xavier (Moonie) lives with his great Aunt Kat and his sister Shannon, who all work together to give Xavier all he needs to succeed. Aunt Kat comes from the "old school." She believes in a strict, but loving, household, only allowing ten minutes to play video games. No matter what, Aunt Kat can't be fooled. Her brother, Frankie Bell, lives at the house when he's not out performing around the United States. We'll come back to him. Shannon loves to cook and has a decent boyfriend, Julian (Ju), whom Aunt Kat gives a hard time because he's older. Aunt Kat requires Ju to prove himself. Kind of a "guilty until proven innocent" type of thing. Jui never gives up, always greeting Aunt Kat and acting like they are friends. These people surround Xavier.

Moonie possesses one goal: become a member of the Specter League. The League requires the men (boys) to have and display strong character. There's an oath one must abide by. One also has to pass interviews. The first time one can apply is during 7th grade. Moonie wants this opportunity badly. His father, Frankie Bell, and Ju have been in it or are in it. Aunt Kat doesn't really care. When it comes time for the interview, Moonie blows it. He can't say what's in his head, so his answers make him seem like a do-nothing. Goes to school and plays videos at home. When he asks, Moonie learns there was one of the four areas he failed in: leadership.

So, a little background. Moonie stutters, which means he tries not to talk as much for fear of being teased. During the interview, he couldn't get his words out, so he fails at communicating his true feelings. Moonie also does not receive the elective he requested (art); instead, he finds himself in sewing class. The only boy. The new girl from the neighborhood (Daisha? I can't remember her name!) practices basketball every day--500 baskets in a row! She wants to be a designer one day. They obviously start up a friendship because they live on the same street and have a small class together. What's interesting is that Moonie discovers that he's good at sewing. One more piece of background information. Frankie Bell sends Moonie advice and socks. He tells him to wear the crazy socks. Moonie doesn't want to stand out--because he stutters, and people make fun of him. He stays fairly quiet and keeps a low profile. Wearing the socks is WAY outside his comfort zone, but he wears the socks anyway. The letter convinces him, especially as Frankie Bell says that he will KNOW if Moonie lies to him!

The socks change Moonie's life. He becomes known for his socks. Being recognized and known for something (that you aren't teased about) allows Moonie to spread his wings and grow as a person. He gains confidence with the socks. He gains confidence because of the sewing. It's when he has to show leadership that he really steps up. He comes up with a plan to raise money as the sewing class's class project.

As I said, I enjoyed the novel. The characters are black although I only knew because authors use the word "aight" when writing black characters. I like that being black wasn't a character in the novel, so to speak. This novel applies to anyone who struggles. Ultimately, it's about having the people around you to encourage you to be brave and choose to evolve and find new parts of yourself. Aunt Kat, Shannon, Ju, the teachers, Frankie Bell, and Moonie's friends at school help him grow as a person. It's a positive novel about being brave and growing. I recommend it without any caveats. ( )

Seventh grader Xavier Moon is really interested in joining his school’s elite “Scepter League” club for boys who show academic excellence, leadership, and service. But with his stutter making him taciturn most of the time, Xavier tends to be the quiet guy in the background. Things change when his great uncle Frankie Bell, a traveling jazz musician, starts sending him cryptic letters from the road, complete with an interesting pair of socks to wear each time. Will becoming the kid known for flashy socks give Xavier the confidence he needs to ace middle school and get accepted into the Scepter League? Read this middle-grade novel to find out.

This book had a slow start as we are introduced to Xavier and his world, including all the people in it. In the first few chapters we meet Xavier, his older sister Shannon who loves cooking, Shannon’s sort-of boyfriend Julian who is as charming as he is irritating, grumpy great aunt Kat who the siblings live with, two other aunts who don’t get along with anyone else in the family, Xavier’s parents who are in prison for an unstated reason, Mr. Talbert the kindly neighbor, Walter the peppy younger kid down the block, Daysha the new girl living on their street, assorted teachers and school staff, a variety of school friends, other classmates in seventh and eighth grade, and, of course, Xavier’s great uncle Frankie Bell. It’s a lot.

I still don’t understand the point of the other two aunts as they are in one scene and it doesn’t quite make sense why no one likes them. I don’t know why it bothers me, but I thought there would be a reveal eventually about why the parents ended up in prison, but no. In fact, there’s a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the book for me, such as why Xavier’s dance date stood him up. Really it felt like this book had a long build-up, a very short part where it finally seemed to get going and moving towards an interesting story, and then quickly deflating without actually exploring that story deeply. While it’s not a bad book by any means, I was left wanting something a little more.

I do appreciate the diversity in the book and how it is written colloquially enough to be appealing to kids but without losing its literary merit. The overall message of finding one’s confidence and special “thing” in life, whether that be sports, cooking, gardening, sewing, etc. was a good one. There are a lot of positive relationships shown, both familial and friendship-wise. Some of the gender dynamics are a little off-putting for me (specifically, some of Frankie Bell’s more old-timey thoughts on what a man is or does, like ‘less talking and more doing’) but there’s also some counters to that, such as Xavier getting into fashion and sewing despite it being initially presented as a totally feminine hobby. At the end of the day, I would recommend this book to middle schoolers looking for realistic fiction in a contemporary setting. ( )

I'm known for my sock game, so I had to read this -- but it was the vibrant characters that kept me coming back. This could so easily have been a story about bitterness or bullying or being yourself no matter what, and it wasn't. It was a story about family giving Xavier an equal dose of support and swift kick, about Moonie finding his thing, about unexpected friendships and interests, and about embracing what's there. I just really love how Xavier takes it all in -- he's listening, he's thinking, he's letting himself be challenged and guided and trying things. There's something really refreshing and realistic about this story -- it feels like a real neighborhood, with real adults and real challenges and it just isn't dramatic, but I walk away feeling more confident and more positive and that is a beautiful thing. ( )

Xavier Moon is used to being a boy in the background. But now that he's twelve, he's old enough to try to get into the Scepter League, an elite club for young men who conduct themselves like kings. Therefore, Xavier has to work on his leadership skills, and upping his "sock game" with the help of his uncle may be just what Xavier needs in The Swag Is in the Socks by author Kelly J. Baptist.

Well! The hero of this middle grade novel has understandable reasons for keeping quiet much of the time, and there's plenty about his personal life that isn't perfect. So it was great watching this kid (who wonders what his "thing" could be) do some serious thinking and find truly admirable footing.

I was mildly interested through the first third or so as I waited to see how the plot would come together; the laugh-out-loud moments throughout the book certainly helped.

There's a lot of cussing in Xavier's family that isn't spelled out on the page, and some of the adults' dialogue includes words like "hell" and "damn" in their nonliteral senses. Hence, not a "squeaky" juvenile read on that score, but the air around me didn't turn blue.

I found the story's last third or so to be pretty amazing, both with events that tugged my heart and others that made me stop and applaud. And can we take a sec to appreciate how on point the book cover is, with tin-grinned Xavier leaning on the novel's title and showcasing his sock game?

Swagged out, young Mr. Moon. ( )