The Swag Is in the Socks by Kelly J. Baptist is a fun, quick middle grade read with a lot of heart. Xavier is a great main character and I loved his character development in this novel about building confidence.
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The summary, from Amazon:
Xavier Moon is stepping out of the shadows when his great-uncle gives him some outlandish socks and some even stranger requests. A story about heart, confidence, and standing on your own two feet that is perfect for fans of The Season of Styx Malone and The Parker Inheritance.
Xavier Moon is not one to steal the show. He’s perfectly content to play video games and sit at his bedroom window watching the neighborhood talk outside.
But for Xavier’s twelfth birthday, he receives a pair of funky socks and a challenge from his great-uncle, Frankie Bell, saying it’s time to swag out and speak up. First on the list: get into the legendary Scepter League. Xavier’s grandfather, great-uncle, and father were all invited to join the elite boys’ after-school club that admits only the most suave and confident young men. Xavier has never had the courage to apply before, but his wild socks are getting him some big attention, so maybe it’s time to come out of the shadows and follow in his family’s footsteps. Or maybe Xavier will march down a new path altogether.
Buy The Swag Is in the Socks here.
Xavier Moon is quiet and has trouble standing up for himself and standing out. He wants nothing more than to get into the Scepter League, a local boys’ organization that his relatives were in with core values such as leadership. When his great uncle starts sending him cryptic letters and funky socks in the mail, Xavier feels the socks are lucky. He’s constantly complimented on his sock game and notices that awesome things come to him. Unfortunately, the socks aren’t enough to get him into the Scepter League. Xavier has all the qualities needed except for leadership, so he sets out to be a leader so he can join in spring. With the help of his sewing class, he creates a sock drive to help the community.
This was a fun, quick read about a boy developing confidence and a relationship with his quirky great uncle. What’s so awesome about this book is that Xavier stutters and this is just part of his character. He attends speech class and discovers some tools to work past his stutter, but he still has a stutter at the end of the book. The Swag Is in the Socks isn’t about Xavier’s stutter, and his stutter isn’t why he’s unconfident in the beginning of the novel. He is able to develop confidence, leadership, and swag while still having a speech impediment.
The Swag Is in the Socks only took me a day to read and I enjoyed doing so! It’s a solid 4 stars for me.
Find out more about how I rate books here.
The Swag Is in the Socks by Kelly J. Baptist
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Such a cute read. I loved that Xavier stutters but the book isn’t about him stopping stuttering and he still has a speech impediment at the end.
Book Club Questions
- Why is joining the Scepter League so important for Xavier?
- Have you ever wanted to join an organization or apply for a job that required core values? What did you do to prove yourself?
- How did Xavier develop confidence throughout the novel?
- How did Xavier show his leadership skills?
Interested? Buy The Swag Is in the Socks.
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