Red Kayak

I would probably actually put this book at about three and a half stars, but I rounded up because I'm not the intended audience, who I think might like it better. :-)

I'm reading along with my son's required summer reading for 7th grade this year, mainly just to be companionable, but I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

Although it starts out slowly, and it takes a while to get used to Brady's voice, I thought the story structure and the pacing were excellent for this age group. If something isn't happening on every page, my kid loses interest; while the things that happen might not seem too exciting to an adult (Brady takes the train to visit his cousins; he works on his neighbors' lawn; he helps his dad with the crabbing), they move the show more story along well.

While I personally think Brady is a bit too good to be true, I think my son will find him admirable and relate to him easily. His struggle to decide what to do feels genuine, and even though the conclusion to his dilemma feels a little unrealistic, I didn't mind. The setting is described so well that if I had read this book in 7th grade I would totally want to move to the Chesapeake Bay.

Now I'm looking forward to my son finishing the book he's reading so he can read this one. Most of the other books on his required reading list are dystopian YA, which he doesn't like much, but I think this one, despite being a little bit dated, will be a hit. show less

This is a book I have been wanting to read for a long time, but I kept forgetting to bring it home with me. Well, I finally remembered, and I’m glad I did! This book turned out to be as good as I had hoped.

Brady Parks is celebrated as a hero after the dramatic rescue of his young neighbor. But soon, a tragedy and a secret change everything. As Brady pieces things together, he realizes that he must make some tough decisions.

“…I knew that once I said something, I could never take it back. And that everything -- and everyone -- would be changed by it.”

This is a suspenseful story of deception and lies and deciding between what is easy and what your heart tells you is the right thing to do.

Gr. 6-9. In this satisfying crime and coming-of-age drama, a toddler drowns in a kayak accident after friends of teenage Brady, the victim's neighbor, vent some anger against the child's dad by drilling holes in the bottom of his craft. It was a mean-spirited prank--but no one was supposed to die. What happens now? Revealing the terrible secret would implicate Brady's friends in the drowning, and it clouds his whole world with guilt and fear. Cummings works plot and characterizations skillfully, building suspense as the evidence unfolds and as Brady wrestles with his decision and tries to come to terms with his own responsibility. Brady's eastern-Maryland surroundings and heritage (his father, a waterman, struggles to make a living from show more crabbing) are also vividly evoked. Brady's ultimate decision is both anguished and well reasoned, making for a realistic conclusion show less

Reading some "middle readers" for a work event. This is a good one - probably 4th to 8th grade - some mature themes. When Brady's young neighbor Ben, age 2 dies in a kayak accident, Brady feels terrible. He had seen the kayak go out that rough morning, but didn't call out a warning. The DiAngelo family had recently moved in with a lot of money, flashy cars and new boats. They weren't very savvy about weather and tides and life on the sea like his own fisherman father. The land they bought belonged to his buddy Digger's grandfather - they couldn't afford to keep it, so there is underlying animosity. Despite this, Brady like Ben, had babysat him and even helped with his rescue but the toddler didn't pull through. Brady mopes and wrestles show more with his conscience over his lack of action but gets some relief by working for Mrs. DiAngelo by doing yard work and clean up around the property. Soon his problem gets even bigger when he finds a drill with red paint on it. He suspects Digger and his other best friend JT are behind it. They've been avoiding him ever since the accident. To tell or not to tell is Brady's big dilemma and he struggles with this for a few months knowing the havoc it will cause. At 13, this is a lot to take on, and the book does a great job of presenting all the angles - though through Brady's eyes. He has caring adults in his life who model upright values and he has a well-formed conscience himself. He is super compassionate - his own sister died as a toddler with SIDS, and this surprisingly helps his family heal and come to terms with it. Great book for discussion and for its "do the right thing" message. show less

One of my students invited me to reread this book. I am so glad she did. I purchased this book many, many years ago and didn't remember the story. We have three middle school boys, Brady, J.T., and Digger. They have been best friends all of their life. J.T. helps his father with their chicken farm. Digger often helps his dad haul gravel or run heavy equipment. Brady is a crabber like his father.

When the farm next door to Brady is sold, a lot changes. Digger become angry. His ailing grandfather had to get rid of his farm and he sees the new family as rich people who don't care about anyone or anything. It is this anger that will come to haunt them all.

Mr. and Mrs. D'Angelo and their young son Ben have built a large mansion on the show more property once owned by Digger's grandfather. Brady has babysat Ben and thinks he is an awesome kid. Ben loves his hampster Tiny Tim and his lego's. He is a very bright young child and Brady loves this about him.

While at school one day, Brady is called to the office with all of his things. His father is there to meet him and tells him he needs his help. Mrs. D'Angelo and her son are missing out on the water. Brady is very familiar with these waters and goes to help. He finds young Ben and keeps him alive all the way back to where the rescuers are. But did he do enough.

This book is about tragedy, about finding yourself after a tragedy. It is about family and coping with family issues. It is about friendship. Most importantly it is about doing the right thing. I don't want to say anymore as it will give away too much. I do highly recommend this book along with a box of tissues. show less

I liked this book for two reasons. First, the language is descriptive and detailed. Because the characters are from a rural area, the author wanted to demonstrate their southern accents and poor upbringing. Her word choice through the character's words helps to create the rural area in the audience's mind and understand the background that each character comes from. For example, Digger, one of the main characters, has never excelled at school and has a difficult home life. The author shows Digger's aggressive demeanor by having Digger say, "Yeah, like a baby's ass" (p. 7). This disrespectful language helps the audience understand that Digger does not have boundaries, and the language helps to develop the characters throughout the story. show more I also like this book because it pushes the readers to think and broaden their perspectives. The big idea of this book is to always tell the truth, no matter how difficult it may be. Because there is peer pressure and the fear of getting in trouble, this makes the book more relatable. However, the audience is pushed to think from a different perspective as the book shows the perspectives of the ones who committed the crime and who was the victim of the crime. Because of this, the book pushes readers to broaden their perspectives and think about others rather than just themselves. show less

This book would be great to read with middle school students to discuss doing what's right, even though it is difficult; telling the truth and consequences for actions. It pulled me in from the beginning with the tragedy in the first few chapters. I had to know more. Priscilla Cummings surprised me with the depth of the characters and their change over the course of the story.