Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings



I had to read this one for Abe, and I think it's a junior high morality novel. It was an okay read, but my high school kids aren't going to fall in love with it. I'm not even sure I'll get anyone to check it out.

Thirteen-year-old Brady lives by the water and knows it. When a boy and his mother go missing, he is with the grown men from his town leading a search and rescue mission. Brady finds Ben, the small boy, resuscitates him and is a hero. But then Ben dies from pneumonia and Brady goes through depression. He doesn't understand why his two best buddies are avoiding him. Then he figures it out. His two buddies were responsible for the red kayak sinking and Ben's death. Because Brady spent the summer working for Ben's mom, and just because he is a good kid, he tells his dad everything, they find the kayak, tell the police, and Brady's two friends are remorseful, apologize, and get sent to a forestry boot camp for delinquents. So that is what I mean when I use the term morality novel!

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