The story is set in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Priscilla Cummings is the author of "Red Kayak"
About the author...
MAIN CHARACTERS
Rounded characters:
Brady
Brady is a sensitive, caring boy who is worried easily. He loves his family and friends. He learnt responsibility at an early age. He wanted to be able to share his feelings with his dad. He loves crabbing and the river. He is very helpful to his family and others.
Flat characters:
JT
JT is one of Brady’s childhood friends. He is easygoing, shy and has a good heart. He likes technology. He is honest, hardworking and can be easily intimidated.
Digger
Digger has anger issues and is a fiery temper. He appears tough but also has a soft side. He is physically strong and is sometimes a bully but is also protective of his friends and family. He helps his family a lot.
Carl
Good natured, capable and very helpful.
Brady’s Dad
Not comfortable with sharing his feelings. He is an idealist and believes in doing the right thing.
Rounded characters:
Brady
Brady is a sensitive, caring boy who is worried easily. He loves his family and friends. He learnt responsibility at an early age. He wanted to be able to share his feelings with his dad. He loves crabbing and the river. He is very helpful to his family and others.
Flat characters:
JT
JT is one of Brady’s childhood friends. He is easygoing, shy and has a good heart. He likes technology. He is honest, hardworking and can be easily intimidated.
Digger
Digger has anger issues and is a fiery temper. He appears tough but also has a soft side. He is physically strong and is sometimes a bully but is also protective of his friends and family. He helps his family a lot.
Carl
Good natured, capable and very helpful.
Brady’s Dad
Not comfortable with sharing his feelings. He is an idealist and believes in doing the right thing.
Book Summary
The Red Kayak is written from the point of view of a thirteen year old boy named Brady Parks. Brady is the son of a Chesapeake Bay waterman. He loved the Corsica river where he and his family fish for crabs. A new family, the DiAngelos moves in next door to Brady’s family. They are one of the more well off families that recently moved into the neighborhood.
One day, Brady and his friends see the red kayak owned by the DiAngelos heading into the river. Brady is uneasy because he felt that it could be dangerous to be out on the river during that time because of the tides and the wind. Brady implores his friends to join him in yelling out a warning but his friends ignore him.
Later that day, Brady is asked to join a search and rescue mission to find Mrs. DiAngelo and her three year old son Ben. Relying on his dog’s instincts, Brady finally finds Ben. He desperately tries to revive him by giving him CPR and when he rows him ashore he is relieved to hear the paramedic say that he detected a pulse. For a while Brady enjoys his role as a hero but is soon overcome with sadness and guilt when he learns that Ben is dead.
Brady is surprised that his best friends J.T. and Digger are avoiding him after the tragedy. Initially he thinks it is because they don’t know how to talk to him. Brady decides that he may feel better if he uses his time to help the DiAngelos by offering his services to the family. He starts to work for Mrs. Di Angelo and even plants a butterfly garden for her. Just when he starts to feel better, his life takes a turn for the worst.
While cleaning the DiAngelos boathouse, he finds his father’s missing drill and the drill had flakes of red paint on it. Brady recalled that when he had joked about drilling holes in the DiAngelos kayak, Digger had looked very serious. He also remembers that Digger felt a lot of anger at the DiAngelos as he blamed them for buying his grandfather's farm. Brady realizes that his friend may have something to do with the sinking of the kayak.
When confronted J.T. confesses to helping Digger with drilling holes in the kayak. Brady is angry and scared and does not know what to do. Should he keep it a secret or should he tell someone? Also, whom should he tell? He is tormented by the difficult choices before him. If he tells, he would get himself and his friends into a lot of trouble and hurt his friends and family. If he keeps it a secret it would be unfair to the DiAngelos and to Ben. He is unable to decide what to do.
Then, he reaches a decision. He decides to get rid of the drill and keep the incident a secret. He thinks doing this will make him feel better but he continues to feel burdened. (“It didn’t feel right.”). Brady sees his Dad doing the right thing by not participating in the protest by the watermen. It becomes evident to him that doing what is right is not always the easiest thing.
Finally, Brady decides to do the right thing and face the consequences. ("I just had to remember why I was doing it. Because it was the right thing to do"). With the help of his father, Brady recovers the red kayak and tells his father everything. They tell the authorities and his friends go to trial. What follows is a very stressful time for Brady as he worries about his friends, but he had made a deal with himself to tell the truth and to face all that follows.
In the end he is relieved that the sentence handed to his friends was not too harsh. The DiAngelos sell their property and move to Virginia and look forward to the birth of their new baby. Life goes on for Brady and his friends and Brady hopes that their friendship would survive this tragedy.
I liked the book because of the suspense created by the author as the main character struggles with a very difficult decision. The situations and characters are very realistic and it is easy to relate to them. The book teaches important life lessons which could be relevant for every young person.
The Major Themes in the Book
major_themes.pptx | |
File Size: | 74 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Isha's Favorite Scene of Red Kayak