“After all this time, I still ask myself: Was it my fault? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, I wonder what would have happened if I’d called out a warning. Or kept my mouth shut later.” (p. 3)
Cummings, Priscilla. Red kayak. New York: Dutton. 2004.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Review:
Thirteen-year-old Brady Parks thought about calling out a warning when he saw the red kayak that morning. But he didn’t and neither did his two best friends who were with him. Later that day, he is hailed as a hero for his daring rescue. However, he soon makes a horrifying discovery that links him to the tragedy. Now he must make one of the toughest decisions of his life: should he speak up and let everyone know the part he and his friends played or should he keep quiet and protect his friends?
The author skillfully crafts an interesting plot centered on a young boy facing a moral dilemma. There are surprises along the way and the reader discovers and is shocked by them right along with the narrator. The story will have many thinking of consequences and the effect of words—those that are said as well as those that are not. This was an excellent book that many will enjoy.