Red Kayak

I loved this book! I wondered what I would have done. The reader is left guessing until the end. So many feelings about the conclusion.

Nice quality, my daughter loves this book

This is an interesting book that will hold the reader's attention. Children grades 4 and up should like it. My students in 5th grade read it and loved it. It involves a death so you may want to consider that before choosing this book for your students or children.

So I had to read a section of this for school then I HAD to read the entire thing!! Already downloaded the sequel!!!!

"Each must make his life as flowing in tumbling block or a stepping stone while common people like you and me we'll be builders for eternity each is given a bag of tools a shapeless mass and the book of rules" -- Llewellyn/Morgan/Sibbles, "Book of Rules" "From where we stood, you could see down the grassy slope behind our house, on past Dad's shop and the dock, to the creek. And out there, heading our way, was Mr. DiAngelo's new red kayak." Brady Parks is a hardworking thirteen-year-old son of a Chesapeake Bay waterman. He and his two longtime friends, Digger and J.T., are waiting for their ride to school one April morning when they see that red kayak go by in the distance. "Cupping his hands around his mouth, Digger pretended to call out: 'Paddle hard, you sucker!' "He and J.T. exchanged this look I didn't quite catch, and J.T. started laughing, too. "But I shook my head. 'He shouldn't be going out there today. When he gets down to the point--he'll fly down the river.' I was sure Mr. DiAngelo didn't know about how the wind picked up once you left our creek and hit the open water. Not to mention the spring tides. Sometimes they were so strong they'd suck the crab pot buoys under. I doubted whether Mr. DiAngelo knew that; he'd only had the kayak a few weeks. " 'Really, guys. We ought to yell something,' I said soberly." Although he's quite fond of the man's wife and little boy, Ben, for whom he's baby-sat, Brady and his friends are not fans of Mr. Marcellus DiAngelo, who has bought Digger's grandfather's farm, replaced the old farmhouse with a mansion, and eliminated the boys' access to the surrounding lands where they've always been able to play, and which Digger had always used as a getaway from his abusive dad. "Sneering, Digger stuffed his hands in his pockets. 'Look Brady, if he's stupid enough to be out there today, he can take what's coming. Besides, he deserves it.' " So they don't call out a warning. And then later that morning, when his father comes to take him out of school to assist with search efforts, Brady learns that it was actually Mrs. DiAngelo, taking Ben out for a ride, who had been paddling the red kayak in those frigid waters. Thus begins Brady's moral journey through this action-filled page turner. Brady's rescue and resuscitation of Ben makes Brady a hero for a day--until Ben dies from the effects of his exposure. Brady's friends distance themselves from him, and he is left alone with the secrets of the trio's actions and inactions. "My mind sure was drifting. Looking back, I could see there were things we three did that I would never forget. Boy, like the day we were playing ice hockey and I went through the ice on that cow pond. It was Digger who saved my life. I can still see him sprawled toward me, his chin bleeding, his tooth chipped forever, reaching both of his bare, cold hands out to me while I thrashed around in that freezing water and couldn't get a grip because the edges of the ice kept breaking. 'Grab on, Brady! Grab on!' And J.T. in the background, holding Digger's ankles so he wouldn't go down with me." The long-term process that Brady navigates in his attempts at discovering "the right thing to do" is paralleled by that of Brady's dad. Mr. Parks is seeking a solution to his own problems involving decreasing income due to the dwindling inventories of crabs in the Chesapeake fishery. Dad must decide whether or not to participate in the political actions being organized by his fellow watermen who are calling for less restrictions on their crab harvesting. "Pressure pushing down on me Pressing down on you no man ask for Under pressure that brings a building down Splits a family in two Puts people on streets" --David Bowie/Queen, "Under Pressure" Another parallel involves the loss by Brady's family--prior to the story--of his little sister Amanda from SIDS. Brady's previous experience makes him quite cognizant of the effect Ben's loss must be having upon Mr. and Mrs. DiAngelo. The pressure within Brady builds as his complicated feelings about guilt and friends and family consume his days and compel him to seek a way out of the dilemma. "I thought I'd wake up feeling relieved the next morning. Like a weight had been taken off my shoulders because of the action I'd finally taken. But it didn't start out that way, and I wondered while I poked at the scrambled eggs Mom had made whether it was something I just had to get used to first, like a new haircut." RED KAYAK provides a winning balance between the outdoor action and settings, and Brady's inner turmoil. From the muck on the crab traps to Brady's yellow lab tearing through the tall grass to retrieve a ball, the descriptions brought me gladly back to locales I've previously explored with the likes of Dicey Tillerman and Tunes Smith. Readers will surely be caught up in Brady's story of life and death on the river, as he finds himself trapped between a rock and a hard place, while killer currents and dangerous obstacles just under the surface threaten to take him under.

Red Kayak is a powerful story that pulls you in right from the beginning. It starts off feeling like a simple tale about friends and life on the Chesapeake Bay, but it quickly turns into a tense, emotional journey about choices, guilt, and doing the right thing. The main character, Brady, feels incredibly real. You really get pulled into his struggle after the accident and the secret he uncovers. The book deals with heavy themes—responsibility, honesty, and how one decision can change everything—but it’s written in a way that’s easy to follow and perfect for younger readers too. The pacing is fast, the emotions feel honest, and the story stays with you long after you finish it. It’s the kind of book that makes you think about consequences and courage. Overall, a very strong middle-grade/teen novel with real heart and a meaningful message. A great classroom read or personal read alike.

Don’t start reading this book if you have plans. I literally couldn’t put it down!! I read the entire book in 3.5 hours!

I purchased The Red Kayak to read while my granddaughter was reading it as a school assignment. It opened up the opportunity for us to discuss right and wrong, peer pressure, and finding the strength to do what YOU know is the right thing to do. I enjoyed our little book club of two much more than the book itself. The cloud of sadness and regret and fear that was prevalent throughout did not make it a fun read although well written. I will say it was a good choice for 8th graders.