Red Kayak was present in the New York Public Library's list of 'notable books for teens' of 2005, and in the American Library Association's list of 'Best Book for Young Adults' of 2006. The Journey Back is written by Priscilla Cummings and published by Puffin Books. The reviewer also praises how believable the dilemmas Brady goes through are. Writing for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Stevenson comments on 'the subtle layers' that are present in the story, such as the fear the poorer families feel, of being ousted from their lands by the newly rich ones. The Booklist praised Cummings' skillful writing of the plot and characters, calling Brady's decision to tell the truth about his friends' actions 'both anguished and well reasoned, making for a realistic conclusion.' The critic also praises the author's usage of Maryland's eastern heritage in the building of the characters. The book received generally positive reviews, and was called a 'well-written, sometimes gripping story' and a 'strong effort' by Kirkus Reviews. Life goes on for Brady and his used-to-be friends. The DiAngelos sell their property and start anew elsewhere. In the end, he's relieved that the sentence handed to his friends was not too harsh: nine months of forest restoration in a juvenile work camp. Brady testifies to the authorities who agree to grant him immunity in exchange for his testimony. They recover the kayak which was still sunken in the water, and which clearly shows the holes drilled in the hull. In the final section of the book, Brady does what he believes is the right thing, and tells his father everything. The central section of the book then consists of Brady confronting his friends, feeling partly responsible, hiding the evidence, deliberating over the correct course of action, and generally suffering debilitating, internal, moral conflict.

The sabotage involved a method that Brady thought up himself, though never intended to carry out: drilling holes in the kayak's bottom and plugging them with water-soluble filler. DiAngelo and her three-year-old that were going out on the kayak, which overturns and leads to the death of the child.īrady assuages his grief by working for the DiAngelo family on their property, but in doing so discovers evidence that the kayak had been sabotaged by his two friends, JT and Digger. Brady and his friends decide not to warn the people in the kayak, thinking it's Mr. One day, Brady sees a red kayak owned by the DiAngelos heading into the river in dangerous weather. A wealthy family called the DiAngelos buys the property Brady and his friends are used to enjoying near the water. Red Kayak is written from the point of view of a thirteen-year-old boy named Brady Parks who is part of a poor crab-fishing family on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

The journey back by priscilla cummings