Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings

1. Red Kayakby Priscilla Cummings 08/10/2012 Listen Here

2. Chapter 7 1. How is Brady treated at school after the rescue? 2. How do J.T. and Digger react? Predict the reason for their reaction.

3. Chapter 8 1. Brady’s mom tells him not to blame himself for Ben’s death because he did everything he could to give Ben a chance to live. What do you think Brady’s mom would say if she knew the “entire” story? 2. Why doesn’t Brady feel his usual freedom on the river? Why does he grow angry at the river?

4. Chapter 9 • Brady’s dad hates “to talk about feelings and stuff like that”. How does this affect the Parks family? How might things be different for Brady if his dad were comfortable talking about feelings? • 2. What does Brady do when he “flips out”?

5. Chapter 10 1. Why does Brady’s mom ask Carl to talk to Brady? What advice does he give Brady? 2. Why does J.T. lie to Brady? How does Brady find out about thelie?

6. Chapter 11 • Brady feels that he was cheated out of going to Amanda’s funeral. Why do you think he doesn’t go to Ben’s funeral? 2. Why is Brady reluctant to go back out onto the water?

7. Chapter 12 1. How does the butterfly garden help Brady’s mom? What does the garden represent? Do you think it will help Mrs. DiAngelo? Why? 2. Do you think Mr. DiAngelo is right in blaming his wife for Ben’sdeath? Do you think Mrs. DiAngelo blames herself?

8. Chapter 13 • Why is Mrs. DiAngelo going to Washington? 2. Finding the drill makes Brady have a flashback to a certain day last summer. Compare and contrast Brady’s, J.T.’s, and Digger’s actions that day.

9. Chapter 14 • Whose idea was it to drill holes in the DiAngelos’ kayak? Explain the circumstances. • Why does Brady go to J.T.’s house? What happens? Give details!

10. Chapter 15 • Why does Digger push J.T. around yet protect him from Curtis, the school bully? Why can’t Digger push Brady around? • Digger says to Brady, “You think telling the truth brings the kid back?” How would you respond to this statement? Is the truth more important than friendship?

11. Chapter 16 • What does Brady say is the obvious and right thing to do? If he knows what is right, why is he tormented? • Why does Brady protest when Mrs. DiAngelo insists on paying him a bonus? Why does he want to stop working for her?

12. Chapter 17 • Why is Digger speechless when Brady asks whether Digger could forget if Hank or LeeAnn had died instead of Ben? • What is Brady’s first thought when he sees a police car at Digger’s house? How has Digger’s home life affected him?

13. Chapter 18 1. Why is the trip to Rhode Island good for Brady? 2. Why does Brady still want to be friends with J.T. and Digger? What are their “real” names?

14. Chapter 19 • Do you think Brady’s parents locked Amanda’s things in the attic because they wanted to pretend she never existed? What do you think would happen if they displayed pictures of Amanda? • Predict what Brady decided to do at the end of this chapter. Why do you think this will happen? Provide evidence from the story.

15. Chapter 20 • What does Brady’s father do with the sponge crabs? Why? • How does Brady justify what he does with the drill?

16. Chapter 21 • How is Brady’s father’s situation with the watermen’s protest similar to Brady’s situation? • Summarize what happened between Brady and his mother when she walked into his room unannounced. What did she give him and why?

17. Chapter 22 • How does Brady’s dad make his decision not to join the waterman’s protest? Why does he tell Brady it wasn’t a tough decision? • What does Brady ask his father to do? Why is this significant?

18. Chapter 23 • What is Brady’s mission? Explain why the kayak isn’t where Brady saw it last spring. • Why is telling the truth” something Brady had to do”? Do you think he really doesn’t care what kids at school think or what happens as a result of telling the truth?

19. Chapter 24 • Reread the definitions of manslaughter and second-degree murder found in this chapter. Which do you think best fits J.T. and Digger’s crime? Why? • Who is Mr. Anderson? What does he say will happen to Brady? Why?

20. Chapter 25 • Why does the court referring to Digger and J.T. at “Mr. Griswald” and Mr. Tyler comfort Brady? Why did J.T. nod at Brady? What does it mean? • Why does Brady guess the juvenile court system uses different terms than the adult system? What does he mean when he says that “none of these labels make a lick of difference”?

21. Chapter 26 • Describe the court scene. How do they plead? Why? • How does J.T.’s lawyer describe his involvement in sabotaging the kayak? Do you agree with his opinion? Why or why not?

22. Chapter 27 • Compare and contrast the statements made by J.T. and Digger’s lawyers. Whose lawyer would you rather have? Why? • What are J.T.’s and Digger’s sentences? Do you agree with Brady’s dad that the boys are lucky? Why or why not?

23. Chapter 28 • Why did Mrs. DiAngelo take her butterfly garden when she moved instead of planting another one at her new home? • What do you think Brady, J.T., and Digger would say to each other if they had been allowed to talk in private after the court hearing? How might Digger and J.T. react to Brady’s oxymoron “alone together”?