Richie's Picks: THE JOURNEY BACK by Priscilla Cummings, Dutton, October 2012, 224p., ISBN: 978-0-525-42362-1  

"'Do you think he's dead?' 

"'No.  Watch his stomach.  It moves when he breathes.  See?  He's not dead.  Why would he be dead?' 

"'I don't know.  I mean he was starving to death yesterday.' 

"'Well, he's alive all right.' 

"'What do you think we should do?' 

"Lying there, pretending to be asleep under those napkins on my face, I felt Buddy beside me lift his head.  I recognized Luke's voice right off.  The other voice belonged to a girl. 

"'I think he's in trouble because he didn't want me to say anything to my dad about finding him, or making him those sandwiches,' Luke said.  'What do you think he did?' 

"'Who knows?'  The girl sounded older than Luke.   

"'Do you think he robbed a store?  Or maybe he killed somebody?' 

"'Nah.'  The girl was doubtful.  'He doesn't look like a killer.' 

"A sudden heaviness sank into my chest.  If she only knew." 

That "she" is Nora, a girl Digger's age.  And to this point in the story, Digger's journey back reminds me of the travails of the weasel getting his comeuppance in the old Arnold Lobel beginning reader, MOUSE SOUP. 

THE JOURNEY BACK is a sequel to Priscilla Cumming's RED KAYAK.  It has been nearly a decade since I wrote about the trio of adolescent boys in RED KAYAK whose actions and inactions are tied to the death of a three year-old child.  Here's a bit of what I wrote about it in 2004: 

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. 

THE JOURNEY BACK, Digger's story from the next year, is every bit as action-filled and thought-provoking as the first book.  Turns out that Digger and J. T. have had to do time for what (unbeknownst to Brady) Digger had done to sabotage  that red kayak.  Now that Digger has seen for himself on Visiting Day that his mother is still being physically abused by his father, he is determined to take matters into his own hands.  Sick of life and strife in the detention facility he's been remanded to, Digger begins his journey back by way of an escape accomplished via dumpster and garbage truck (that almost gets him compacted to death).  Things only go downhill from there.   

Whatever crap he'd been enduring in the detention facility pales in comparison to what he goes through as he employs whatever means are necessary in seeking to head back in order to deal with his father.   By time he reaches the campground where young Luke is wondering to Nora whether Digger is alive or dead, Digger is dealing with a totally-trashed ankle and a case of poison ivy that has swollen up his face so badly that he can barely see.  Not to mention the incessant hunger and his having been adopted by Buddy, a stray dog who insists on following him everywhere.  

There are no easy answers in THE JOURNEY BACK, which makes it an excellent book for thought and discussion.  For instance, how much is Digger's abusive father responsible for his son's anger and behavior and how much should Digger own his behavior?  I particularly like how the author sets up a subplot in which an adult character is performing a very commendable service -- running a foster home for abused horses -- while also cheating the government by paying workers under the table.  Nora is a pivotal character, being an intelligent young woman who often cuts through the crap.  She is seeking a level of understanding about right and wrong that oftentimes seems to totally elude these damaged characters we meet along his journey.   

An edgy, high interest, intelligent read for middle schoolers, THE JOURNEY BACK is well-worth checking out.  

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_school_lit/ http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/faculty/partingtonr/partingtonr.php 

Richie's Picks: THE JOURNEY BACK by Priscilla Cummings, Dutton, October 2012, 224p., ISBN: 978-0-525-42362-1  

"'Do you think he's dead?' 

"'No.  Watch his stomach.  It moves when he breathes.  See?  He's not dead.  Why would he be dead?' 

"'I don't know.  I mean he was starving to death yesterday.' 

"'Well, he's alive all right.' 

"'What do you think we should do?' 

"Lying there, pretending to be asleep under those napkins on my face, I felt Buddy beside me lift his head.  I recognized Luke's voice right off.  The other voice belonged to a girl. 

"'I think he's in trouble because he didn't want me to say anything to my dad about finding him, or making him those sandwiches,' Luke said.  'What do you think he did?' 

"'Who knows?'  The girl sounded older than Luke.   

"'Do you think he robbed a store?  Or maybe he killed somebody?' 

"'Nah.'  The girl was doubtful.  'He doesn't look like a killer.' 

"A sudden heaviness sank into my chest.  If she only knew." 

That "she" is Nora, a girl Digger's age.  And to this point in the story, Digger's journey back reminds me of the travails of the weasel getting his comeuppance in the old Arnold Lobel beginning reader, MOUSE SOUP. 

THE JOURNEY BACK is a sequel to Priscilla Cumming's RED KAYAK.  It has been nearly a decade since I wrote about the trio of adolescent boys in RED KAYAK whose actions and inactions are tied to the death of a three year-old child.  Here's a bit of what I wrote about it in 2004: 

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. 

THE JOURNEY BACK, Digger's story from the next year, is every bit as action-filled and thought-provoking as the first book.  Turns out that Digger and J. T. have had to do time for what (unbeknownst to Brady) Digger had done to sabotage  that red kayak.  Now that Digger has seen for himself on Visiting Day that his mother is still being physically abused by his father, he is determined to take matters into his own hands.  Sick of life and strife in the detention facility he's been remanded to, Digger begins his journey back by way of an escape accomplished via dumpster and garbage truck (that almost gets him compacted to death).  Things only go downhill from there.   

Whatever crap he'd been enduring in the detention facility pales in comparison to what he goes through as he employs whatever means are necessary in seeking to head back in order to deal with his father.   By time he reaches the campground where young Luke is wondering to Nora whether Digger is alive or dead, Digger is dealing with a totally-trashed ankle and a case of poison ivy that has swollen up his face so badly that he can barely see.  Not to mention the incessant hunger and his having been adopted by Buddy, a stray dog who insists on following him everywhere.  

There are no easy answers in THE JOURNEY BACK, which makes it an excellent book for thought and discussion.  For instance, how much is Digger's abusive father responsible for his son's anger and behavior and how much should Digger own his behavior?  I particularly like how the author sets up a subplot in which an adult character is performing a very commendable service -- running a foster home for abused horses -- while also cheating the government by paying workers under the table.  Nora is a pivotal character, being an intelligent young woman who often cuts through the crap.  She is seeking a level of understanding about right and wrong that oftentimes seems to totally elude these damaged characters we meet along his journey.   

An edgy, high interest, intelligent read for middle schoolers, THE JOURNEY BACK is well-worth checking out.  

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_school_lit/ http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/faculty/partingtonr/partingtonr.php