The Journey Back

I loved the book it was amazing. The only thing is that it didn't really say anything about Brady. It mentioned him but he wasn't really in the story JT wasn't either.

Great story of survival. I don’t wish for kids to be in trouble or do what the character did, but I like how much a young person knew in order to survive and how caring they were despite their lives not being “perfect”. I wish I read Red Kayak first to know the back story.

THE JOURNEY BACK is the story of “Digger” Griswald. He’s on the run after escaping a youth detention center where he is serving time for the death of a young boy, the result of a prank gone awry. Digger wants to get home to help protect his mother and siblings from his abusive father. In this, the follow-up novel to RED KAYAK, author Priscilla Cummings tracks Digger’s escape path through rural Maryland as he faces one obstacle after another. An exciting read for young adults, Cummings tells a suspenseful tale filled with hard lessons and tender moments. Yes, a coming of age story, but one with emotional twists and turns that will keep your mind wondering what’s next and your heart pounding for a young boy searching for inner peace. THE JOURNEY BACK is a great emotional trek…but even better if you precede it with RED KAYAK.

My class can not wait to read this sequel to the Red Kayak!

I teach middle school English. As a class we read The Red Kayak. My students loved that book, then we realized that there was a sequel, "The Journey Back". We also read this novel as a class. I have never read a book that has kept the attention of ALL of my students like this book. It is thoughtful, well written and about topics that are meaningful and thought provoking.

I think I liked this one more that Cummings first book although this one is the sequel to Red Kayak. There is no need to read the first one, though. Digger comes across as real, and the reader watches his transformation from a selfish angry young man to someone who really does face his responsibility.

Great book, great lesson learned! I'm not sure it was as appropriate as "The Red Kayak" that I read to my fifth graders. I understand that some of the language/content might have been necessary to keep the characters "true" and believable, however I ended up editing some of it out.

This book stands alone, but having read Red Kayak, my middle school class was thrilled to find this book. They loved the action and the suspense. I liked the fact that, again, Ms. Cummings shows clearly how small choices lead to big consequences. I think that Red Kayak and The Journey Back should be required reading for all middle school boys.

My daughter loves it