One of my students invited me to reread this book. I am so glad she did. I purchased this book many, many years ago and didn't remember the story. We have three middle school boys, Brady, J.T., and Digger. They have been best friends all of their life. J.T. helps his father with their chicken farm. Digger often helps his dad haul gravel or run heavy equipment. Brady is a crabber like his father.

When the farm next door to Brady is sold, a lot changes. Digger become angry. His ailing grandfather had to get rid of his farm and he sees the new family as rich people who don't care about anyone or anything. It is this anger that will come to haunt them all.

Mr. and Mrs. D'Angelo and their young son Ben have built a large mansion on the property once owned by Digger's grandfather. Brady has babysat Ben and thinks he is an awesome kid. Ben loves his hampster Tiny Tim and his lego's. He is a very bright young child and Brady loves this about him.

While at school one day, Brady is called to the office with all of his things. His father is there to meet him and tells him he needs his help. Mrs. D'Angelo and her son are missing out on the water. Brady is very familiar with these waters and goes to help. He finds young Ben and keeps him alive all the way back to where the rescuers are. But did he do enough.

This book is about tragedy, about finding yourself after a tragedy. It is about family and coping with family issues. It is about friendship. Most importantly it is about doing the right thing. I don't want to say anymore as it will give away too much. I do highly recommend this book along with a box of tissues. ( )

if you like a good mystery book then this is the book for you. I read this book when I was in middle school, and I really enjoyed it and I am not a big mystery book fan. This book is about a young teenager who looses his sister. They originally think they lost her due to her drowning in the lake/river, however did they really? He then goes on a journey discovering what really happened to his sister. I think this book is a good book for teenagers, because it helps remind them to never give up hope and that they are never too young to make a difference. One voice can make a difference. ( )

Reading some "middle readers" for a work event. This is a good one - probably 4th to 8th grade - some mature themes. When Brady's young neighbor Ben, age 2 dies in a kayak accident, Brady feels terrible. He had seen the kayak go out that rough morning, but didn't call out a warning. The DiAngelo family had recently moved in with a lot of money, flashy cars and new boats. They weren't very savvy about weather and tides and life on the sea like his own fisherman father. The land they bought belonged to his buddy Digger's grandfather - they couldn't afford to keep it, so there is underlying animosity. Despite this, Brady like Ben, had babysat him and even helped with his rescue but the toddler didn't pull through. Brady mopes and wrestles with his conscience over his lack of action but gets some relief by working for Mrs. DiAngelo by doing yard work and clean up around the property. Soon his problem gets even bigger when he finds a drill with red paint on it. He suspects Digger and his other best friend JT are behind it. They've been avoiding him ever since the accident. To tell or not to tell is Brady's big dilemma and he struggles with this for a few months knowing the havoc it will cause. At 13, this is a lot to take on, and the book does a great job of presenting all the angles - though through Brady's eyes. He has caring adults in his life who model upright values and he has a well-formed conscience himself. He is super compassionate - his own sister died as a toddler with SIDS, and this surprisingly helps his family heal and come to terms with it. Great book for discussion and for its "do the right thing" message. ( )

I would probably actually put this book at about three and a half stars, but I rounded up because I'm not the intended audience, who I think might like it better. :-)

I'm reading along with my son's required summer reading for 7th grade this year, mainly just to be companionable, but I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

Although it starts out slowly, and it takes a while to get used to Brady's voice, I thought the story structure and the pacing were excellent for this age group. If something isn't happening on every page, my kid loses interest; while the things that happen might not seem too exciting to an adult (Brady takes the train to visit his cousins; he works on his neighbors' lawn; he helps his dad with the crabbing), they move the story along well.

While I personally think Brady is a bit too good to be true, I think my son will find him admirable and relate to him easily. His struggle to decide what to do feels genuine, and even though the conclusion to his dilemma feels a little unrealistic, I didn't mind. The setting is described so well that if I had read this book in 7th grade I would totally want to move to the Chesapeake Bay.

Now I'm looking forward to my son finishing the book he's reading so he can read this one. Most of the other books on his required reading list are dystopian YA, which he doesn't like much, but I think this one, despite being a little bit dated, will be a hit. ( )

This coming of age story puts a lot of stress on the reader. The unknowing of the ending is riveting and keeps you wanting to read. I like this book because it takes place in Maryland, my home state and it takes the character through the lesson of responsibility. I read this book in eighth grade, and I loved it so much I bought it for myself. ( )