The Cay

I’ve always wanted to read The Cay by Theodore Taylor, and yesterday I found it in a pile in my bedroom while I was disinfecting my house from the sick I’ve had for two weeks! I read half the book last night before bed and finished the second half this morning. It’s a classic survival story with some historical elements about the West Indies during World War II. I was happy that the cat did not have to die!! 

The story’s theme centers on the friendship and respect that grow between eleven year old Phillip, an American living on the Dutch island of Curaçao, and the old black-skinned Timothy, a deckhand from Charlotte Amalie, when they are stranded on a desert island together after a shipwreck.

The 860 Lexile level can be attributed to the geographical and historical terminology related to the time period of 1942, as well as the distinctive West Indian dialect infused in dialogue between Timothy and the boy.

I’m glad I finally read this novel as it fits nicely with a couple of our reading units in fifth grade. It incorporates the message of accepting and appreciating cultural diversity and also touches upon the power of nature when a tropical storm wreaks havoc on the cay.