In the movie Cast Away, Tom Hanks plays a man who survives a plane crash only to find himself stranded on a deserted island. But in Theodore Taylor's book The Cay, the stakes are even higher: the main character, Phillip, is an 11-year-old boy.
As an American living on the Dutch-occupied island of Curaçao during World War II, Phillip watches as German submarines begin attacking ships off the coast. His mother decides they'll be safer back home in Virginia, but soon after they depart, their boat is torpedoed too. A piece of timber strikes Phillip on the head as they abandon ship, and the next thing he knows, he's on a raft with Timothy, a shipmate who saved him from drowning.
Timothy is a native of the West Indies—practically an alien culture in Phillip's eyes—but they must work together to stay alive, especially once they reach a small island, or cay, in a forgotten part of the Caribbean that Timothy calls "the Devil's Mouth."
The Cay almost dares you not to finish it in one sitting. If you enjoy heart-pounding suspense, not to mention characters who tug at your heart, then chart a course to your local library and check out this riveting adventure tale.
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