Free Sample Essays > North American
The Cay
This book is about eleven year old Phillip Enright. Phillip lives with his parents in Willemstad, a city on the island of Curacao. His father works for a oil refinery the helps the British in WWII by supplying them with fuel. When the Germans start attacking the surrounding island and the ships leaving and coming into port, his mother decides she wants to return to the United States untill there wanst a threat. On their way the ship they are on gets hit by a torpedo and while they are getting on the life raft it tips over. While they are in the water Phillip gets hit in the head by a peice of wood goes unconious. He Gets pulled into a raft by a black man named Timothy. Timothy is around 70 years old and looks very strong and muscular. When Phillip wakes up a raft with Timothy and Stew Cat. After three days on the raft Phillip wakes up and is blind, Timothy says its probably from when he got hit in the head. After a few more days they same to an island, there wasnt any people on it but Timothy insisted that they stay on it. The island was shaped like a melon and had sandy beaches on all sides. Timothy built a little hut on a hill by the palm trees and Phillip made mats for them to sleep on. They were on the island for months and didnt see a ship or an airplane. Then huricane comes in June and it blows away every thing the have other than their water and box with supplies in it. Afterwards Timothy dies. Luckily he had shown Phillip how to fish and made him fishing poles for him to use. Phillip makes a new camp and another signal fire. Finaly an he heres an airplane, and lights the fire. but the smoke wasn't dark enough for the pilot to see it. This really discourages Phillip but he still makes another signal fire just in case someone else comes by. Then one morning he is woken up by some explosions. Then he hears another airplane. He runs down the hill and lights the fire again this time the airplane circles a couple of time and he thinks hes saved, but then it flys away. Phillip Finaly decided it was hopeless and that he would just be on the island forever. Then around noon he heard a boats bell. It was a boat coming to get him. The only thing that he took off the island was Timothys knife. When he got back home he went to the doctor and had three surgries and then he could see again.
I really enjoyed reading this book and it taught me a lot. I think i learned that even when something seems hopeless, if you keep a good attitude and keep trying it will always turn out for the best. It was a really good book [next page]