Timothy of the Cay [Unknown Binding]

Theodore Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1994

In the novel The Cay, a young white boy and an old black man are stranded on a small sandy cay in the Caribbean Sea following a shipwreck. Eleven-year-old Phillip was blinded by flying debris when a torpedo struck the SS Hato, and old Timothy has taught him how to survive. This prequel-sequel tells the rest of their tale in alternating chapters--the compelling story of two very different people who share the courage and tenacity to turn their dreams into reality.

Includes a reader's guide.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

" 'Tis a beautiful cay, dis cay,' Timothy had said. He was right." So says Phillip Enright after his first actual view of the islet on which, in The Cay , he was stranded with the old black sailor Timothy, who taught him to survive. Phillip's return to the isolated spot marks the culmination of a journey both physical and spiritual. In alternating chapters Taylor recounts the events following the blinded 12-year-old's rescue from the remote island, and chronicles Timothy's history as well. In the tradition of its predecessor, this "prequel/sequel" explores social and racial imbalances and draws a graceful parallel between Timothy's youthful struggle to achieve an unheard-of dream--the captaincy of his own boat--and Philip's courage in choosing to undergo a risky operation to restore his vision. At times, the author seems to apologize for Timothy's illiteracy, his stubbornness and his belief in the spirits called jumbis , which seems unnecessary, given the character's obvious dignity and deep-rooted wisdom. Somewhat more thoughtful than its well-loved antecedent, this boldly drawn novel is no less commanding. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Twenty-four years after publication of The Cay (Doubleday, 1987, 1969), Taylor returns to his story of a young white boy stranded on a Caribbean island with an elderly, resourceful black man. The narrative alternates between Phillip's first-person accounts of what happened to him after his rescue, and flashbacks in the third person telling Timothy's story, starting with his childhood in St. Thomas. In The Cay, readers learned how Phillip came to be on the torpedoed ship Hato; this prequel/sequel adds depth to Timothy's character through its treatment of episodes that led up to that event. The boy's story is less revealing than the man's, and some of it has already been told and is slightly contradicted by dates in the final chapter of The Cay. Faithful in tone, dialect, and characterization to the earlier title, Timothy does not delve as deeply into the theme of the first book. Instead, while it touches on racial prejudice, its focus is more on Phillip's appreciation of his friend and guardian angel, and on the adventurous and touching yarns of the West Indian man's life at sea. Those who enjoyed the earlier book will feel as though they're meeting up with old acquaintances and learning more about them, and will see the story come full circle when Phillip returns-with his sight-to the island.
Susan Knorr, Milwaukee Public Library, WI
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Unknown Binding
• Publisher: Perfection Learning Prebound (December 31, 1994)
• ISBN-10: 078074652X
• ISBN-13: 978-0780746527
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Theodore Taylor has written several award-winning books. The Cay won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award and was also made into a movie.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timothy of the Cay, a great book., June 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Timothy of the Cay (Mass Market Paperback)

Timothy of the Cay is a prequel-sequel of The Cay, both written by Theodore Taylor. To appreciate this book the most you have to have read The Cay, or know what it's about. The Cay is about this boat that gets torpedoed and how an old, black sailor, named Timothy and a young white boy, named Phillip survive. Timothy of the Cay can be divided into two biographical parts. One is about how Timothy grew up and how he ended up in that boat. The second is about Phillip's life after he alone gets rescued (Timothy had died in the island during a hurricane) from the cay, the little island that they drifted to in their raft after the accident. Anybody who has read and liked The Cay will like this novel. It kind of fills you in on everything you were curious to know. I enjoyed that it was easy to read. It was exciting to learn about Timothy's realistic life because the author kept you interested. Big things came suddenly and filled you with thrill. Little foreshadowing could be done. On Phillip's life after he got rescued too much was wasted on small talk and little things, and few exciting things happened. The reader could also guess some things which made it a lot less intriguing and attracting to read. The atmosphere of Phillip's later life was constant and a little hackneyed, which made it somewhat dull. This is a short paperback which will entertain you and is written in an appealing way. I especially recommend it to people that have read The Cay.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the first one?................, December 29, 2000

By 

Marcy G. Ross (Great Barrington, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Timothy of the Cay (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved it. It was not as good as The Cay. This book is not good to start with if you have not read the first book, The Cay. The book is about events in Timothy's life that we learn about for the first time. It is about an operation Phillip has to take but there is a risk he may die. Will they take the risk? And if they do, what will happen if anything happens to him...And if something happens to him or he does not get his sight back will he ever go back to the Cay?... His dream is to go back to the Cay..... If all those things happen right will he live up to his dream and go back to the Cay? We also learn about Timothy's life. What happened to that boy that made him such a great guy to Philip? What happened in his early years? Hope you found my review helpful.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timothy of the Cay, October 6, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Timothy of the Cay (Hardcover)

The book Timothy of the Cay by Theodore Taylor was an amazing and exiting book. The book is about a blind boy named Phillip that had been stranded on a small cay with a black man named Timothy. Months later Phillip is rescued, but Timothy is not able to come along. Phillip goes on home then is sent to New York were he tries to regain his vision. While Phillip fights to get his vision back Timothy's life story is told.
Timothy and Phillip met each other when they floated to shore together after there boat was hit by a torpedo. This was Phillip's only time seeing Timothy because soon after Phillip lost his vision. Later Phillip and Timothy reached land. Timothy taught Phillip how to live on his own even though he was blind. When the rescue team came to save Phillip, Timothy did not come along because he had been killed in a hurricane a couple weeks before. When Phillip finally returned home he felt very depressed because he couldn't see. Phillips parents decided to try and get his vision back so they took him to the best doctor in New York. While Phillip worked with the doctor in New York, the Author was telling Timothy's life story before he had met Phillip.
My opinion on Timothy of the Cay was it was an amazing and exciting book. I thought the book was amazing because Phillip was able to live on the cay by him self without vision, and it was amazing what the Doctor did to try and restore his vision. When I read how Phillip had survived without food, water, or his vision on a cay I couldn't believe it. Phillip fished on his own and got water by himself, I thought that was truly amazing. I thought it was exciting how the Doctor tried to restore his vision because it took a lot of courage buy Phillip and the Doctor, also it was very scary because Phillip could have died.
In conclusion Timothy of the Cay by Theodore Taylor it was an amazing and exciting book. This book was amazing and exiting because of what he had to live through and the hardships he fought through. This book could be enjoyed by people of all ages.