Looking for Red

by Angela Johnson

Twelve-year-old Mike -- short for Michaela -- loves the ocean. The sights, sounds, and smells of her coastal home are embedded in her very soul.
But Michaela loves her brother, Red, even more.
Then one day Red disappears. One minute he's there, the next...gone. No warning. No time to prepare. And Mike must come to terms with that loss or risk never finding comfort in what remains of the life she and her brother once shared.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Teen, African American, Mystery, Cultural

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Angela Johnson is the author of the Coretta Scott King Honor picture book When I Am Old with You; as well as A Sweet Smell of Roses, illustrated by Eric Velasquez; Just Like Josh Gibson, illustrated by Beth Peck; and I Dream of Trains, which was also illustrated by Loren Long. She has won three Coretta Scott King Awards, one each for her novels Heaven, Toning the Sweep, and The First Part Last. In recognition of her outstanding talent, Angela was named a 2003 MacArthur Fellow. She lives in Kent, Ohio.

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is about a girl who loses her brother in the ocean. On a dare, he jumps to swim to touch a buoy. On his way back, he disappears under the ocean. The setting is about 3 months afterward, and the girl silently copes with the loss, sharing the time with her brother's girlfriend and best friend.
I really didn't like the book. It was short, and that was the only good part about it. As for the rest of it, I didn't care about the characters--they were so indifferent. No progression happens in the book and it was just not good.

[Travis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book explores loss and grief, but in my opinion it only gets so deep. It is a sob story that the protagonist struggles through. I understand the elements of loss, but the book is trying to hide too much from the reader for too long and it distorts the main point, which is grief and guilt. Both of these themes are just briefly touched on and underdeveloped. It may be a good book for young readers, but even the sentence structure seemed underdeveloped as well. This book is close to potential, and again may be better for younger audiences.

[Veronica Blawat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently, I finished reading this book and I have to say that it was a really great book. Angela Johnson is a great author but this book is really special. It's about trying to find your own self after losing yourself. The main character in this book was very sure of herself, but after she lost her brother, she didn't know anything about life so she had to go back, look back and what her life was and try to continue it in the best way that she could.

[NaRiyah H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good, it highlights the complex aspects of loss and grief. Doesn’t go as into depth as expected with this topic, but still a good read!

[Macy Honsinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking for Red is about a girl named Mike who has lost her brother, Red. At the beginning of the book, it leads you to believe that Red might have run away from home and has the possibility to return home, but after the talk of a funeral, it leads you to believe that maybe Red committed suicide. This is a short story that is beautifully written for people who are coping with the death or loss of a loved one. There is a certain connection that everyone has when they lose a loved one and those who read this book will connect with the process that Mike goes through.

I liked this book. It connected with me more than I thought it would, seeing that I lost my dad about two years ago. The process that Mike goes through is like anyone else who goes through the grieving process. I liked that the ending tied up all your thoughts and wonders about what happened to Red. Though I liked it, it probably isn't a book I would read again. It's more average for me. But a great book for people who are dealing with a loss of someone special.

[Laura Zelasko · Rating 1 out of 5]

Looking for Red is about a family who's son and brother, Red, goes missing and they try to deal with the loss and the question of what happened to him.

I didn't like this book. It didn't really have much meat to the story and the writing wasn't that engaging and it felt like most of it was fluff, even though the book was so super short .

[Alex Portillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was very interesting. The interesting part is that they never told what happened to red.

[Shayla Bergeron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good. I enjoyed reading this book. This book was short and sweet I thought this book was relatable. This book was about a girl who's brother just went missing. In this book it shows how her family is trying to move on. To figure out what Reds family does to control this situation read this book.

[Cindy Dobrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was rereading this when Johnson was named the 2018 Margaret A. Edwards award winner. I had picked it up again to refresh my memory so I could booktalk it to my middle schoolers as I still love the cover on our old copy. I was also needing a book about handling grief and there are so many wonderful thoughts in this book. It was just what I needed right now. Thanks, Angela!

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent the first part of this book wondering if Red just ran away or was dead. Once the ghost parts kick in, things cleared up a bit. The atmosphere grabs you and so clearly inhabits the pain of unexpected loss that it takes your breath. An almost perfect story of how a teen deals with the death of a sibling.

[Kimberley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I think this is a good book, and I like the way it's written. You don't know why Mike is looking for Red, or where he has gone, until the end. My desire to know exactly what happened kept me interested and kept me reading, which makes it a good book for struggling middle school readers. It isn't a very long story, but it's just the right length for the way the tale unfolds.

[Da'Sha Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love love love this book. So much emotion, so many questions but just enough information to not leave you wanting more. You are satisfied, sad and happy when you close this book. Such powerful writing, all of the characters are developed just right. This story is beautiful absolutely beautiful.

[Wendy Cato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different from her other novels.

[Alexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy the book but I feel as if I could have learned more about he and red and I would have understood more about the story other then that it was a good short read

[Anna Chappell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad and evocative, spare language but such depth of feeling and grief. Loved the characters and the slight hint of something possibly paranormal.

[Marie Hougton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was haunting.

[Enijah O]

I enjoyed this book because I felt like it was a journey with Mike which is the main character basically her journey to overcoming the grief of the loss of her brother. For instance, it says "I wonder if they see me the way I see myself now. Not the same never the same, but another way altogether". (Johnson 116). I'll say the intended audience that this book is for is young adults. I personally think you should read this book if you lost someone you loved.

[Lauren Arnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would use this book for grades 6-8. It was a quick read, but a good one. It deals with some more serious issues as Mike’s (the main character’s) brother disappeared while swimming in the ocean. The book and chapters alternate between scenes before the accident, and after the accident. It shows the grief of Mike and of Red’s friends who were all there when Red drowned. I think this book is so wonderful, a tear jerker for sure! It instills in me that everyone is searching and trying to cope. Great read.

[Gracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Q1 book 2
The book Looking for Red is about a boy that is lost at sea. His family lives by an ocean on an island. His family has a hard time getting over the fact that he is gone, but his sister always thinks some how and sometime he will come home. Even though that some days she has no hope she still believes that he will come home.


Her brother red means the world, to now the only child in the family Mike (Michaela). Ever since Red has been gone she has had a hard time with living life to its fullest and Mike keeps on having flashbacks of their memories together. Her parents care a lot too but the missing of Red seems to hurt Mike the most. The only way mike can try to recoup from the whole thing is by going fishing with her aunt Caroline and counting Reds beads that reminded her of him. But even that can’t stop
what she is feeling.


The protagonist is mike and the antagonist is her internal thoughts of loosing her brother. I think that this is a very good book I’m glad this book was written, it’s interesting to read about what it would be like if you lost a sibling. Most of us have said or wanted to say at one point when they are REALLY mad at their siblings that they wish they weren’t our brother/sister. But when you think about it and if they were actually gone you would relies how much you loved them and missed them even if you did fight. No matter what, you are siblings and you will always love each other. It’s really interesting to hear what it would be like.



I would rate this book five out of five stars because it is really relatable and I think if you read this that it would be relatable to you too. I would recommend this to just about anyone, anyone that has a brother or sister, and anyone who has someone that they are close too. I am only telling you this for now, but hey… don’t you want to find out if Red returns or not?! I guess you are just going to have to read to find out!

[Jay Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike is a girl named Michaela who's brothers name is Red, they did everything together and then one day he disappeared. Red always loved sea blue beads, since he was just a little toddler. Mike thinks everyone's house has beads, she flips out in the middle of the night while at a friends while looking for beads while everyone else is sleeping. Mike is worried that when she goes back to school everyone will continuously asks her questions about Red. Red’s girlfriend has a struggle dealing with the loss and sits in their driveway to help herself cope. Mark, Red’s best friend tries to kill himself by crashing the car him and red had always fought over. Also, Mona and Mike hang out a lot, but one day they’re hanging out by the pier and Mona talks about how she wants to jump off the pier. Mike say’s that it would kill her, Mona proceeds to try and Mike has to stop her. I really enjoyed reading this book and anticipating what had happened to Red and how he lost his life. Throughout the whole book the reader has no clue. However, I really loved the ending, I loved not knowing until the very last pages what had actually happened to Red. Red and Mark had always had a deal that if Red jumped off the pier and swam to the buoys that he could have Mark’s car. One day, Red actually did it, he jumped off, missed the rocks and was going strong to the buoys. Mike said that he was on his way back, climbing by the rocks and never came back. He had lost his life right then and there. This book was written wonderfully. Personally, I rated it at 5 stars.

[Ryan Drake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Synopsis:

Mike, or Michaela, live in what seems to be, a small town. There is a type of sadness to the book as soon as you jump into it. Mike adores her brother, Red. They do everything together, rather, they did everything together. Red is gone, we don't really find out how till near the end of the book. But it proves to take its toll on Mike and Red's best friend, Mark and his last girlfriend, Mona. Mona tries to connect and get much closer to Mike, possibly because Mike is the closest thing to Red they still have. Mark turns down a more destructive path. Finally, after much grieving over Red, Mona and Mark decide the only way to move on is to leave the town they live in. Mike sees what appears to be Red's ghost from time to time. And She decides to stay, because that's where Red is. I wont spoil what exactly happened to Red, but its sad.


Personal Reaction:


I thought the book was really sad. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of sad books. I did like how it was written in a journal format, but it seemed to "down" for me. A good book, don't get me wrong, just not my cup of tea. I did like how the author kept you intrigued as to what exactly happened to Red till the end of the story. At first I thought he ran away, then that he moved, then that he was kidnapped, then just lost. I also thought the size of the book was perfectly fit to the story since its not a big story. I don't think I would read it again, but i would recommend it for those who like a quick read.

[Sheng Yang · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose the book because it was highly recommended by my fellow peers. I did had a wonderful time reading the book. I felt like I was on a journey with Michaela or Mike for short. Her journey to overcoming the grief of loss.I find that she is an incredible character. I also thought that this book is relatable. Furthermore, I think that the way how the story was written was very human.

The grief and pain from losing her brother.

I would recommend this book to one of my friend, actually to two of them. Both have losses that happened to them recently over the years. I could never convey or tell them how to overcome the pain and sadness.

I rated this book three stars, although I liked the book I did not like how some of the flash back was lengthy. I find it hard to explain to myself or convince myself why it matter to the main plot of the story at all. Of course there is a reason why, to point out that coping with a loss is a difficult thing.Perhaps the writer wanted readers to feel more sympathy to Mike, this I do not know. But I would not rule this out. Wonderful read despite this comment and the rating that I gave.

Warnings: Mild drinking and smoking involve. Mild language as well, I only noticed 3-4 words.

[M.L. Desir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warning: Losing a close loved one, such as a sibling.

Angela Johnson created a believable story with an easy to relate to protagonist named Mike -- short for Michaela -- who loves the ocean. In the beginning of the story, readers may be lead to believe that Red ran away from home or that he committed suicide when details like his funeral are revealed. However, the truth that I learned regarding his disappearance and death made me very upset because his death could have been prevented. Being a survivor of a beloved and deceased sibling (second oldest brother) I could relate to the stages of grief that intelligent and honest Mike experienced page after page. The last few lines of the book, "I wonder if they see me the way I see myself now. Not the same. Never the same, but another way altogether," sum up the incredibly painful feelings of those who have lost a loved one. The intense and often debilitating sense of loss never goes away. Because with living, we remember our dead, the way they were when they used to stand by our side. And even with the passing years, these feelings won't ever go away. Heck, they don't even fade.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I totally feel for Michaela (Mike), this young girl who loses her brother and (along with everyone else) is trying to cope with his death. The story offers little situations she found herself in after her brother Red died. Each phase of the book takes the reader through the phases of acceptance that come after someone close to us dies all while expressing Mike's methods of dealing with her loss.
I was very impressed with the writing style and the emotional appeal, and this book did actually offer some interesting life-changing questions, like "what would I do without my closest brother?" and makes the reader consider how they might deal with such a terrible tragedy. SO I give it credit there. The problem with the book is the scatter-brained style it is written in didn't do it for me...I felt jerked around way too much and just did not catch in the sway of things. Great book, just not my forte'.

[Tia Mcpherson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot form a definitive start and end date for reading because I read this years ago as a child. What I can tell you is that I read this book over 5 times.

Angela Johnson has been one of my absolute favorite authors for so long. I’ve read her entire catalog. Looking for Red was not going to be the exception. I remember losing a friend at a young age and the librarian at my school thought that I’d enjoy reading this for some reason. And I did. I felt so sorry for Mike the entire time.

As an adult reflecting on this book, it will say that it could have used more details. A lot of the details surrounding Red were written to be a mystery to readers for a good chunk of the book. With a book this short, that takes away from the plot. I, however, still believe that this is a very good short book for young readers. Especially those struggling to deal with a loss.

[Zaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a Twelve-year-old girl named Mike- short for Michaela- loves and lives by the ocean, but Michaela loves her brother, Red, even more.
Then one day Red disappears. One minute he's there, the next...gone. So Mike has to deal with the pain of the loss of her brother. Sometimes, Red thinks she sees her brother everywhere but he cannot hear her.
But she's not alone. Red's best friend and girlfriend are going through the same thing. They all try to commit suicide to be with him. Mike tries to drown herself, the girlfriend tries to jump off a bridge, and his best friend drives into a building. I recommend this book for kids 5th and 6th grade(but they have to mature -some language-)and some teens who want a short easy read book.

[Desirae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book isn't my favorite of Angela Johnson's, it was very well done and has a beauty to it too. She really delves into the how a young adult would mourn for such a close sibling. I couldn't figure out what the secret was between Mona, Mark and Mike which is a bonus when I can't figure out what's coming. I really appreciate the supports systems that are found in Johnson's books. The main character always has someone who loves them or someone they love, there are always healthy relationships it seems like. I think that young adults who come from unhealthy relationships/families get to see what it would be like to live in a family with so much love.

Warnings: Swearing, a lot of smoking and a bit of delinquent behavior.

[Leisha Volmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I picked up the book "Looking for Red" by Angela Johnson I wasn't expecting such a heart felt story. It was more of a bunch of short stories meshed together to create the way this little girl, Mike, was copping with her brother Red's death. I've never lost anyone close to me but I feel as if I could understand the feeling a little bit better now. I loved how Angela johnson really dragged you into the story and made you wonder. She left you hanging with her short chapters and it made me keep reading on and on. I couldn't put it down and read it start to finish and didn't put it down. I really loved it a lot. If there was a warning to put on it I would say to be careful of getting a little bit sad and a few bad words. But besides that, This was one of the best books I have ever read.

[Brianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. However, I was confused for a good portion of the beginning because I didn't understand what was going on. I think that was partly because it tells you at the end what actually happened and everything else just seems to be vague and that I was missing out on important information.

Besides feeling lost for a little bit I loved Angela Johnson's writing style. It made me want to keep reading and I really wanted to know what was happening. I was so curious to find out if she was going to let us know what had actually happened in the book. I definitely enjoyed reading this book.

Warnings: There is language, death and coping with death, smoking, and "delinquent" behavior.

[Kailee Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just OK. I liked her writing style and appreciated that it was a quick read, but the plot wasn't anything exciting. The author did an excellent job of pulling me in emotionally though, which kept me reading. I think her tactic of keeping everything kind of a secret until the last couple of pages worked in some ways. The suspense of the unknown secret wasn't what kept me going. As I mentioned before, it was the emotional tugging. I felt that I had to finish the book to be emotionally OK. It was weird--but kind of a neat effect. The only warnings I would give would be the frequent mention of smoking and the depressing nature of the whole book (due to death)--but it's also uplifting in a way.