Summary

The short story “Joy Ride” by Toni Pivac begins with a boy called Whata, who is trying to get the attention of his older brother, Hemi. Whata wants Hemi to hide with him in their uncle’s car and secretly catch a ride to their aunt’s house. Hemi refuses and tells Whata not to hide in the car because their mother will be angry.

Whata is upset at being dismissed. He thinks about giving his mother a daisy bouquet to make her happy, as she seems to like having lots of flowers around the house now. Whata thinks about the many visitors who come around lately, but he does not pay attention to them because they usually ignore him and do not want to play with him. 

Whata soon gets bored and thinks about going on an adventure. He decides to climb in the back of Uncle Dave’s car, after all. His uncle starts the car, unaware that Whata is hiding in the back of the pick-u...