LoveReading Says
Shortlisted for the prestigious Teenage Book of the Year Award 2009.
Shortlisted for the 2008 Costa Children’s Book Award.
Costa Book Awards 2008 Judges' comment: "A life-affirming journey by three teenage boys told with sensitivity, compassion and, above all, humour."
A novel that so cleverly, almost miraculously you might say, blends friendship with devastating loss whilst at the same time is filled with humour and warmth that in turn means you cannot fail to be completely drawn in to what is undoubtedly one of the must-reads of the year. Fellow author, Jill Murphy, has to our mind hit the nail on the head when she says: ‘Right from the title Ostrich Boys inhabits the teenage emotional landscape with unerring precision and great sensitivity... It's beautifully plotted... I'm in awe at the intelligence behind the structure, with little pieces of the puzzle slotting into place at just the right moment. I can't think of a word that was wasted’.
A word from Keith Gray:
"It’s incredibly rewarding to see a book that’s so personal in so many ways affect an audience like Ostrich Boys has done. I was 18 in 1990 when I attempted suicide. I’m now 36, 18 + 18, and it’s this year more than any other that’s got me thinking about my feelings back then: who I would have left behind, what’s changed and what I would have missed out on. Ostrich Boys is a positive novel about those good things that may be waiting just out of sight around the corner. Being shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards is obvious proof. Who’d have guessed? Certainly not me 18 years ago."
A word from Keith Gray's editor:
“I am so thrilled that this book has been shortlisted for such a prestigious prize. Working with Keith on this incredible journey has been a privilege and an honour. What he's achieved is a novel that is moving, funny, entertaining and complex. But ultimately this book demonstrates the power of the written word - the power to heal lives, the power to change lives and sometimes the power to save them.”
Other titles shortlisted for the prestigious 2008 Costa Children's Book Award (formerly the Whitbread Award) are The Carbon Diaries, Just Henry and Broken Soup. The winner of the award will be announced on Tuesday 6th January.
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Ostrich Boys Synopsis
Kenny, Sim and Blake are about to embark on a remarkable journey. Stealing the urn that contains the ashes of their best friend Ross, they set out to travel 261 miles from Cleethorpes on the English east coast to the tiny hamlet of Ross in southern Scotland. After a depressing and dispiriting funeral they feel that taking Ross to Ross will be a fitting memorial for a fifteen-year-old boy who changed all their lives through his friendship. Little do they realise just how much Ross can still affect life for them even though he's dead.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780099456575 |
| Publication date: |
3rd July 2008 |
| Author: |
Keith Gray |
| Publisher: |
Random House |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
352 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Young Adult Fiction
|
| Recommendations: |
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Keith Gray Press Reviews
‘One of the highlights of the year . . . Reminiscent of On the Road and Catcher in the Rye, this is a seminal book about modern youth . . . Humorous, credible and immensely humane, this is a pertinent and profound work, instantly worthy of the label “modern classic”’ - Jake Hope, Bookseller
‘One of the most admirable, affecting and life-affirming books published this year’ - Bookseller
‘Every so often a book comes along and reminds you why became a reviewer in the first place . . . Ostrich Boys is such a book. It’s perfect.’ - Jill Murphy, Bookbag
‘Keith Gray is an exceptional writer for teens. In Ostrich Boys he applies his light touch to big themes . . . Funny, page-turning and profound’ - Sunday Times
‘What must be one of 2008’s most striking and most cleverly plotted young adult novels’ - INI
About Keith Gray
Keith Gray was born and brought up in Grimsby and knew from an early age that he wanted to be a writer. When he received 0% for his accountancy exams he decided to pursue his dream. He has since gone on to win the Angus Book Award and the silver medal in the Smarties Prize. He has twice been shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Prize and was shortlisted for the Booktrust Teen Prize and the Scottish Arts Council Book Award. Rave reviews about his writing have appeared in every broadsheet. Keith was a judge for the Blue Peter Book Award, the Guardian Fiction Prize and the Bookstrust Teen Prize and reviews regularly for the Guardian. Keith is now a full-time writer living in Edinburgh.
More About Keith Gray
