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.
| Primary Genre | Young Adult Fiction |
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