Ostrich Boys

by Keith Gray
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A wonderful rites-of-passage story from critically acclaimed author, Keith Gray.

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Synopsis

'It's not really kidnapping, is it? He'd have to be alive for it to be proper kidnapping.'Kenny, Sim and Blake are about to embark on a remarkable journey of friendship. Stealing the urn containing the ashes of their best friend Ross, they set out from Cleethorpes on the east coast to travel the 261 miles to the tiny hamlet of Ross in Dumfries and Galloway. After a depressing and dispriting funeral they feel taking Ross to Ross will be a fitting memorial for a 15 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 now dead.This is Keith Gray's first new novel in three years and is a wonderful rites-of-passage story combing elements from Stand By Me, An Inspector Calls and Grand Theft Parsons.

Editorial 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, The Bookseller

"Imbued with warmth and well-placed moments of hilarity...Keith Gray has delivered a truly enjoyable novel that deals with the weighty issues of untimely death and suicide, with an inherent understanding of teenage emotion." - Lindsay Stainer, The Bookseller

"It is unusual to find a story that takes on the emotional lives of teenage boys, but Keith Gray's Ostrich Boys does so with a light touch." - Sue Steel, The Bookseller

"Every so often a book comes along and reminds you why became a reviewer in the first place. You find something special and the urge to tell everyone else all about it simply spills out of you. Ostrich Boys is such a book...this book isn't schmaltzy, or saccharine. It's perfect. 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.
5 stars" - Jill Murphy, The Bookbag

"Keith Gray is an exceptional writer for teens. In Ostrich Boys he applies his light touch to big themes, as a bunch of 15-year-old youths take revenge on the people who made the life of their friend Ross a misery and then showed up at his funeral. Funny, page-turning and profound." - Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times

"Ostrich Boys is funny and fast-paced, tender but never sentimental." - The Herald

"Ostrich Boys is a finely crafted piece of literature, the writing is truly outstanding and the build up of tension as the problems the boys encounter mount up leads to frantic page turning. This really is one of those books you can't put down." - Eve Harvey, Vulpes Libris

"An exceptionally involving and affecting novel" - Books for Keeps

"Ostrich Boys is a rite of passage tale told with humour, warmth and sensitivity." - Edinburgh Evening News

"Ostrich Boys is a rite of passage tale told with humour, warmth and sensitivity." - Aberdeen Evening Express

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