Title: Ostrich Boys
Author: Keith Gray
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Genre: Teen
Age level: 12+
Themes: Solving mysteries, getting revenge, adventure
Synopsis: Ross is dead, and Blake, Sim, and Kenny are furious. Sure, they're upset that their best friend was hit by a car at the age of fifteen. But they're even angrier at the hypocrisy of the kids and teachers who made Ross's life miserable, then behaved at the funeral as if they cared. The three boys are all set to vandalize the houses of the guilty when inspiration strikes. What's the best way to get revenge? Steal Ross's ashes and give him the funeral he deserves! The boys' plan for a quick two-day trip from the English coast to the tiny village of Ross in southern Scotland, a place Ross had always wanted to go, turns into an unforgettable journey with illegal train rides, bungee jumping, girls, and high-speed police chases- all with Ross's ashes along for the ride. As events spin wildly out of control, the three friends must take their heads out of the sand long enouh to answer the question: What really happened to Ross? Keith Gray is an award-winning author from the United Kingdom, making his U.S. debut with this action-packed and darkly humorous novel about friendship and loss.
Synopsis: Ross is dead, and Blake, Sim, and Kenny are furious. Sure, they're upset that their best friend was hit by a car at the age of fifteen. But they're even angrier at the hypocrisy of the kids and teachers who made Ross's life miserable, then behaved at the funeral as if they cared. The three boys are all set to vandalize the houses of the guilty when inspiration strikes. What's the best way to get revenge? Steal Ross's ashes and give him the funeral he deserves! The boys' plan for a quick two-day trip from the English coast to the tiny village of Ross in southern Scotland, a place Ross had always wanted to go, turns into an unforgettable journey with illegal train rides, bungee jumping, girls, and high-speed police chases- all with Ross's ashes along for the ride. As events spin wildly out of control, the three friends must take their heads out of the sand long enouh to answer the question: What really happened to Ross? Keith Gray is an award-winning author from the United Kingdom, making his U.S. debut with this action-packed and darkly humorous novel about friendship and loss.
About the author: Keith Gray grew up in Grimsby, England, and knew that he wanted to be a writer even though he never received top marks in English. Since then, Keith has gone on to write seven books. He won the Angus Book Award and the Smarties Prize Silver Award. Ostrich Boys was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the 2007 Costa Book Award.
Pre-reading activities: Ask the students to brainstorm what they think the cover of the book symbolizes, listing ideas such as "road," "motorcycle," etc. After reading the first chapter, list the characters and some character traits, and why they think the boys wrote "Haunted by Ross Fell" on Mr. Fowler's door.
Post-reading activities: Write a column of all the characters found in the book, and write a paragraph explaining each one's role in figuring out what happened to Ross. Also, the students can write about a time when they have banded together with friends to figure out a mystery or try to solve a problem, comparing themselves to the character they felt they had most in common with.
Reflection: This book seemed very interesting by the cover of the book, which looked like a black road from the cover. After reading the first chapter and the last line that said "But before I turned to run, I looked at what he'd sprayed in hasty, spiky, harsh black letters that bled down the history teacher's door 'HAUNTED BY ROSS FELL'," I knew that I wanted to continue on in the boy's quest to find out what really happened to Ross to cause his death.
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