Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
30th out of 290 books
—
192 voters
Ostrich Boys
by
Keith Gray
'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 depress...more
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 depress...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
September 1st 2008
by Definitions (Young Adult)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
899)
"Ross was hit by a car, knocked off his bike. At the funeral the vicar had called it an accident. But somehow the word wasn't enough. It wasn't big enough, powerful enough--didn't mean enough. He hadn't spilled a cup of tea, he hadn't tripped over his own feet. He'd had his life smashed out of him. It felt like there should be a whole new word invented just to describe it."
Upset over the loss of their best friend, Ross, and displeased by his funeral, Blake, Sim, and Kenny all agree: their dead m...more
This book accomplishes a lot. First, It's a coming-of-age/loss-of-innocence story, wherein three 15-year-old friends take the ashes of their recently dead fourth friend on a journey they all need. Second, it's a book that reminds you that no matter what happens on a road trip, road trips are always worth it. Third, it's sickly funny.
Before I go on, I need to say I won this book in the goodreads 'giveaways' program.
So, yeah, these three mates (that's British for 'friends') take their mate's (frie...more
Before I go on, I need to say I won this book in the goodreads 'giveaways' program.
So, yeah, these three mates (that's British for 'friends') take their mate's (frie...more
Nov 10, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trt-posted-reviews
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
OSTRICH BOYS is about friendship and loyalty. Blake, Sim, and Kenny just lost their best friend, Ross. Hit by a car while riding his bike, he is gone and they can hardly believe it.
After the boys attend his funeral, they decide the ceremony didn't do their friend justice. Ross was so much more than a collection of words and hymns. As a sort of revenge for the fact that he was taken in such unfair circumstances and at an early age, t...more
OSTRICH BOYS is about friendship and loyalty. Blake, Sim, and Kenny just lost their best friend, Ross. Hit by a car while riding his bike, he is gone and they can hardly believe it.
After the boys attend his funeral, they decide the ceremony didn't do their friend justice. Ross was so much more than a collection of words and hymns. As a sort of revenge for the fact that he was taken in such unfair circumstances and at an early age, t...more
I was really taken by this story. I could not put it down. I found that both the physical journey across England and Scotland was entertaining while the emotional and psychological journey was compelling. The way the author weaves these journeys, the boys trials and their growth is all well conceived and delivered. I recognize that the author was capturing the common tongue of the middle class Brit, but the language (swearing) was a bit too much for teaching in my seventh grade class. Yet I woul...more
No lie, friends, I picked Ostrich Boys up solely because of this:
“I suppose it was all right Miss Dean being there. Ross always said he thought she was okay.”
“She’s a librarian,” Sim said. “They’re not teachers; they don’t give you half as much hassle. If there’s a fire in the school and I’ve got to choose who I’m gonna save—a teacher or a librarian—the teacher’s gonna burn every time.”
Kenny and I agreed. Harsh but true.
Loves it.
Anyway, the actual story. So Blake, Sim, Kenny and Ross have The Mo...more
“I suppose it was all right Miss Dean being there. Ross always said he thought she was okay.”
“She’s a librarian,” Sim said. “They’re not teachers; they don’t give you half as much hassle. If there’s a fire in the school and I’ve got to choose who I’m gonna save—a teacher or a librarian—the teacher’s gonna burn every time.”
Kenny and I agreed. Harsh but true.
Loves it.
Anyway, the actual story. So Blake, Sim, Kenny and Ross have The Mo...more
L’incipit di questo romanzo mi ha interessata fin da subito: il funerale di un ragazzo, tre inseparabili amici, la voglia di riscattare la sua memoria e decidere di rendere il suo ricordo indelebile e allo stesso tempo di realizzare uno dei desideri della sua vita che quindi li spinge a rubare l’urna che contiene le sue ceneri e intraprendere un viaggio in treno che li condurrà a Ross – il nome del loro stesso amico – tra peripezie e disastri.
Insomma, l’inizio non è forse dei più innovativi ma d...more
Insomma, l’inizio non è forse dei più innovativi ma d...more
Quel che resta di te è una storia che inizialmente può sembrare banale, perché negli ultimi tempi di libri simili ne sono stati pubblicati un po'.. e in effetti non ha niente che lo distingua particolarmente dagli altri, ecco il perché delle tre stelle e mezzo come voto. Ma andiamo con calma.
Mi è piaciuta davvero molto la copertina scelta per l'edizione italiana, trovo che i colori siano perfetti per la storia, ed è molto bella la foto usata.
Come ho già detto il tutto sa di un po' già visto.....more
Mi è piaciuta davvero molto la copertina scelta per l'edizione italiana, trovo che i colori siano perfetti per la storia, ed è molto bella la foto usata.
Come ho già detto il tutto sa di un po' già visto.....more
I'm not gonna lie, I picked this book solely on the front cover. It ended up being a really good book actually. I felt like I could relate the young boys in lots of ways. There was death, revenge, travel, laughs, and some sadness. I would have liked to gone on an adventure like the characters when I was their age, even though it was under bad circumstances. I loved the British humor! This is a great coming of age story, and I felt myself caring for each character even though at times they were a...more
I've been meaning to read something by Keith Gray for a while now, so when earlier in the year I noticed the Rep in Birmingham was putting on a performance of Ostrich Boys I had to go - especially as the ticket was only £5. This in turn made me want to read the novel it was based on before I went and I'm glad I did (the play was fab though).
The story centres around three boys dealing with the death of their friend Ross and decide to honour his wish to visit a town which shared his name so Ross w...more
The story centres around three boys dealing with the death of their friend Ross and decide to honour his wish to visit a town which shared his name so Ross w...more
Ostrich Boys entertained me the whole way. It simply made me smile -- there's nothing better than an illegal road trip taken by 15-year-old boys filled with... well, boyish antics (though there was nothing really daring about any of it, besides taking the actual trip). However, that's all it was to me. Throughout the novel, I wanted to know what happened, but it didn't really hook me. I enjoyed the characters and the flaws they clearly all had, but I didn't see much character devlopment. Althoug...more
Sensible, stocky Blake is our narrator, and he makes it seem an inevitable result of the trio's true friendship with and understanding of their friend Ross that they steal his cremated ashes (not long after he has been killed by a car while riding his bike) and abscond with them to Ross, Scotland. As it turns out, they didn't understand Ross - or each other, or themselves - as well as they thought, but after a whirlwind trip full of missteps, bonding, quarreling, girls, and bungee jumping, thing...more
This British import might sound like a stock novel if you just look at the quick summary. Boy is bullied, ends up dead, his friends are working through their grief and trying to understand what happened. But if you pass up the experience of reading this book you'll be missing some laugh out loud moments of teen boys doing what they do best; getting into trouble, hanging out, and being friends.
Blake, Kenny, and Sim have all been friends with Ross for years. Kenny since they were tots, Sim since p...more
Blake, Kenny, and Sim have all been friends with Ross for years. Kenny since they were tots, Sim since p...more
Three boys are determined to make things right for their dead best friend by giving him a proper funeral after the travesty his parents and church put on.
Sim, Kenny, Blake and Ross have been best friends for ages, until suddenly Ross dies in an accident - his bike was hit by a car. The three boys are angry and sad, and decide the best sendoff for Ross would be to take him to the town of Ross in Scotland, where he'd always wanted to visit but had never quite managed.
The road trip is off to a bad...more
Sim, Kenny, Blake and Ross have been best friends for ages, until suddenly Ross dies in an accident - his bike was hit by a car. The three boys are angry and sad, and decide the best sendoff for Ross would be to take him to the town of Ross in Scotland, where he'd always wanted to visit but had never quite managed.
The road trip is off to a bad...more
I struggled with how to review this book. The first thirty-fifty pages are hard to read. The rhythm is different, and the author seems to use more words than are necessary.
But, after the first fifty pages, it either became easier to read or was written differently. The gist of the story is that four high school boys are tight friends until one of them (Ross) dies in a biking/automobile incident. The other three decide to steal Ross' ashes and take him to Ross, Scotland, a place Ross (the person)...more
But, after the first fifty pages, it either became easier to read or was written differently. The gist of the story is that four high school boys are tight friends until one of them (Ross) dies in a biking/automobile incident. The other three decide to steal Ross' ashes and take him to Ross, Scotland, a place Ross (the person)...more
Fifteen-year old Ross is dead from being hit by a car while riding his bike, and his best friends Kenny, Sim, and Blake are angry after the depressing funeral. There has been a suggestion that what happened to Ross was really suicide, but the boys dismiss this. They feel that they’re the only ones who really knew Ross, and so they’re the only ones who can give Ross a proper funeral. The boys steal Ross’s ashes and take him from their town of Cleethorpes on the east coast of England to the town o...more
To be really, I started of hating this book. I felt it would be boring and slow. However, the more we read in class and the deeper we went into it (kind of like burying our head farther and farther in the 'sand') I really began enjoying it and adored the way it encompassed so many things like guilt, regret and most of all friendship. It was a beautiful read, and at some point some really sad news hit me like a freak train crashing and blowing up, only to leave rubble. I didn't want to read ahead...more
This is a great story of loss, bullying, and ultimately the power of friendship. Three friends from England decide to "take" their dead friend's ashes from the family home and spread them in Ross, Scotland which Ross talked about constantly. Friends Blake, Sim and Kenny are best friends who feel that their friend Ross's funeral did not honor him as the great person he was in life. They go through adventures on trains, in taxis, on motorbikes, meeting girls, bungee jumping and confronting their o...more
When Kenny, Sim and Blake's best friend Ross dies, the three friends, upset over the impersonal funeral service and hypocritical appearance of the people who made Ross' life hell at said service, decide to steal the urn full of Ross' ashes and embark on a journey together. Leaving behind their English coastal town of Cleethorpes, the boys make their way to Ross in Southern Scotland to fulfil a wish of their dead best friend. Their journey is one of hilarious ups and downs and tragic revelations...more
Amber Wortz
Adventure
This is a young adult novel set in the UK, where 3 best friends run away from home to spread their dead best friend's ashes after his family gave him a funeral that they didn't approve on. On their adventure to Ross, Scotland they have to hitchhike, stow away on trains and bungee jump to get to their destination. On their journey that also discover things they didn't know about each other and about their deceased friend.
I thought this was a pretty realistic book about the tho...more
Adventure
This is a young adult novel set in the UK, where 3 best friends run away from home to spread their dead best friend's ashes after his family gave him a funeral that they didn't approve on. On their adventure to Ross, Scotland they have to hitchhike, stow away on trains and bungee jump to get to their destination. On their journey that also discover things they didn't know about each other and about their deceased friend.
I thought this was a pretty realistic book about the tho...more
Sim Blake and Kenny have just lost their best friend Ross in a bike accident. They're furious about the funeral which included class mates who bullied Ross daily, teachers who made him feel like pond scum and ex girlfriend who had stomped on his heart. The three friends have decided to take it upon themselves to give Ross the proper send off- which means stealing his ashes and taking them on a cross country trek to Ross, Scotland, a place where Ross had previously tried to run off too.
After Sim...more
After Sim...more
Apr 15, 2011
Robin Cicchetti
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
bullying,
cliques,
coming-of-age,
death,
fiction,
friendship,
humorous,
suicide,
young-adult
This is exactly the type of book we need to see more of in young adult fiction.A book for boys and about boys, this hits all the marks.
Three friends gather after the funeral of their close friend, Ross, who was hit by a car while riding his bike. They are in mourning and, being boys, filled with anger. They engage in some revenge inspired vandalism and then decide to have their own funeral to honor Ross, as the funeral that day hadn't reflected the person they know.
The three decide to steal the...more
Three friends gather after the funeral of their close friend, Ross, who was hit by a car while riding his bike. They are in mourning and, being boys, filled with anger. They engage in some revenge inspired vandalism and then decide to have their own funeral to honor Ross, as the funeral that day hadn't reflected the person they know.
The three decide to steal the...more
Blake, Sim, Kenny and Ross have been best friends for years. When Ross is struck by a car and killed while riding his bike one day, the other three boys are devastated. All three agree that Ross’s funeral was not a suitable way to say good-bye to him. It was filled with hypocrites and people who had never really known Ross at all, so it’s up to them to give Ross a proper farewell. Blake remembers that Ross had always wanted to visit the town of Ross in Scotland. He had seen it on a map once and...more
Disgusted with what they thought was a totally fake funeral of their friend Ross, three English boys decide to kidnap the urn with his ashes and take it to the small village of Ross, Scotland, a place Ross had mentioned as wanting to visit. Blake manages to get the urn, despite seeing the deathlike appearance of Ross' mother. They travel by train and share stories of Ross, but as they get further from London, it appears as if they all know Ross less then they each thought. In a hurried change of...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Great story of friendship between 3 boys. The boys have just lost a 4th friend who used to be a member of their group. They decide that they must steal his ashes and give him a proper burial in Ross, a small village in Scotland, since his name was Ross and he always wanted to go there. The story is an adventure from beginning to end with great characterization. This is another book that I cannot post to my blog, however, because the boys find out that their friend Ross has actually committed sui...more
I read the first 80 pages and then I skimmed the rest--read a few chapters in the middle and the last 2. This book tackles important subjects that aren't enough talked about in society, much less by teen guys: grief, vulnerability, opening up about difficult emotions. I was amused by the English-isms: the boys kept cursing "Christ-on-a-bike!" and not answering their "mobile" and getting "shittered." The prose was speedy and engaging, but I found that I mixed all 3 boys up and I didn't care enoug...more
May 14, 2012
Stacie ~ paid the price for badassery
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Three friends Blake, Sim, and Kenny are mad that their friend Ross's funeral sucked. Blake, the narrator, as well as the other boys thought the funeral was not enough and that two many people who didn't even care about Ross were there, pretending to be upset. As a form of revenge, Sim, the angry quick to act one grabs some spray paint and writes HAUNTED BY ROSS FELL, on a couple of people's property. While Blake tries to dissuade Sim from attacking the next victim, Nina (Ross's ex-girlfriend), h...more
I am re-reading some of the Green Mountain Book Award list books, I had to read them too damn fast, and this was well worth the re-read. Funny, witty, and poignant, Gray has written a coming of age story that does not smack you in the face with teenage angst typical bullshit. Instead, with a fantastic voyage idea that in any other way would seem far fetched, Gray takes us along for the ride as his main characters not only physically travel but also metaphorically strain against the edges of teen...more
Humour, death, friendship and much more. I finished this book absolutely hating the ending, until studying it in class I realised the message of the story. Personally, I don't blame anyone for anything that happened, they all had a fair share in his death AND were great friends. They all tried their best to do what Ross would have wanted, until they realised they were 'ostriches' - burying their heads Deep into the sand.
I love Kieth Grays style of writing, the way the story unfolds somehow sends...more
I love Kieth Grays style of writing, the way the story unfolds somehow sends...more
Uno young adult fuori dal coro
Esistono storie che ci fanno sorridere e commuovere allo stesso tempo, rievocando ricordi legati all’adolescenza e al valore dell’amicizia. È questo il caso di Quel che resta di te dell’autore inglese Keith Gray, un romanzo già uscito in Gran Bretagna nel 2008 con il titolo Ostrich Boys e appena pubblicato in Italia dalla casa editrice Piemme. L'ho letto in anteprima grazie ad una splendida iniziativa di Bol bookstore online e della casa editrice, che ringrazio anco...more
Esistono storie che ci fanno sorridere e commuovere allo stesso tempo, rievocando ricordi legati all’adolescenza e al valore dell’amicizia. È questo il caso di Quel che resta di te dell’autore inglese Keith Gray, un romanzo già uscito in Gran Bretagna nel 2008 con il titolo Ostrich Boys e appena pubblicato in Italia dalla casa editrice Piemme. L'ho letto in anteprima grazie ad una splendida iniziativa di Bol bookstore online e della casa editrice, che ringrazio anco...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
In his earliest years, Grimsby-born Keith Gray turned from reluctant reader to passionate reader – then straight on to being a dedicated writer. He published Creepers (1996), which was shortlisted for the 1997 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, in his early twenties, and since then has penned a number of award-winning and critically-acclaimed novels. He is a reviewer of teenage fiction for the Gua...more
More about Keith Gray...
Share This Book
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
“She's a librarian, Sim said. They're not teachers; don't give you half as much hassle. If there's a fire in the school and I've got to choose who I'm gonna save - a teacher or a librarian - the teacher's gonna burn every time.
(p. 24)”
—
16 people liked it
More quotes…
(p. 24)”
updated Dec 12, 2012 09:15am
Dec 12, 2012 02:06pm