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The Ostrich and Other Lost Things
Eleven-year-old Olivia Grant has a knack for finding lost things. But there’s one thing she can’t seem to find: her brother Jacob’s toy ostrich. And this isn’t just any toy; Jacob is autistic, and Olivia is certain that when he lost his ostrich, his autism got significantly worse.
With Their parents focused on helping Jacob, Olivia has had to give up a lot. So, when a local community theater announces auditions for a children’s production of her favorite show, Peter Pan, Olivia jumps at the chance to claim something for herself. But nothing goes as planned, on stage or off, and when a real, live, ostrich escapes from the nearby zoo and causes even more trouble than Jacob’s missing toy, things turn to chaos. Olivia knows that if she can just find Jacob’s ostrich, everything will return to normal. But what does normal really mean? And is everything lost meant to be found?
Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome/Spectrum disorders have only touched my life in that I’ve watched several friends navigate this particular issue in their own families. I found myself asking the question, “What if this were me? How would I love well? Where would I fail? How would I have to redefine what it means to care for others unconditionally?” OSTRICH was a very hard project for me to write because I felt like I had to take a serious look at my own heart and some of the things I found there needed work. I’m very proud of this book and I hope it educates and encourages and entertains readers of all ages.
Sage Advice for Writers
Read! Read! Read! And be diligent in your work. If you are serious about your dream, then don’t just talk about writing, WRITE. Make it happen in the little everyday moments of life. There’s never going to be an easy or convenient time to make a hard thing happen. So stop waiting for that perfect moment, that perfect space in time, that perfect idea. Just put one word in front of another. Make mistakes. Make more mistakes. But finish. I’ve never been quite so proud of the first (terrible) manuscript I ever finished. It will never ever be published. But I keep it because it was the first book-length project I ever completed. If you have a story to tell, tell it. Because only you can write your story in your voice. And the world needs your voice. We need your story.-Author Beth Hautala
Bottom line, I highly encourage readers, parents, and teachers to grab this book. It is truly a winner.
The Ostrich and Other Lost Things | About the Author
Beth Hautala holds a degree in writing and rhetoric from Northwestern College and is the author of Waiting For Unicorns and The Ostrich and Other Lost Things. She lives with her husband and four children in northern Minnesota, where she strives to write stories that tie her and imagination together. Connect with Beth on her website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
That sounds like a wonderful and educational story. My doctor is a specialist for autistic children and I meet them in the waiting room. The doctor’s approach is holistic and the parents I meet talk of amazing results from his treatment/advice.
Kathleen
Blogger’s Pit Stop
Thanks to Beth for writing this story and to you Becky for reviewing it. I had to ask and answer all those questions for myself when my grandson was diagnosed with autism. Although it was hard, I learned so much about myself and about him, and I am richer for it. We lost some things, but gained so much more.