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Summary
Summary
In this beautifully written novel, the bonds and challenges of caring for a sibling with autism are bravely explored, along with the pain and power that comes from self-discovery.
Eleven-year-old Olivia Grant has a knack for finding lost things. She can find lost rings, pets, and even her elderly neighbor's misplaced glasses. There's only one thing Olivia has never been able to find--her brother Jacob's toy ostrich. It wasn't until the day Jacob lost his ostrich that Olivia noticed how different he was: Jacob is autistic, and though she's his little sister, Olivia often feels like the older of the pair, his caretaker. And with her parents so heavily focused on maintaining status quo for Jacob, it's Olivia who has stagnated in his shadow--unable to explore new opportunities, or to be her own person. In fact, apart from being Jacob's sister, Olivia's not really sure who she is.
So when summer break begins, and the local community theater announces auditions for an all children's production of her favorite show, Peter Pan, Olivia jumps at the chance to claim something for herself. But what begins as a promising opportunity and a wonderful escape quickly becomes pure chaos. The visiting zoo with an odd assortment of animals--including an ostrich that causes even more trouble than Jacob's missing toy--only make matters worse, as Olivia's summer is shaping up to be just as consumed by Jacob's needs as the rest of her life has been.
In time, and with the help of some unlikely alliances, Olivia must learn what it means to be separate from her brother and still love him, how to love herself in spite of her own flaws, and that not all lost things are meant to be found.
Praise for The Ostrich and Other Lost Things :
" The Ostrich and Other Lost Things is a delicate, warm, textured novel that explores the wonder, pain, envy, and intimacy of sibling relationships. Written with a huge dose of compassion and vulnerability, there is so much to love about the world Olivia and her brother Jacob inhabit. I lost myself in this wonderful world, and I know that Olivia herself wouldn't be able to find me."--Corey Ann Haydu, author of The Someday Suitcase and Rules for Stealing Stars
"Beth Hautala weaves a powerful tale about the challenges of having a sibling with autism. Olivia steals our heart as she tries to find what is lost and make her family whole again. The Ostrich and Other Lost Things is full of memorable characters, riveting moments, and surprising turns that add up to a very heartwarming and magical read. I loved it!"--Dana Middleton, author of The Infinity Year of Avalon James
"A brave beautiful story. I loved this book."--Paul Acampora, author of I Kill the Mockingbird
"Hautala offers an emotionally adept story about love and understanding."-- School Library Journal
"This is hands down the best book with an autistic character that I have ever read. I would recommend this title for those who enjoy books like Wonder (Knopf, 2012), Out of My Mind (Atheneum, 2010), and The Running Dream (Knopf, 2011). It has a wonderful plot that readers will love and teaches a lot about dealing with individuals who are diagnosed with autism. This is a must read!"-- School Library Connection
"A heartfelt story of sibling relationships, self-discovery, and unconditional love."-- Voice of Youth Advocates
"While readers with neurodiverse siblings are the obvious audience for this, the anxieties Olivia expresses and her attempts to control outcomes will resonate with a much broader spectrum of tweens."-- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Author Notes
Beth Hautala (bethhautalabooks.com), the author of Waiting for Unicorns , has a degree in Writing and Rhetoric from Northwestern College and has written for Lake Country Journal Magazine and Forget Magazine . Beth lives in Minnesota with her husband and their four children. Follow Beth on Twitter at @BethHautala.
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
"What do you do when the clouds roll in, / when the wind chimes clang and the weather vanes spin?" This engaging picture book describes the reactions of the denizens, human and otherwise, of a small seaside community as a storm approaches, rages, and abates. People head indoors, birds take shelter under eaves, bees return to the hive, rabbits huddle in a hollow log. Digital and pencil illustrations begin with a subdued palette, darken to deep purples and grays mid-storm, then switch to cheerful hues in its aftermath. The scenes range from cozy to dramatic-especially on a striking double-page spread of the storm at its height, lightning flashing and forking. The lilting, lively verse is unfailingly appealing. "What do you do when the storm has passed- / When the sun comes out and it's calm at last? // We leave our dens. / We scout. / We fly. / We shake, shake, shake until we're dry" -- that last referring to an adorable beagle drying off in the time-honored doggy way. The same animals and humans recur, allowing viewers to keep track of their favorites throughout the book. Martha V. ParravanoMay/June 2020 p.90(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
It's the summer of the ostrich for 11-year-old Olivia. When she and her older, autistic brother, Jacob, go to see the animals in a local, temporary zoo, Jacob has a meltdown when he sees the ostrich. Olivia remembers that Jacob's autism seemed to grow worse after he lost his favorite toy ostrich. Since finding lost objects is her secret talent, she resolves to find the missing toy and perhaps return Jacob to a time when his autism was more manageable. Later, Olivia is caught trespassing on the zoo property, and even worse, the ostrich starts appearing in her yard in the middle of the night. These events are offset by getting the lead role in a youth production of Peter Pan and befriending Charlie, the son of the woman in charge of the zoo. Still, even those bright spots are dimmed by disappointment and misunderstanding. The stresses of being a sibling of someone with autism are very real, and Hautala describes the constriction and frustration Olivia feels, artfully and authentically.--Scanlon, Donna Copyright 2017 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4 Up-Eleven-year-old Olivia has a gift for finding lost things, except for the plastic toy ostrich that she thinks has a soothing effect on her older brother Jacob who has autism. Over the course of a summer, Olivia sets out to find Jacob's ostrich while volunteering at the zoo, auditioning for a production of Peter Pan, figuring out why and how a live ostrich keeps appearing in her backyard, and trying to keep her family together. With the help of her new friend Charlie and through Peter Pan, Olivia discovers that maybe not everything lost was meant to be found. Hautala's narrative is steady and fairly consistent as she guides readers through Olivia's adventurous summer. The story closely follows Olivia's physical and emotional journeys, usually focusing on one problem or scene per chapter. Occasionally, readers catch a glimpse of Olivia's "Neverdos," marking the major turns of the plot and of Olivia's emotional storm. While readers may get a bit lost at times, they will quickly find their way back through Hautala's rhythmic style, simplistic language, and detailed descriptions. VERDICT As in her first book, Waiting for Unicorns, Hautala offers an emotionally adept story about love and understanding.-Margaret Kennelly, iSchool at Urbana-Champaign, IL © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Olivia's older brother, Jacob, is autistic. As time passes, the impact of his condition intensifies, threatening to overwhelm her and her parents.Jacob's meltdowns, coming at stressful moments, are growing worse as he moves into his teens. Olivia's parents, driven by their desire to give him opportunities to grow, imprudently (and surprisingly) put him in situations that seem likely to end in failures. In one such, they encourage him to audition for a part in Peter Pan along with Olivia. Although Jacob gets through the audition and they both get parts in the play, he melts down onstage on opening nightas Olivia expectedand she fails to come to his rescue, leaving her wracked with guilt. Meanwhile, she's been spending most of her time trying to find a comfort toy, a plastic ostrich, that Jacob lost months before, convinced that without it he's much worse. She's helped by her new friend, Charlie, the blind son of the manager of a traveling zoo where Olivia has been helping out, who offers lots of soothing advice. Olivia is well-meaning, realistically trapped between her loving concern for Jacob and the constraints his behavior puts on her life. Her parents are just as ardently devoted but make unexpectedly hapless (surely plot-driven) choices for the sake of Olivia's growth. The principal characters in this Tulsa, Oklahoma-set tale appear to be white.A reasonably engaging coming-of-age tale that might especially appeal to children in Olivia's situation. (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Prologue I couldn't find my brother's ostrich. I'd been trying for a long time. And I was extraordinarily good at finding things. "You are extraordinarily good at finding things, Olivia," said Mom. "It's your superpower," said Dad. "Your superpower," said my brother. And then he said "superpower" for the rest of the day--repeating it over and over until the word no longer had any meaning and was just a bunch of sounds. But superpower or not, Jacob's ostrich stayed missing. Despite how hard and long I searched. "I'll find it, Jacob," I promised him. I wasn't done looking. It was our secret. "That's okay, Olivia," he said. But it wasn't. He wasn't. And as long as his ostrich stayed missing, I knew he would never be okay again. Excerpted from The Ostrich and Other Lost Things by Beth Hautala All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
