Keith Gray is the author of the popular Ostrich boys (braille 5v and giant print 2v) we asked him about the book and how he became a writer:
"The book follows a journey I know quite well as it starts in Cleethorpes where I was born and then the three main characters travel to Scotland where I now live. I did go on the journey when I wrote the book to make sure that it was possible in the time I'd suggested in the story. The children are taking the ashes of a friend back home. They have this dilemma of whether to take their friend to Ross in Scotland and whether the parents will be upset about it.
It's a story of friendship. I remember I had a great time at school, not because of lessons, which I wasn't good at, but mainly because of my friends, many of whom I'm still good mates with today.
Because I didn't do particularly well at school and was in fact asked to leave university after getting 0 per cent in my examsI wanted to write a positive book about what's just around the corner.
I had no idea what I was going to do with my life after university but if I'd given up I wouldn't be standing here today on the shortlist to win the Carnegie Medal. So I wanted to encourage my readers to keep going and to think about what might be out there waiting for them."