The Things Owen Wrote

by Jessica Scott Kerrin

Overview

“A love letter to the process of research, the experience of writing poetry, and Iceland.”—School Library Journal

Owen has always done well, even without trying that hard. He gets As in school, is an avid photographer and knows he can count on his family’s support. But then Owen makes a mistake. A big one. And now he must face his fear of disappointing his entire family.

A last-minute trip to Iceland, just Owen and his granddad, seems like the perfect way out. For Owen’s granddad, the trip is about paying tribute to a friend with Icelandic roots. But Owen has a more urgent reason for going: he must get back the notebook his granddad accidentally sent to the Iceland archive. He can’t let anyone read the things he wrote in it!

The pair gets on a plane, excited to leave their prairie town for a country of lava fields, glaciers and geysers. However, as they explore Iceland, the plan to recover Owen’s notebook starts to spiral out of control. Why does Owen’s granddad seem so confused and forgetful? And can Owen really hide the truth of what’s in his notebook?

Key Text Features
author’s note
historical context
dialogue

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773060309
Publisher:	Groundwood Books Ltd
Publication date:	10/01/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	448 KB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jessica Scott Kerrin is the author of the newly launched Lobster Chronicles series and the best-selling Martin Bridge series. She lives in downtown Halifax, Canada, and once owned a nutty Springer Spaniel who inspired this book.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

The Things Owen Wrote:

"A tender and affecting coming-of age story." — Kirkus Reviews

"An unusual and moving novel." — School Library Journal

The Spotted Dog Last Seen:

"Going far beyond mystery book conventions, Spotted Dog is also a well-told story of growth and self-forgiveness." School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

"Derek tells his own story, allowing readers to empathize with his fears and struggles as he comes to grips with them. . . . Surprising twists and turns amid laughter and tears." Kirkus Reviews

The Missing Dog Is Spotted:

"Funny, absorbing and touching, The Missing Dog is Spotted resonates with the riches to be found in unexpected friendships and the importance of connection, however transient it may be." National Reading Campaign

Editorial Reviews

. . . deftly written and well-paced.

Quill & Quire

A quietly powerful gem, this novel will find a special place in readers' hearts.

Atlantic Books Today

Scott Kerrin has written an intriguing and thoughtful treatment of the onset of dementia through one boy's eyes.

Canadian Children's Book News

10/01/2017
Gr 5–8—A love letter to the process of research, the experience of writing poetry, and Iceland. Owen, 13, is a boy growing up on the Alberta prairies trying to find his way through grief and the feelings of impostor syndrome. Owen struggles to negotiate his grandfather's memory loss, the recent death of his grandmother, and his own increasing desire to be perfect. Owen begins to question whether he is a strong writer; he has always wanted to write but he is becoming less and less sure of his abilities, even though his is complimented often on his skills. Asked to write a eulogy at his grandmother's funeral service, Owen plagiarizes the work of real-life Canadian-Icelandic poet Stephan Stephansson. Kerrin's commitment to bringing Stephansson's poetry and life history to the fore is what propels the narrative and somewhat overshadows it. Owen and his grandfather, Neville Sharpe, take a trip to Iceland in order to return a collection of cherished artifacts belonging to Neville's friend, Gunnar. Through the onset of Alzheimer's, Neville has sent one of Owen's writing journals to the Icelandic Stephansson archive outside of Reykjavik. They set about retrieving the notebook as well as delivering the materials to the archive, though their journey is besieged constantly by evidence of Neville's forgetfulness: leaving his driver's license at home and packing his suitcase full of socks. It is also buoyed by Owen's obsession with his lost notebook that is akin to adolescence itself, filled with anxiety, insecurity, and misguided certainty. VERDICT An unusual and moving novel that will require booktalking to move off most library shelves. Recommended for large collections.—Alpha DeLap, St. Thomas School, Medina, WA

School Library Journal

2017-08-02
Owen's loving relationship with his grandfather Neville is moving in an unexpected and unwelcome direction.Neville has decided that he should send back to Iceland the medal that his now-deceased friend received for his sensitive translation of the works of Icelandic-Canadian farmer/poet Stephan G. Stephansson. He makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to travel—immediately—to Iceland, and Owen willingly comes along. The trouble is that Neville is becoming increasingly confused (to the extent that readers may find it surprising that Owen's parents left the eighth-grader in his care). Owen has a good reason to accompany Neville on the trip: his grandfather accidentally sent Owen's notebook there, and its contents are something the white boy doesn't ever want anyone to see. The reason for his need for secrecy isn't finally revealed until the conclusion of this gentle novel of love, loss, and self-fulfillment, all intertwining in Owen's life. Owen initially rationalizes both Neville's frequent missteps and his own character flaw, but it all finally becomes impossible to ignore. The present-tense, third-person narrative primarily focuses on Owen's point of view, permitting a believable and nuanced exploration of his emerging self-awareness. Owen, Neville, and Owen's dead but much-missed grandmother Aileen are fully realized characters. Even the (real) poet Stephansson emerges from the pages of this quiet tale. A tender and affecting coming-of age story. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews