When Josh's mother dies in a phobia-induced car crash, she leaves two questions for her grieving family: how did a snake get into her car? and how do you mourn with no faith to guide you?
Twelve-year-old Josh is left alone to find the answers. His father is building a time machine. His four-year-old brother is talking to a plastic Power Ranger. His psychiatrist offers nothing more than a blank journal.
Isolated by grief in a home where every day is pajama day, Josh makes death his research project. He tests the mourning practices of religions he doesn't believe in. He reads the Darwin Awards to judge the stupidity of his mother’s accident. He interviews the neighbours in search of a murder suspect. He tries to mend his little brother's shattered heart. He observes, records and waits—for his life to feel normal, for his mother's death to make sense, for his father to come out of the basement.
Take a look at the first chapter of Walking Backward. Read it online or download it for free. And be sure to check out the reviews (below).
Over 60 friends, neighbours, and fellow writers came out to help me celebrate the launch of Walking Backward in November 2009. It was a great gathering. Have a look at my Launch Party photos. (You don't want to miss the snake cake.)
"[T]his work of children's literature should withstand the test of time....Highly recommended."
- CM Magazine - September 4, 2009
"An elegantly crafted volume of lasting power."
- Kirkus Reviews - September 15, 2009
...deftly tackles such weighty topics as atheism, grief and the ties that bind a family together."
- Montreal Review of Books, October 1, 2009
"Satisfying and realistic....Recommended."
- Resource Links, October 1, 2009
"...perceptively gives weight to the....ways bereavement can change a family..."
- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, October 2, 2009
"Austen breaks from the pack with this confident and peculiar debut....a refreshing change of pace."
- Booklist, October 15, 2009
"I'm reading your book! It's really good!"
- shouted from the bedroom window of the girl next door, November 2, 2009
"[An] outstanding debut novel....[Austen's] writing cuts straight to the heart. She delivers a wise, rich novel, wonderfully compelling for children and adults alike."
- The Globe and Mail, November 21, 2009
"...will admirably answer the call when young patrons ask for 'sad' books...."
NMRLS Youth Services Book Review, December 1, 2009
"A definite success. Recommended."
- Library Media Connection, January 1, 2010
"Austen is both unsentimental and unapologetic in her employment of precise and elegant prose, and the complicated and often humorous reactions to grieving practices lend themselves to an enjoyable read."
- School Library Journal, February 1, 2010
"[A] very powerful, moving and realistic portrait of grief."
- VOYA, April 2010
- Fiction
- 167 pages
- ages 9-13
- released October 2009
- from Orca Book Publishers
- Short-listed for the Canadian Library Association's 2010 Book of the Year for Children Award
To order, visit your local bookstore, or buy online from Orca, Amazon, or your favourite retailer.
If you enjoyed Walking Backward, why not let me know? If you have other books to recommend, pass on their titles.
Drop me an email and let me know if I can share your thoughts in my blog or on this website.