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The Agony of Bun O'Keefe

Heather Smith

$35

Hardback

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English
Penguin USA
15 September 2017
Little Miss Sunshine meets Room in this quirky, heartwarming story of friendship, loyalty and discovery.

Little Miss Sunshine meets Room in this quirky, heartwarming story of friendship, loyalty and discovery.

It's Newfoundland, 1986. Fourteen-year-old Bun O'Keefe has lived a solitary life in an unsafe, unsanitary house. Her mother is a compulsive hoarder, and Bun has had little contact with the outside world. What she's learned about life comes from the random books and old VHS tapes that she finds in the boxes and bags her mother brings home. Bun and her mother rarely talk, so when Bun's mother tells Bun to leave one day, she does. Hitchhiking out of town, Bun ends up on the streets of St. John's, Newfoundland. Fortunately, the first person she meets is Busker Boy, a street musician who senses her naivety and takes her in. Together they live in a house with an eclectic cast of characters- Chef, a hotel dishwasher with culinary dreams; Cher, a drag queen with a tragic past; Big Eyes, a Catholic school girl desperately trying to reinvent herself; and The Landlord, a man who Bun is told to avoid at all cost. Through her experiences with her new roommates, and their sometimes tragic revelations, Bun learns that the world extends beyond the walls of her mother's house and discovers the joy of being part of a new family -- a family of friends who care.
By:  
Imprint:   Penguin USA
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 218mm,  Width: 145mm,  Spine: 23mm
Weight:   329g
ISBN:   9780143198659
ISBN 10:   0143198653
Pages:   224
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 12 years
Audience:   Young adult ,  Preschool (0-5)
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

HEATHER SMITH is originally from Newfoundland, and now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her husband and three children. Her east coast roots inspire much of her writing. Her first novel, Baygirl, received a starred review from Quill & Quire, named to the Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year, and was a 2015 White Pine Honour Book.

Reviews for The Agony of Bun O'Keefe

A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2017 One of the Globe and Mail's 100 Best Books of 2017 There's an abundance of humour both subtle and overt, and a shattering of stereotypes and tropes. . . . This is a book that grabs readers by the heart and the head. --Starred Review, Quill & Quire Although Bun is 14, she possesses the endearing naivet� and honesty of a child, but her first-person narration isn't sappy or immature. . . . Bun O'Keefe will settle comfortably at home in readers' hearts. --Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews Heather Smith's second novel burns with nostalgia, wonder and sadness... a quietly profound, starkly Canadian account of being unwanted by family and society. --Globe and Mail Teens will truly dive into Bun's mind and her surroundings through her understanding of the world... A nuanced, well-done novel about tough topics that deserves a place in most collections. --School Library Journal Smith's strength is her attention to setting details and character development. . . . Recommended. --CM: Canadian Review of Materials A Globe and Mail 100 Best Books of 2017 pick There's an abundance of humour both subtle and overt, and a shattering of stereotypes and tropes. . . . This is a book that grabs readers by the heart and the head. --Starred Review, Quill & Quire Although Bun is 14, she possesses the endearing naivete and honesty of a child, but her first-person narration isn't sappy or immature. . . . Bun O'Keefe will settle comfortably at home in readers' hearts. --Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews Teens will truly dive into Bun's mind and her surroundings through her understanding of the world... A nuanced, well-done novel about tough topics that deserves a place in most collections. --School Library Journal Smith's strength is her attention to setting details and character development. . . . Recommended. --CM: Canadian Review of Materials Heather Smith's second novel burns with nostalgia, wonder and sadness... a quietly profound, starkly Canadian account of being unwanted by family and society. --The Globe and Mail There's an abundance of humour both subtle and overt, and a shattering of stereotypes and tropes. . . . This is a book that grabs readers by the heart and the head. --Starred Review, Quill & Quire Although Bun is 14, she possesses the endearing naivete and honesty of a child, but her first-person narration isn't sappy or immature. . . . Bun O'Keefe will settle comfortably at home in readers' hearts. --Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews Teens will truly dive into Bun's mind and her surroundings through her understanding of the world... A nuanced, well-done novel about tough topics that deserves a place in most collections. --School Library Journal Smith's strength is her attention to setting details and character development. . . . Recommended. --CM: Canadian Review of Materials Heather Smith's second novel burns with nostalgia, wonder and sadness... a quietly profound, starkly Canadian account of being unwanted by family and society. --The Globe and Mail Although Bun is 14, she possesses the endearing naivete and honesty of a child, but her first-person narration isn't sappy or immature. . . . Bun O'Keefe will settle comfortably at home in readers' hearts. --Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews Smith's strength is her attention to setting details and character development. . . . Recommended. --CM: Canadian Review of Materials


  • Short-listed for Amy Mathers Teen Book Award 2018
  • Winner of Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design - Prose Fiction 2017
  • Winner of Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design A- Prose Fiction 2017
  • Winner of Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design – Prose Fiction 2017
  • Winner of Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards 2018
  • Winner of Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz ChildrenA's Book Awards 2018
  • Winner of White Pine Award 2019

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