A Kestrel for a Knave
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| Author | Barry Hines |
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| Country | England |
| Language | English |
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Publication date
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1968 |
| Pages | 160 |
| ISBN | |
A Kestrel for a Knave is a novel by English author Barry Hines, published in 1968. It is set in a mining area (only ever referred to as "the City") and tells of Billy Casper, a young working class boy troubled at home and at school, who only finds solace when he finds and trains a kestrel whom he names "Kes".
The book was made into a film Kes and is often used in Key Stage 4 assessment in the United Kingdom, as part of GCSE English courses. The book is so named because of a poem found in the Book of Saint Albans. In medieval England, the only bird a knave was legally allowed to keep was a kestrel.
In the opening pages of the book we see Billy and his half-brother Jud sleeping in the same bed in a troubled household. Billy tries to encourage Jud to get up to go to work, but Jud only responds by punching him. Soon afterwards Billy attempts to leave for his paper round, only to discover that Jud has stolen his bicycle. As a result, Billy is late and has to deliver the newspapers on foot.
There is a flashback to a time some months ago when Billy returns home to find a man whom he does not recognise leaving his house. He asks his mum, and finds out that this person is Reg, this is the man she had come home with the night before. It becomes obvious to the reader that Billy's dad is absent. Mum then tells him to go to the shop to get some cigarettes but instead he steals a book from the local bookshop. He returns home to read it. Jud comes back drunk from a night out. Still in the flashback, the next scene takes place at a farm. Billy sees a kestrel's nest and approaches it. Billy is then approached by the farmer and his daughter. At first the farmer tells Billy to "Bugger off" but when he realizes that Billy was looking for a kestrel, he soon takes an interest. The flashback ends.
Later on in the day, Billy is at school, where Mr Crossley is taking the register. After the name Fisher, Billy shouts out 'German Bight', inadvertently causing the teacher to make a mistake. The class then proceeds to the hall for an assembly run by the strict head teacher, Mr Gryce. During the Lord's Prayer, Billy starts to daydream, and after the prayer has finished, Billy remains standing after the rest of the people in the hall have sat down. Billy is told to report to Gryce's room after assembly. Billy goes to Gryce and gets caned. He then goes to a class with Mr Farthing, who is discussing 'Fact and Fiction'. One of the pupils, Anderson, tells a story about tadpoles. Then Billy is told to tell a story, and tells a story about his kestrel. Mr Farthing takes an interest. The class then has to write a tall story, and Billy writes about a day when his father comes back home and Jud leaves to join the army. After the lesson Billy gets into a fight with a boy called MacDowall, which is eventually broken up by Mr Farthing.
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