Pigeon English - Paperback

by Stephen Kelman (Author)

"Intelligent, observant." --The New Yorker

"If your patrons liked Roddy Doyle's Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and if they rooted for Jamal Malik in Slumdog Millionaire, they will love Harri Opoku." --Library Journal, starred review

"In turns funny and tragic . . . Its message is universal." -Huffington Post

Advise yourself! Jump into Pigeon English and experience the jubilant, infectious voice of Harrison Opoku--a boy awed by the city, obsessed with gummy candy, a friend to everyone he meets. See why he is bo-styles. How being the fastest runner in Year 7 makes him dope-fine. And how crazy things get when Harri and his best friend launch their own investigation into the murder of a classmate and one of the Dell Farm Crew's hutious criminals feels them closing in on him. You'll want this book to last donkey hours, and you'll see why Harri is truly a "hero for our times."*

"Like Room . . . and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time . . . Pigeon English is a novel for adults told in the remarkable voice of a child. In this fine company, Kelman's novel stands out." --Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Since Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, there have been certain rules observed when children play detective. Stephen Kelman throws them all out." --Christian Science Monitor

Front Jacket

Advise yourself! It's time to jump into "Pigeon English" and experience the jubilant, infectious voice of Harrison Opuku. See why he is bo-styles. How being the fastest runner in Year 7 makes him dope-fine. And why, when a hutious criminal feels Harri closing in on him, it just feels crazy. You'll want this book to last donkey hours.
Harri begins his story when he finds himself facing the body of one of his classmates, a boy known for his crazy basketball skills, a boy who seems to have been murdered for his dinner. The police have no leads, so Harri and his best friend launch into action. Armed with camouflage binoculars and detective techniques absorbed from television, they gather evidence -- fingerprints lifted from windows with sellotape, a wallet stained with blood -- and lay traps to flush out the murderer.
Recently emigrated from Ghana to London and its enormous housing projects, Harri is awed by the city. Filled with curiosity and ebullience -- obsessed with gummy candy, a friend to everyone he meets (even the pigeon that visits his balcony) -- Harri is still tempted by the glamour and power of the gangs running his neighborhood. His world will be forever altered by the Dell Farm Crew.
And your world will be forever altered by the discovery of the searing, endearing, and virtuosic writing of Stephen Kelman, who, in the great tradition of "Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha" and "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," takes us deeply and fully into one boy's life.

Back Jacket

"Intelligent, observant." "The New Yorker"
"If your patrons liked Roddy Doyle s "Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha" and if they rooted for Jamal Malik in "Slumdog Millionaire," they will love Harri Opuku." "Library Journal," starred review
"In turns funny and tragic . . . Its message is universal." "Huffington Post"
Advise yourself! Jump into "Pigeon English" and experience the jubilant, infectious voice of Harrison Opuku a boy awed by the city, obsessed with gummy candy, a friend to everyone he meets. See why he is "bo-styles." How being the fastest runner in Year 7 makes him "dope-fine." And how crazy things get when Harri and his best friend launch their own investigation into the murder of a classmate and one of the Dell Farm Crew s "hutious "criminals feels them closing in on him. You ll want this book to last "donkey hours," and you ll see why Harri is truly a hero for our times. *
"Like "Room ." . . and "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" . . . "Pigeon English" is a novel for adults told in the remarkable voice of a child. In this fine company, Kelman's novel stands out." "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"
"Since Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, there have been certain rules observed when children play detective. Stephen Kelman throws them all out." "Christian Science Monitor"
Stephen Kelman grew up in the housing projects of Luton, England. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, "Pigeon English "has been published in twenty countries; it is his first novel.
*" Mail on Sunday" (UK)
Look for the Reader s Guide at www.marinerreadersguides.com
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Author Biography

STEPHEN KELMAN grew up in the housing estates of Luton. He's worked variously as a careworker, a warehouse operative, and in marketing and local government administration. Pigeon English is his first novel.