SuitabookA Kestrel for a Knave
Barry Hines
- Reading
- Consider reading together if the violence or loss may be difficult: pause after the falconry scenes and the school episodes, and let your child choose whether to discuss how Billy is treated.
- Themes
- School discipline and opportunity: Billy attends an underfunded modern school, where strict discipline and corporal punishment are part of his experience. Mr Farthing gives him an opportunity to share what he knows about falconry. The school environment is presented as harsh and failing Billy; Mr Farthing’s attention stands out as a counterexample.
- Theme in context: Billy finds and trains Kes, and his knowledge of falconry earns the attention of Mr Farthing and his classmates. The book presents this favourably.
- Worth knowing
- The novel includes physical and verbal bullying, corporal punishment, family conflict, and the killing of Kes. Billy also uses profanity during a confrontation. These events contribute to a bleak, sometimes distressing story.