Pigeon English

Harri and the dead boy were only half friends. Now the boy’s blood stains the ground outside Chicken Joe’s, and his Nike trainers hang in tribute on the railings where he was knifed. To Harri Opoku, newly arrived from Ghana, it all feels crazy. It’s mad that a kid can be killed over nothing. It’s mad how the British have so many weird slang words. And what’s especially mad is how nobody will talk to the police. A kid has been knifed, yet everyone is staying silent. So Harri decides to speak up. But he doesn’t know how scary that can be…

• Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and Guardian First Book Award

• A gritty, idiosyncratic yet deeply funny tale of dreams and belonging

• Explores the cost of urban violence with a fresh and authentic voice

• This powerful story is now an AQA English Literature GCSE set text

“Simultaneously accurate and fantastical, this boy’s love letter to the world made me laugh and tremble all the way through. Pigeon English is a triumph.” Emma Donoghue

“Pigeon English is a book to fall in love with: a funny book, a true book, a shattering book.” The Times