Harri, short for Harrison comes from Ghana and lives in England. He is an 11 year old boy trying to make sense of his new world and his new English words.
A neighboring boy is murdered and Harri and his friends become enamored with sleuthing out who has done it. Throughout the book they take fingerprints from people they suspect and talk about how to trap someone into confessing the crime.
Along for the ride is Harri's sometimes pet pigeon who comes and goes as he pleases. The pigeon appeared on the balcony one day and Harri claimed him out of all of the other pigeons. Sometimes the pigeon speaks to Harri...
This book was excellent for capturing the cadence of someone who had recently arrived in a new country and was learning a new language. Despite this language barrier, the author managed to make Harri both literate and thoughtful in his rendering of the character. Kelman will definitely be an author I will look for other books from.
Rating: 8 / 10
ISBN: 9780547500607
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Edition: 1st American Edition