A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines

Life is tough and cheerless for Billy Casper, a disillusioned teenager growing up in a small Yorkshire mining town. Violence is commonplace and he is frequently cold and hungry. Yet he is determined to be a survivor and when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk he discovers a passion in life.
Billy identifies with her proud silence and she inspired in him the trust and love that nothing else can. Intense and raw and bitingly honest. From Goodreads.

I can't say I enjoyed this book as I found parts of it quite depressing. At the same time it showed strength and determination. A book well worth reading.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge
Serious Readers 2013
Tower Teams Read 2013-2
2013 Ebook Challenge
NBRC Stuck in a Rut
High Summer Read-a-Thon 2013
2013 A-Z Reading Challenge