This popular tale is accompanied by notes to aid Caribbean students' comprehension of the text.  As with other texts in the series, the notes include commentary on the plot, characters, the context of the novel, culminating in exam-style comparative questions to give students the best practice for their English B exam.

He has nowhere to go and nothing to say...

Troubled teenager Billy Casper lives in a Yorkshire mining town.  He is treated as a failure at school and his family and friends don't give a damn.  His hopes, his future, mean nothing to anyone - least of all Billy.  When he finds Kes, a Kestrel hawk, suddenly he discovers a new passion for life.  He sees the hawk's silent strength in himself and there is trust and love in their relationship - something he has never had before.  But burning in the hearts of both Kes and Billy is the will to confront the world.  To destroy or be destroyed...