Pawnee Warrior

Notes:

General: A rites-of-passage sort of book where the concern Darryl has for his racing pigeons in some way mirrors the attitude of parents, especially now that his mother is in the early stages of a pregnancy whose outcome is uncertain. Darryl's difficulties in coping with the threats of the school bully and the support offered by the girls of his class portray very well the confusion and fears of boys at that age. It's not clear exactly how old Darryl and the girls are but they are presumably in the first years of high school and just starting to take an interest in each other.

Families: Darryl's Mum and Dad are supportive of him. Even though his Dad doesn't agree with his hatching the pigeon chicks, he makes arrangements for them to be lodged with an expert pigeon-fancier. His Mum explains to him simply that she had lost two children from previous pregnancies to prepare him for the possible failure of this one. Darryl's Gran takes him to stay with her at a difficult time for him, and tries to help him get over things with her gentle love. When 5-year-old Natalie comes to visit him there, he finds it easy to take her for a walk by the hand.

Lenny Spigott is unaware that his 16-year-old son has been Darryl's tormentor since the previous year, and both father and son continue to be upset by the death of Emily, wife and mother, some years previously. Lenny is kind to Darryl and wins him over with his straightfoward competence.

Suzie McAllister's parents are little less conventional, but they're still obviously a close family.

Babies: Darryl undergoes vicariously the difficulties of parenthood when his chicks hatch and one dies soon after. At the same time, his mother reveals her pregnancy and her history of miscarriage and he is terrified when he misinterprets something and believes that the baby is malformed. She describes this child as “unplanned” but without entering into any details.

Friendship: Garry & Darryl have been best friends for ever and even when they fall out they're soon back together again. The girls in their class, in particular Gemma, Fern & Suzie, form a gang called the Angels and undertake to protect Darryl from Warren, helped by Suzie's prowess at judo. Darryl doesn't know how to respond to this, and we are led to contrast the self-interested glamour of Susan, whom Darryl's Mum & Gran mistrust, with the persevering kindness of Suzie which Darryl initially spurns, then later accepts, and then has to win back again.

Modesty & Decency: When Darryl visits Suzie's house, they end up have a tickling contest in her bedroom which leaves them lying near each other on her bed — fully clothed — when her mother walks in. Susan is seen kissing Warren after he grandfather's funeral, not least to spite Darryl who's nearby, and we later learn that he assaulted her in an unspecified (but presumably sexual) way. At one point, Darryl and Garry are hiding in the boys' toilets at school when Warren and his mates come in: there is a fair amount of vulgar talk.

Violence: Warren and his friends physically and verbally intimidate others, including hitting and (we presume) sexually interfering with Susan. Suzie uses her judo skills sparingly. Darryl, Garry, Suzie and Gemma decide to ambush Warren and cut off his hair. The police arrive during this episode and make it quite clear that they should not take the law into their own hands and that they have only narrowly escaped a charge of assault, despite the fact that Warren is himself wanted for a charge of assault.