Cat among the Pigeons is a young adult novel by Julia Golding

Julia Golding

Julia Golding is a British novelist.Julia Golding grew up on the edge of Epping Forest. She originally read English at the University of Cambridge. She then joined the Foreign Office and worked in Poland...

, published in 2006. It is a story about Pedro the slave's fight for freedom. The main character is Cat, a girl of around 12 who is Pedro's best friend.

Plot summary

The setting is London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 in the late 18th century when slavery

Slavery

Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...

 has just been ruled illegal in England but is still common in the British West Indies

British West Indies

The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...

. Things are fine but then trouble rises as Pedro's old slave master, Mr. Hawkins, comes to London and tries to reclaim Pedro as one of his properties. He is at first thwarted by Cat but he vows to return.

But not without a fight as Pedro's friends, Cat, Frank, Lizzie, Syd and the gang try to secure his freedom. Once again, Cat finds trouble following her once more as she is chased around in London by the Bow Street Runners coming for her arrest for biting Mr Hawkins after he taunted her. Disguising herself as a boy with the help of her friends, Frank and Charlie, she enters an aristocratic boarding school and learns things like Latin and fencing that girls are never taught. Cat is bullied for being clever and a 'pretty boy'by Richmond, the son of a plantation owner. When they find Cat with a medallion abhorrinng slavery Richmond and his gang beat Cat up. When Syd arrives bringing sasuages as a decoy, he's furious and wants to take Cat home immediately, but soon realises that she's safe where she is as the Bow Street Runners are still looking for her.

Meanwhile Pedro is caught and is being held by Billy Shepherd for Mr Hawkins. Cat finds out where he is but cant inform the police as she has no proof against Mr Hawkins. Finally, as Mr Hawkins is about to set sail with Pedro on board Cat arrives with Lizzie, Frank, Mr Equaino and the Duchess to rescue Pedro. The Magistrate is called and Cat blackmails Mr Hawkins into setting Pedro free.

Characters

• Cat: An independent, strong waif who hates slavery with a burning passion. She is Pedro's best friend and strives to save him.
• Syd: a burly boxer. With the help of his gang Syd protect and then later on rescue Pedro from the cruel Mr Hawkins.
• Avons: Frank and Lizzie who are nobility but don't care about social class. They care very much about Cat and Pedro so they call a crisis meeting which Mr Equaino attends
• Millers: (Quakers) a group of religious sisters who assist Cat