Stranger at Green Knowe

In A Stranger at Green Knowe (1961), the Chinese boy, Ping, has returned to Green Knowe alone to stay with Mrs. Oldknow. At the zoo, he is fascinated by the giant gorilla Hanno, with whom he as a refugee feels a powerful bond. After Hanno escapes from the zoo, Ping befriends him. The early chapters of the book detail Hanno's life as a young gorilla in Africa and the trauma and cruelty of his capture with great compassion and finesse. A Stranger At Green Knowe was awarded the 1961 Carnegie Medal in Literature.