Trading Address (Warehouse) Unit E, Vulcan Business Complex, Vulcan Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 3EB. So the pair bravely decide to walk to their mother who works as a housekeeper and nanny in the big city, Johannesburg. Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. Their journey illustrates at every turn the grim realities of apartheid – the pass laws, bantustans, racism, the breakdown of family life. Naidoo has a history of standing up for equal rights and speaking out against apartheid, and that's wonderful, of course, but I still don't know how I feel about white people writing stories for PoC.

After her father’s death, her mother, Mma, has had to work in Johannesburg for money for the family. But it's worth all the extra work because the story has so much depth and complexity and kids will enjoy learning and talking about this. I loved this story and read it to my children who now understand a bit more of SA history through a lived personal story they can identify with.The period is South Africa's apartheid years, and while I'm rating four for writing, I'm rating another star for the depiction of tendencies towards popular activism and bringing about change. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. The opulence of the white "Madam's" house contrasts starkly with the reality that Naledi and Tiro face - that their baby sister is suffering from starvation, not an incurable disease. I stopped and went on Wikipedia (my go-to source on almost everything) to see what the deal with Jo'burg is (it is Johannesburg indeed! The book follows a young girl named Naledi and her younger brother, Tiro, on a journey that not only saves their family, but also opens their eyes to nature of their world.

Naledi convinces Tiro to walk with her to Jo'burg to get their mother, who would have money to take Dineo to the doctor. The majority of people in South Africa were black, but they were treated as second-rate citizens who couldn’t aspire to more than being the servants of those in power.From 1948–1994, South Africa made racial segregation the law of the land through a series of rules and regulations known as apartheid. I have often wondered how, as a child, I never really saw or understood how shocking apartheid and racism were. Naledi and Tiro's family is so poor that they can't afford to go to the doctor when Dineo falls sick. But at university, Naidoo became increasingly outraged at the South African government and joined Nelson Mandela’s anti-Apartheid movement, with Beverly Naido being arrested and jailed in 1964, for anti-government activities. I think it is a great read for a KS2 class and there are many activities in which it can be used throughout literacy lessons such as looking at characters in depth, retelling a story from a character's point of view, play scripts and report writing.

We learn that Dineo needs milk, fruits, and vegetables to stay healthy and strong, and Mma wonders where she will find the money to get them. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. Now Beverley Naido herself was born and raised in South Africa (in 1943), and yes, the author has readily admitted never having been taught to question Apartheid (and the general racial intolerance towards Black South Africans) either in school or at home. It has prompted some lively discussions as well as provided a strong platform for engaging literacy lessons and cross curricular activities for half a term.For example, at the very beginning of the story, Naledi and Tiro decide that because they would get in trouble for asking for money to pay for a telegram, they should walk to Johannesburg, a city over 300 kilometers away.

This edition of Beverley Naidoo's classic story includes a special "Why You'll Love This Book" introduction by Michael Rosen, former Children's Laureate.Certain that their sister needs a doctor, they decide to disobey their grandmother’s wishes and leave their small town to journey to Johannesburg where their mother works as a servant to get her help. The children learn about Grace's brother, Dumi, who was arrested for protesting, or speaking out against, apartheid. They are successful in finding their mother, who is able to get her youngest to a doctor in time to save her life.