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Journey to Jo’Burg (HarperCollins Children’s Modern Classics) (Journey to Jo'Burg Series Book 1)

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There is really nice character development and vivid imagery which lends itself to readers creating drawings or paintings, allowing them to interpret their own parts of the book. It is a really simple and heartfelt story that contains powerful subject matter for children to explore and discuss in the classroom. Reading for enjoyment and writing for enjoyment are two of the most powerful ways of getting children interested in books. 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. Naledi and Tiro are exposed to the fear of violence for “non whites” underlying the discrimination when they unknowingly attempt to board a bus for white people and witness a pass raid at a train station where they see the cruel treatment of black people at the hands of the police.

The physical journey is symbolic of their awakening to the wider realities of apartheid; they face danger and experience prejudice, but also meet kind strangers who help to keep them safe and tell them stories about the uprising of students in Soweto. They have to stay with their new friend for the night, then travel back with their mother the next day. For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password. 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.So they set off from their village and travel to Jo'burg, determined to bring their mother back to care for their baby sister. 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.

When their baby sister falls gravely ill they courageously decide to travel 300km from their small village to Johannesburg to summon their mother from work. Originally banned upon its publication by South Africa’s apartheid government, Beverley Naidoo’s novel still resonates with its universal story of love, commitment and the flowering of the human spirit. I have loved reading this book and it has opened my eyes to how a powerful text can underpin half a term’s worth of cross curricular lessons. After going with a friend to a restaurant in Frankfurt, even though it was raining like crazy, it did not stop me from going to Oxfam, where I did behave: I only got this one book (1 euro).

The main worry of course, is whether they can find their mother; after that, can they save their sister? Naledi had never thought about it before tonight, but never, never, had she written about wanting to be…say, a doctor. Their father, when he was alive, only visited the family once a year because he worked in the mines. Their little sister is desperately ill and the two children decide to walk to the city to bring their mother home.

Reading it, I am so impressed how Naidoo has tackled a very brutal and disturbing topic and made it accessible, while thought provoking, to children. In Beverley Naidoo's 1986 (and thus of course before the official end of Apartheid) South-African themed middle grade novel Journey to Jo'burg, when their baby sister Dineo becomes very ill with a dangerous fever (and might perhaps even be dying), thirteen-year old Naledi and her younger brother Tiro decide that they must go and get their mother, but unfortunately Mma is being forced by financial necessity to live and work in the big city, in far-away Johannesburg.It is a simple storyline however so much discussion can be held in the classroom, including the different relationships between the characters and life in South Africa. It has been a great inspiration for teaching children to use subordinate clauses and using setting to convey emotions. Through meeting Grace they learn about the struggle against the unfair system of the apartheid and the uprising of students against the treatment of black people. Set in South Africa, Naledi, a thirteen year old girl and her younger brother travel from their small village 300 km to get their mother (who works in Johannesburg) because their baby sister is very ill.

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