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

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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc. This book tells the story of two young children who travel 300 km from their small village to Johannesburg, when their baby sister falls seriously ill, to tell their mother who works there as a maid. I had the privilege of ‘meeting’ Beverley Naidoo in a Zoom lecture recently and was so inspired by her and her story I knew I had to pick this book up immediately.

Zambia comes from the name of the river Zambezi, the rest are not related, but still retain the Z, maybe this will help me in the future.This edition of Beverley Naidoo’s classic story includes a special “Why You’ll Love This Book” introduction by Michael Rosen, the Children’s Laureate.

Everyone knows this and instinctively hides from the police, known for throwing people in jail ”just because”. 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.In the process, Naledi learns about Apartheid from first hand experiences and stories from her friends. The dangers and massive injustices inherent in that system are mentioned and then, weirdly, glossed over quickly, and the ending is a little too pat and trite. The wealth was all in the hands of the 'Whites', while the labour was done by the 'Blacks' who worked long hours for little pay and lived under apalling conditions.

So the pair bravely decide to walk to their mother who works as a housekeeper and nanny in the big city, Johannesburg.The author Beverley Naidoo has an interesting life story: born into a white family in South Africa, she took part in the anti-apartheid movement as a student, was jailed for 8 weeks, then left the country for the UK.