Beverley Naidoo (a white child) got a vaccine against diphteria, the children of the woman helping her family did not get this chance. It is set in South Africa at the time of the Apartheid and tells the story of two courageous young children Naledi and Tiro who are worried that their baby sister Dineo will die. Their journey illustrates at every turn the grim realities of apartheid – the pass laws, bantustans, racism, the breakdown of family life. 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. Their mother is able to get time off, beginning the next day, to take her children home and help Dineo.

When I saw my husband watching a video with Trevor Noah, I casually dropped a ”he grew up in Soweto”, but this was too much of an insider knowledge (? This was a brilliant read and a great introduction to children in KS2 about life in South Africa for black people, the Apartheid and segregation. Two kids see their little sister getting very ill but the lady who cares for them doesn't have money for a hospital. Reading the class reader for year 6, this is a good book to start the conversation on what segregation is and to help kids to be deeper thinkers - i think the teacher says for them to be introspective.And on their journey to Johannesburg, Naledi and Tiro are shown by Beverley Naido as making many unexpected friends out of strangers and who all help them not only with their travels but to also stay out of reach of the police, sometimes perhaps a bit too easily and a bit too quickly, but well, considering the intended age age group for Journey to Jo'burg this does not really all that much bother me, as indeed, and much importantly, much appreciatively, Naidoo has Naledi and Tiro soon learning that in Apartheid-infested South Africa, as Black South Africans, they do not have a right to get on the bus or walk about freely without a pass, and they do not even have a right to their own mother (who works as a maid, as a servant to an arrogant and ignorant White family in Johannesburg). It is a really simple and heartfelt story that contains powerful subject matter for children to explore and discuss in the classroom. I actually almost have up on it because this first time I tried reading it I got confused by the characters and went to sleep!

Their little sister is desperately ill and the two children decide to walk to the city to bring their mother home. Ah, I went to Oxfam again yesterday and got Born A Crime, Trevor Noah (3 euro, excellent condition). It seems clear that the point of the novel is to point up some of the major problems with apartheid, but at the same time it seems to downplay those problems too much. Michael Rosen's introduction to this recent edition provides an insight into the global political context at the time of its release in 1985. 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.

Thirteen-year-old Naledi lives with Nono (her grandmother), Tiro (her brother), and Dineo (her baby sister) in a small South African village 300 kilometers from Johannesburg. 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 book also helps readers to learn more about history as it is told through the characters' story. The author wanted to teach young children about the unacceptable policy of Apartheit that separated Africans from Caucasians purely by colour. 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.

Published during the height of Apartheid in the mid-1980s, this book was banned in South Africa until 1990. 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.The story tells of their awakening to the situation in their country of the appalling treatment of blacks by the rich white people.

It could be used to link to PSHE or Citizenship to address bullying and racism, History to examine the apartheid and Geography for studying Africa. As a student, she began to question the apartheid regime and was later arrested for her actions as part of the resistance movement in South Africa. The brother and sister mature very quickly from their trip to and from Jo'Burg because they learn more about the world around them, what their peers are fighting for, and the realities that are forced upon them. As well as clear character descriptions and vivid imagery, there are many themes running through the story as it deals with racism and prejudice along with family, love and determination.At each turn they face the grim realities of apartheid – the pass laws, Bantustans, racism and injustices.