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Journey to Jo’Burg

Beverley Naidoo

$17.99

Paperback

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English
HARPER360
01 August 2025
This is the story of love, commitment and the flowering of the human spirit against the background of South Africa’s apartheid.

Frightened that their baby sister Dineo will die, thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother Tiro run away from their grandmother to Johannesburg to find their mother, who works there as a maid. Their journey illustrates at every turn the grim realities of apartheid – the pass laws, bantustans, racism, the breakdown of family life.

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.
By:  
Imprint:   HARPER360
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 129mm,  Spine: 11mm
Weight:   80g
ISBN:   9780008726478
ISBN 10:   0008726477
Series:   HarperCollins Children’s Classics
Pages:   112
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 9 to 12 years
Audience:   Children/juvenile ,  Primary & secondary/elementary & high school ,  English as a second language ,  Children's (6-12)
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Beverley Naidoo was born in South Africa and grew up under apartheid. After arrest and detention without trial, she came to England. She married another exile and was only able to return freely twenty-six years later, after Nelson Mandela's release from jail. Their two children were brought up in England where she still lives. She goes back to South Africa to stay in touch, especially with young people. A teacher for many years, she has a doctorate in education and a number of honorary degrees. Journey to Jo'burg was her first children's book. It was an eye-opener for readers worldwide, winning awards, but it was banned in South Africa until 1991.

Reviews for Journey to Jo’Burg

“ This story is compelling” TES “inspirational tale…” Network “Growing awareness of the sufferings of South Africa’s black children brings renewed point to Beverley Naidoo’s Journey to Joburg, a story for young readers, the more searing for its gentleness, that makes them ask questions we must learn to answer.” Guardian


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