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Journey to Jo'burg

Journey to Jo'burg

A South African Story

by Beverley Naidoo and Eric Velasquez
Paperback
Age range: + years old Publication Date: 24/12/2002

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A classic look at prejudice and racism in apartheid South Africa, this short and compelling novel is perfect for independent reading projects and classroom sharing.

Separated from their mother by the harsh social and economic conditions prevalent among blacks in South Africa, thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother make a journey over 300 kilometers to find her in Johannesburg.

Mma lives and works in Johannesburg, far from the village Naledi and Tiro call home. When their baby sister suddenly becomes very sick, Naledi and Tiro know, deep down, that only one person can save her.

Bravely, alone, they set off on a journey to find Mma and bring her back. It isn't until they reach the city that they come to understand the dangers of their country, and the painful struggle for freedom and dignity that is taking place all around them.

ISBN:
9780064402378
9780064402378
Category:
Personal & social issues: racism & multiculturalism (Children's / Teenage)
Age range:
+ years old
Format:
Paperback
Publication Date:
24-12-2002
Language:
English
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Country of origin:
United Kingdom
Edition:
97th Edition
Dimensions (mm):
193.8x130.3x5.33mm
Weight:
0.07kg
Beverley Naidoo

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.

Eric Velasquez

Eric Velasquez was born in Spanish Harlem and grew up in Harlem. He earned his BFA from the School of Visual Arts and has been illustrating for over 30 years. He has illustrated over 30 children's books; his first picturebook, The Piano Man by Debbie Chocolate, won the Coretta-Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. In 2010, Eric was awarded an NAACP Image award for his work in Our Children Can Soar, which he collaborated on with 12 notable illustrators of children's literature.

Eric also wrote and illustrated Grandma's Records and its follow-up Grandma's Gift, which won the 2011 Pura Belpre Award for illustration and was nominated for a 2011 NAACP Image Award. His latest book, Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford, won the 2018 Walter Award and Golden Kite Award and was an International Latino Book Award Honorable Mention. Eric lives and works in New York, where he teaches book illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

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