Beverley Naidoo

Will the truth harm them -- or save them? When Nigeria's corrupt military government kills their mother, twelve-year-old Sade and her brother Femi think their lives are over. Out of fear for their safety, their father, an outspoken journalist, decides to smuggle the children out of Nigeria and into London, where their uncle lives. But when they get to the cold and massive city, they find themselves lost and alone, with no one to trust and no idea when -- or if -- they will ever see their father again. The Other Side of Truth is a gripping adventure story about courage, family, and the power of truth.

The Other Side of Truth

If only Mma was here, Naledi wished over and over. . . Mma lives and works in Johannesburg, far from the village thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother, 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.

A South African Story

Journey to Jo'burg

Children of the Stone City

A Novel of South Africa

No Turning Back

The Mau Mau - name of a secret society that once struck terror into the hearts of British settlers in Kenya. An episode in history that ended in a State of Emergency, with violent and brutal acts dividing a nation. This book tells the story of how in a country riven by fear and prejudice, even best of friends can betray one another.

Burn My Heart

A little mouse saves the life of a great lion; hungry Grasshopper, too lazy to store food, gets no mercy from the industrious ants; crafty Jackal tricks Klipspringer to escape death - but is himself tricked by the cock and the dog?. Here are 16 of Aesop's wise, witty and timeless fables, portrayed for the first time in an African setting. This is an exciting new interpretation of one of the world's great classics. This unique story collection is vividly illustrated by Beverley Naidoo's fellow South African Piet Grobler, an internationally acclaimed illustrator. The two have previously collaborated on The Great Tug of War for Frances Lincoln

Aesop's Fables

Presents a series of folktales about clever Mmutla the hare, the original African version of Brer Rabbit.

Great Tug of War

Mmutla the hare is cunning. When you have Ntsu the eagle soaring high in the sky looking for her supper, and Tswhene the baboon vowing to throw you off a cliff, you need all the tricks you can think of. When Mmutla the hare tricks Tlou the elephant and Kubu the hippo into having an epic tug of war, the whole savanna is soon laughing at their foolishness. However small animals should not make fun of big animals and King Lion, together with Tswhene the baboon and wise old Khudu the tortoise set out to teach Mmutla a lesson - but the clever hare is always one step ahead.

The Great Tug of War

?S is for South Africa where two oceans meet,cold Atlantic from the west and warm Indian from the east.Our country stretches wide over Africa?s southern shoresfrom golden beach to misty mountain, desert sand to grassy plainin a land of contrasts where we praise the sun ? yet pray for rain!? From Cricket to Madiba, from Bunny Chow to Kubu, this photographic alphabet celebrates everything we South Africans love best about our country. Set at the southern end of the African continent, our beautiful land with its many different plants, animals, people and languages was once made ugly by racism. But now our rainbow nation is striving to make the country a fairer place for everyone.

S Is for South Africa

Esopo

P. Grobler

Le favole di Esopo

Femi is involved with a criminal gang of older boys, and has repeatedly lied to his family. His sister knows something is wrong, but she doesn't want to worry their father. With Femi growing more and more involved, how long will any of them be safe?

Web of Lies

Michael Marland

Christopher Donovan

Alun Hicks

These 16 tales, by both new and internationally known writers, reveal the rich diversity of story writing in English today. They offer a variety of forms, settings, contexts, characters, themes and language in stories that are both accessible and challenging.

Stories from Many Cultures

Global Tales

Sibusiso Mamba

Mike Van Graan

James Whylie

Rehane Abrahams

Ashwin Singh

A collection of six plays dealing with the new South Africa, published in 2006 to celebrate 10 years of democracy post-apartheid. Plays about racial conflict, the impact of AIDS, power and corruption, the legacy of the past and female identity. Reprinted 2012, 2019. The Plays The Playground by Beverly Naidoo “...it floats on a haunting, echoing raft of traditional South African harmonies that make watching it a joyful experience as well as a thought-provoking one...” Time Out Critics’ Choice – Pick of the Year Taxi by Sibusiso Mamba: Edinburgh fringe first winner “a superbly written and produced play... A fine piece of work that’s refreshingly free of cliches.” Daily Mail, Pick of the Week Green Man Flashing by Mike Van Graan “...This finely crafted drama tears at the heart and soul of our democracy, and rips at the underbelly of corruption and political power through its astute writing...” Star Tonight Rejoice by James Whylie “... the cruellest irony of all is left until the end... the same one which has spelled the death of Rejoice... And millions more.” Friends of BBC Radio 3 What the Water Gave Me by Rehane Abrahams “tales that retrieve ancient magics and reveal contemporary terrors...” Cape Times To House by Ashwin Singh: Finalist in the 2003 PANSA (Performing Arts Network of SA) Festival of Reading of New Writing (the country’s foremost playwriting contest) “To House is an important piece of theatre; in it people voice opinions that are uncomfortable and edgy. The cathartic and therapeutic value of hearing these things said aloud in a public place is part of our essential healing process and proves, once again, that art has the ability to go where angels fear to tread.” Daily News, Durban

New South African Plays

Two years after their flight from Nigeria, 14-yr-old Sade, her younger brother Femi and her father are living in a council flat in London, waiting for their claim for asylum to be approved. Sade is upset when Femi is drawn into a violent possibly drug-dealing gang, and even more upset when their father doesn't seem to notice. He's too taken up with his new friend Mrs Wallace, a refugee from Sierra Leone. But when Femi is arrested for murder, and the gang set fire to their flat, the family has to pull together to get through this most difficult time.

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

Journey to Jo’Burg (Essential Modern Classics)

Death of an Idealist is the biography of Neil Aggett, the only white person to die while being held in custody by South Africa’s apartheid security police. A medical doctor who worked most of the week as an unpaid trade union organiser, Aggett’s stark non-materialism, shared by his partner Dr Elizabeth Floyd, aroused suspicions. When their names appeared on a list of ‘Close Comrades’ prepared for opposition leaders in exile they were among a swathe of union activists detained in 1981. After 70 days in detention Aggett was found hanging from the bars of the steel grille in his cell in John Vorster Square. He was the 51st person, and the first white person, to die in detention. He was 28. His death provoked an enormous public outcry, his funeral attended by thousands of workers who marched through the streets of Johannesburg. This quiet, intense young man was, in death, a ‘people’s hero’. Born to settler parents in Kenya in 1953, Neil Aggett moved with his family to South Africa in early childhood. He attended school in Grahamstown before studying medicine at the University of Cape Town. Death of an Idealist explores the metamorphosis of a high-achieving, sports-loving schoolboy into a dedicated activist and unpaid trade union organiser. Beverley Naidoo traces Neil Aggett’s life, in particular the years leading up to his detention as a result of a Security Branch ‘sting’ operation, the weeks of interrogation, and the inquest that followed his death. She recreates the momentous events of his life and, in doing so, reveals the extraordinary impact Neil’s life had on those around him including his family, friends and comrades. Today, a generation later, South Africa is free and democratic. Yet the idealism and sacrifice displayed by Neil Aggett and so many others appears to have been replaced by cynicism and hand-wringing. Death of an Idealist is as much the story of a remarkable young man as it is a reminder that every generation needs its idealists.

In Search of Neil Aggett

Death of An Idealist

Piers Torday

Geraldine McCaughrean

Elizabeth Laird

Gill Lewis

Abi Elphinstone

Adele Geras

Tom Moorhouse

Ifeoma Onyefulu

Sarah Lean

Animal Tales from Cameroon

A Wisp of Wisdom

All kinds of animals are featured in these ten sparkling stories from all over Africa, by an award-winning author and illustrator. Find out what happens to Lion when he challenges Elephant and discovers who is the real king of the savannah; laugh along with Tortoise as he bewitches the animals in Tiger's work-party with his irresistible music; find out why Hippo has no hair, how Elephant got his trunk, and why Cockerel crows. Then read about the woman who had a mouse-child! The stories are drawn from the rich folklore of Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and are perfectly matched by Piet Grobler's wonderful illustrations.

Ten Magical Stories from Africa

Who is King?

This unique collection of stories by native South African and Carnegie Medalist Beverley Naidoo is about young people's choices in a beautiful country made ugly by injustice. Each story is set in a different decade during the last half of the 20th century and into the 21st, and features fictional characters caught up in very real events in South Africa.

Out of Bounds

Marjan Vafaeian

Beautifully retold by the award-winning author Beverley Naidoo, this earliest-known version of Cinderella is brought to life for the modern-day reader. Rhodopis is a Greek girl who is sold into slavery by bandits and taken to Egypt. Along the way she becomes friends with the storyteller Aesop and a host of playful animals. Her master gives her a pair of beautiful rose-red slippers, making three other servants jealous. But when Horus, the falcon, sweeps in to steal her slipper, Rhodopis has little idea that this act will lead her to the King of Egypt. The first in our 'One Story, Many Voices' series, this ancient story of Cinderella finds its echo in fairy tales all over the world.

Beverley Naidoo

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