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

A collection of short stories - four previously published and three new - linked by the theme of young people experiencing personal dilemmas. All are set in South Africa, first under apartheid and then after the first democratic elections. They cover the period from 1950 to 2000 and reflect the lives of a range of young people, black and white, living in what was for many years seen as the world's most openly racist society.

Out of Bounds

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

Novel Units

Elizabeth M. Klar

Cheryl Klar-Trim

Grades 3-4

Journey to Jo'Burg

The Mau Mau - the 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 is an intensely personal and vivid story of two boys: one black, one white. Once they were friends even though their circumstances are very different. But in a country driven by fear and prejudice, even the best of friends can betray one another . . . Internationally acclaimed and award-winning author Beverley Naidoo explores new territory in this beautifully realized and moving story set in Britain's colonial past.

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.

Set in South Africa at the height of the apartheid regime, when the government started a policy of ethnic cleansing, forcibly removing people from their homes and moving them to so-called 'homelands'. Schoolchildren Naledi and Tiro are caught up in the protests and resistance as they and their grandmother are threatened with removal from their village. Protestors are arrested and beaten, but still people fight on. Freedom lies at the end of a long road.

Chain of Fire

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

Beverley Naidoo

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