Reviews for Journey to Jo'burg: A South African Story

The average rating for Journey to Jo'burg: A South African Story based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-11-20 00:00:00 James Rogers This story is about two children who live in a poor village in South Africa. Their mother works far away in Johannesburg and their father died from a disease caught in the mines. Their little sister is desperately ill and the two children decide to walk to the city to bring their mother home. The story tells of their awakening to the situation in their country of the appalling treatment of blacks by the rich white people. The children finally find their mother, but their troubles are not yet over. Things are not as simple as they thought they would be. They have to stay with their new friend for the night, then travel back with their mother the next day. They experience a tense few days while Dineo is in hospital. This part of the story opens the children's eyes even more to the uncertainties and dangers of life in South Africa. This is a book from the SFA scheme of work. It has a Reading Focus; to investigate what makes a reader want to read on after the first page. And a Writing Focus; to add a new scene to the story. I read this to a year 6 class and they really enjoyed it, interested in exploring the history and learning about the issues that faced South Africa.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-02-02 00:00:00 Seth Bacon I found this book humbling and heartwarming. It is written from the viewpoint of two young children in South Africa who struggle to understand the injustice they and their families face. When their baby sister falls gravely ill they courageously decide to travel 300km from their small village to Johannesburg to summon their mother from work. The physical journey is symbolic of their awakening to the wider realities of apartheid; they face danger and experience prejudice, but also meet kind strangers who help to keep them safe and tell them stories about the uprising of students in Soweto. Michael Rosen's introduction to this recent edition provides an insight into the global political context at the time of its release in 1985. He celebrates Journey to Jo'burg for being the first childrens' book about the lives of black African during apartheid. At the time it was considered so 'dangerous' that it was banned in South Africa. At the back there is a copy of a letter banning the book's import, which gives greater impact to comprehending the extent of governmental corruption. This is a universal story of hope and determination amidst great opression. I think it would be suitable for upper KS2 and has many cross-curricular learning possibilities. For example: guided reading, with an opportunity for persuasive writing in Literacy to write a reply to the government asking to lift the ban on the book. 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.