Customer Reviews

Journey to Jo'burg: A South African Story

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Even though I've never traveled as far as Africa, Beverly Naidoo, the author of Journey to Jo'burg, writes so descriptively that she transports me through the past to Johannesburg, South Africa in the time of 1881-1902. I feel like I am in connected to the characters because Beverly Naidoo reminds me that my African ancestors experienced the same intolerance, injustice, and tragedies in the Caribbean and here in America. In Journey to Jo'burg, you land in a town only 300 kilometers away from the historical Johannesburg and journey with a young girl named Naledi and Tiro, her brother. When Naledi's little sister gets sick she and her brother must journey to find their mother who works many miles from their house.

Naledi was my favorite character. Silent courage flowed through her. Though she stumbled, Naledi brought herself and Tiro, her young brother, through an experience that became their teacher. They had to deal with the enraged police, the mean bus drivers, and the rude Caucasians who pass helpless Africans by with occasional backwards glances of hatred. Naledi spoke fluidly of all this. Naledi remained firm and truthful and described her situation. She refused to pause because of the rough circumstances around her. The Caucasians believed that Africans should receive no rights and agreed with segregation. They also thought that Africans were 1/3 of a person, so the Africans were objects of constant ridicule. In spite of this, Naledi continued to describe her situation.

Along the way, Tiro discovers Mma's neighbor, Grace, who tells the tragic story of the "Horror Day" (my title for the day African students marched against the unfair laws) in 1976. Very few people explain the sorrow Africans experienced from that day on. On that day, students refused to be taught any more rubbish including how to be a servant and topics that did not involve their history. The police, enraged by the outburst, shot hundreds of children. One policeman targeted a girl right next to Grace and killed her. Another imprisoned her brother, Dumi. Finally, her brother was released and he studied in another, safer country. Grace made the story stand out because her words were strong and she seemed more determined than any other person to defeat racial intolerance and the other problems like that in her country.

Naledi and Tiro learn, flee, and search along the trip until they reach Johannesburg. There were no more rides or adventures. They are still excited however when they find Mma. They befriend the courageous and friendly Grace who raises their spirits into a land of eternal hope. She says hopeful things like, "We're pushed all over the place, but it won't be like that forever."

Journey to Johannesburg's character are fluid and express their feelings. Whether excited, fearful, sad, or depressed, the characters pull you through the books pages and shove their feelings into you. You are jumping up and down when they are hyper from excitement. For example, Mma shows her sadness or depression. She sighs and murmurs things like, "I must work. How else can I find the money to send you to school?" In addition, Grace was hopeful. She said once," We're pushed all over the place, but it won't be like that forever." Naledi was determined. She would say," We will get there! We have to go."

For me, I journeyed to Jo'burg through the entrance that is Beverly Naidoo's book. I felt the heart-break and longing of the gold miners and the servants when they yearned to learn more about their own history because a lot of African-American history is not taught in schools in America too.

reviewed by Makeda

I thought that the book Journey to Jo'burg was o.k. I decided to give the book 3 *'s. I did this because I thought the book would mostly be about a journey to johannesburg but in the book it only took tiro and naledi about 2 chapters out of the book to go on the journey. I think they should have named the book journey in jo'burg because the whole book was them in Jo'burg, meeting new people and doing other things.

I found this a good book. When Naledi and Tiro's baby sister Dineo, gets sick, they decide to leave their small village and go to Johannesburg to call their mother to help Dineo. They discover so much about their country, about the way their skin colour changes their future and start to ask questions about why life is so unfair. Though readers found it very uninformative, at the time this book was written people were not allowed to write about how unfair the situation in South Africa was. This book said so much that it was banned for many years! It is designed to tell CHILDREN about the situation, so it can't be very gory, its just to give them an idea of the apartheid. I lived in South Africa and have studied the apartheid, this book gives the basic idea. Read it, its good.

I enjoyed this book. It wasn't the greatest book i've ever read. They treated blacks bad. They couldn't walk on the street without worrying that they would be shot. I liked the ending though.

I picked up this book because it had an interesting cover. My favorite charater was Grace. She had a mind of her own. She would yell at the whites for yell at the blacks for yelling at her. This is my review.

Have you ever saved a family member's life? Well the book Journey To Jo'Burg by Beverly Naidoo is a historical fiction book. My book is about two kids named Tiro and Naledi that saved their little sister, Dineo's life. Dineo had a really bad fever but they didn't have money to take her to the hospital so they had to go more then 300 miles to tell mother and ask her for money.

Tiro,and Naledi are very brave to go more then 300 miles away from home. This reminds me of when I couldn't communicate with my mother because my sister had a very bad asthma attack and my mom wouldn't answer her phone. I had to run to her job that was 30 minutes away from home. Just like Tiro and Naledi did.

When people read this book they will probably learn a important lesson. For example, when you have an opportunity to save someones life, you should because you may be in danger and that person might help you in return someday. This book has some fascinating facts about the author. For example, Beverly Naidoo lived in South Africa before moving up to England. She taught primary and secondary school on London.

I recommend this book to people who love books that you have to think hard in order to guess what's going to happened next. This book tells you every step the characters do. My book has a style that the aurthor decided to have. The author Beverly Naidoo decided to write the books in chapters. The chapters are about six pages in each chapter. There are 15 bchapters in my book.

Mma is given only a week from her employment, so they hurry back to the village. Mma took Dineo to the hospital; the doctor kept Dineo until her fever was broken. Mma was told to be sure that the baby had plenty of milk, fruits, and vegetables. However, they rarely have money for any of these things.
On their journey to Johannesburg, Naleda learned about the older students who were trying to change the unfair practices of apartheid. She is determined to find out about this and become part of the change. They are going on the bus and they did not read the sign it was a white sign they had to walk to the black sign because they was that the white sign. The mom wanted to see her girl because see was sick. The owner was going to a dinner and the owner said that you can see your little girl tomorrow. A woman said that it is not right that they have to but kids in jail. Grace had a passport but her friend didn't. when they went home two boys ran out the house. One of the girls was splashing water and the girl said do not do that because she remenber when she had to buy water. The mom said that the kids need schools and but the black and white tougher. On the banner that Dumi and his friends carried, they had written on the back of a paper they wrote BLACKS ARE NOT DUSTBINS.

Dineo the baby is very sick; Naledi was afraid because so many babies have died from this sickness. She and her brother Tiro traveled to Johannesburg to get Mma. Mma was a maid in a white lady's home, and the lady grudgingly allowed Mma to return home to help Dineo.
On their trip to Jo'burg, both Naledi and Tiro learn about the things that happen to black people under the white government called apartheid. They discover that they could be shot for picking and eating an orange just because they are hungry. In the train depot they discover that there are trains for blacks and for whites; they must ride the black cars even though they are overcrowded and have no seats. In Soweto, a place in which Mma fears for their safety, they see the police raid, looking for people who do not have their passbooks. The police even try to say that some of the children are older so that they can imprison them. Mma is given only a week from her employment, so they hurry back to the village. Mma took Dineo to the hospital; the doctor kept Dineo until her fever was broken. Mma was told to be sure that the baby had plenty of milk, fruits, and vegetables. However, they rarely have money for any of these things. On their journey to Johannesburg, Naleda learned about the older students who were trying to change the unfair practices of apartheid. She is determined to find out about this and become part of the change. Thirteen-year-old Naledi, her younger brother Tiro and baby sister Dineo live with their grandmother while their mother works as a maid in Johannesburg. When Dineo gets sick, Naledi and Tiro walk to Johannesburg to bring their mother home. On the way, Naledi sees a new world, and learns about the cruelty of Apartheid for the first time. This journey, which saves Dineo's life, causes pride to burn in Naledi, and makes her determined to hold her head up high. They don't understand the song's warning until they arrive in Jo'burg. There they watch, in amazement and fear, while the police storm their train, attacking and arresting people, and the song takes on new meaning. On the crowded city buses, in the sprawling suburbs, and on an unexpected visit to Soweto, Naledi and Tiro begin to see the painful struggle for freedom and dignity going on in the 'City of Gold. ' And slowly they realize that their own journey has just begun.

By Jakeba Henry

I think that Journey To Jo`burg was a good book but not that well explained. I think this because you really didn't know what Mamgwane was. She never talked or anything so there wasn't a real reason of her even being in the book. Another thing, in the United States, most people don't measure in kilometers and they do in miles so in the book they could have told us how many miles 300 kilometers was. I also don't think that Naledi and Tiro would get in the back of a truck in which a man they did not know. There were good parts of this book but there were few. One of them was when they woke up and they were in the shed and they were afraid of the farmer coming out to get them. The farmer would have killed or punished them. You really didnt know what was going to happen so I did like that part. This is what I thought of the book and I hope you liked it to. (GT Level Reader)

Naledi and Tiro are two young black children who live in South Africa. They live with their grandmother and little sister. Their mothers goes to a big town to work so that she can earn money for her family. Their little sister is very ill. Tiro and Naledi bravely set off on a journey to find their mother and bring her home to get their sister to the doctor. They face many struggles along the way. They finally reach their mother and she goes back with them. They get their sister to the doctor and she is make well again.

The book moved quickly. I didn't want to stop reading. I wanted to see if the children were able to save their sister.

We would recommend this book. It is great for reading during black history month.

The main character in this book is Naledi. She is caring, brave, and curious. The plot of the story is as follows: Naledi and Tiro went on a journey, because their sister was very ill. On the journey they discovered how blacks were treated by whites. Some examples are: they had to sit at the back of the bus; they had to have passes to travel; they had to work as servants; and they were harrassed by the police. They went to seach for their Mma. Will they find Mma? Will they save their sister Dineo?- You should read this book to find out!- by Sierra Serrano (Age 12), Johnnie Basham (Age 10), and Garrett Kovach (Age 11)

The Journey to Jo'burg book had a good storyline, but went by too quick. Naledi and Tiro got to Johannesburg way too quick! You couln't really learn much about them, but it gave a lot of backround info! Overall, it ws okay.