journey to jo'burg story to read online free

Journey to Jo'burg

A south african story, by beverley naidoo.

• ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.88 ·
• 130 Want to read
• 14 Currently reading
• 13 Have read

Preview Book

My Reading Lists:

Use this Work

Create a new list

My book notes.

My private notes about this edition:

Check nearby libraries

• Library.link

Buy this book

“Has no equal. Evocative and haunting.” (School Library Journal starred review)

The bestselling classic set in South Africa during the apartheid era, in which two siblings must face the dangers of their divided country.

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 that they need to bring their mother back in order to save their sister’s life. Bravely, secretly, they set off on the long journey to the big city to find Mma.

It isn’t until they finally reach Jo’burg that they see up close what life is like for black citizens across South Africa—and begin to really question the unfair and dangerous laws of apartheid.

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.

Previews available in: English

Showing 5 featured editions. View all 17 editions?

Add another edition?

Book Details

Community reviews (0).

• Created April 29, 2008
• 14 revisions

Wikipedia citation

Copy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help ?

Journey to Jo’burg

The sun rose higher. on they walked. the heat sank into them and they felt the sweat on their bodies. on they walked. alone again….

Another baby has died in the village and Naledi knows that her little sister Dineo might die too. But what can she do? Their grandmother has no money and there are no doctors in their village. So Naledi makes up her mind. She will have to get Mma who works more than 300 kilometres away in Johannesburg. The only way to let her know was to get to the big road and walk. So Naledi and her brother Tiro did just that…

Banned by the apartheid government in South Africa, this is the story of two children’s courage and determination to find their mother and bring her home.

Beverley Naidoo writes: When I sent two copies of my first children’s book to nephews and nieces in South Africa in 1985, they never received the parcel. Instead, my sister-in-law received a letter telling her that the books had been seized and banned . However Journey to Jo’burg soon found its way into many different countries, in English and in translations, so that hundreds of thousands of children elsewhere were soon reading it. It was only after the release of Nelson Mandela from jail that the book was unbanned.

…the more searing for its gentleness. – The Guardian, UK

…so simple and straightforward that it makes accessible even to quite young children the difficult and the profound. –Times Educational Supplement, UK

… with a wealth to share, this well-written piece has no equal. –(Starred review) School Library Journal, USA

A provocative, eloquent story about the human spirit. –Publishers Weekly, USA

Some earlier covers

• Children of the Stone City
• Journey to Jo’Burg
• Chain of Fire
• No Turning Back
• The Other Side of Truth
• Web of Lies
• Burn My Heart
• Cinderella of the Nile
• Who is King?
• Aesop’s Fables
• S is for South Africa
• Baba’s Gift
• The Letang and Julie series
• Where is Zami?
• Out of Bounds
• Call of the Deep
• The Great Tug of War
• Global Tales
• Free as I know
• Death of an Idealist: In Search of Neil Aggett
• Through Whose Eyes?
• Censoring Reality
• Articles & papers
• Contributions
• The Playground
• blog archive
• Awards and Special Recognition
• Visits & events

• New Lessons
• Explore by Time Period
• Explore by Theme
• Explore by Resource Type
• This Day In People’s History
• If We Knew Our History Series
• New from Rethinking Schools
• Workshops and Conferences
• Teach Reconstruction
• Teach Climate Justice
• Teaching for Black Lives
• Teach Truth
• Teaching Rosa Parks
• Abolish Columbus Day
• Project Highlights

Journey to Jo’burg: A South African Story

Book — Fiction. By Beverley Naidoo, illustrated by Eric Velasquez. 1988. 96 pages. A brother and sister take their sick sibling to the city of Johannesburg to get their mother at work, and come to understand the struggle for freedom and dignity taking place in South Africa.

• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Written from an African point of view, this novel describes the conditions many African children face in South Africa. The central character is a 13-year-old African girl, Naledi. She, her nine-year-old brother, and baby sister live with their aunt and grandmother in one of South Africa’s infamous black “homelands.” When Naledi’s sister falls ill, Naledi and her younger brother set out on foot for Johannesburg to fetch their mother who works for a white family.

ISBN: 9780064402378 | HarperCollins

Related Resources

Chain of Fire

Book — Fiction. By Beverley Naidoo, illustrated by Eric Velasquez. 1993. 256 pages. When the South African government forces a village to relocate, young protesters, who do not have the freedom of speech, organize a march against apartheid.

Strangers In Their Own Country: A Curriculum Guide on South Africa

Teaching Guide. By Bill Bigelow. 1985. Lessons on apartheid in South Africa and the global anti-apartheid movement.

Sun City – A Teaching Guide

Teaching Guide. By Bill Bigelow. 6 pages. Lessons to accompany the 1985 video “Sun City” that promoted the cultural boycott of South Africa initiated by Little Steven van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen’s E St. Band.

Buy for others

Buying and sending ebooks to others.

• Select quantity
• Buy and send eBooks
• Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Journey to Jo'burg: A South African Story Kindle Edition

“Has no equal. Evocative and haunting.” ( School Library Journal  starred review)

The bestselling classic set in South Africa during the apartheid era, in which two siblings must face the dangers of their divided country.

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 that they need to bring their mother back in order to save their sister’s life. Bravely, secretly, they set off on the long journey to the big city to find Mma.

It isn’t until they finally reach Jo’burg that they see up close what life is like for black citizens across South Africa—and begin to really question the unfair and dangerous laws of apartheid.

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.

• Reading age 8 - 12 years
• Book 1 of 2 Journey to Jo'Burg Series
• Print length 100 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 3 - 7
• Publisher HarperCollins
• Publication date February 11, 2020
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• ISBN-13 978-0062881793
• See all details
• Next 2 for you in this series $17.34
• All 2 for you in this series $12.01

• In This Series
• By Beverley Naidoo
• Customers Also Enjoyed

Editorial Reviews

From publishers weekly, from the back cover.

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.

About the Author

Beverley Naidoo grew up in South Africa under apartheid. She says: "As a white child I didn't question the terrible injustices until I was a student. I decided then that unless I joined the resistance, I was part of the problem." Beverley Naidoo was detained without trial when she was twenty-one and later went into exile in Britain, where she has since lived.

Her first children's book, Journey to Jo'burg , was banned in South Africa until 1991, but it was an eye-opener for thousands of readers worldwide. Her characters in Chain of Fire , No Turning Back , and Out of Bounds face extraordinary challenges in a society she describes as "more dangerous than any fantasy." She has won many awards for her writing, including the Carnegie Medal, the Jane Addams Book Award, and the American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults for The Other Side of Truth , about two refugee children smuggled to London who are also featured in Web of Lies .

Eric Velasquez has illustrated numerous children’s books, including Strong Voices: Fifteen American Speeches Worth Knowing and Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford. He won the Pura Belpré Award for his illustrations in Grandma’s Gift. He won the John Steptoe New Talent Award for his illustrations in The Piano Man, written by Debbi Chocolate. Visit his website at www.ericvelasquez.com.

Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B081NJR9TR
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins; Reprint edition (February 11, 2020)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 11, 2020
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 5979 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 100 pages
• #25 in Children's African History Fiction
• #70 in Children's Prejudice & Racism books
• #205 in Children's Africa Books

About the author

Beverley naidoo.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Start Selling with Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Host an Amazon Hub
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us!

Internet Archive Audio

• This Just In
• Grateful Dead
• Old Time Radio
• 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
• Audio Books & Poetry
• Computers, Technology and Science
• Music, Arts & Culture
• News & Public Affairs
• Spirituality & Religion
• Radio News Archive

• Flickr Commons
• Occupy Wall Street Flickr
• NASA Images
• Solar System Collection
• Ames Research Center

• All Software
• Old School Emulation
• MS-DOS Games
• Historical Software
• Classic PC Games
• Software Library
• Kodi Archive and Support File
• Vintage Software
• CD-ROM Software
• CD-ROM Software Library
• Software Sites
• Tucows Software Library
• Shareware CD-ROMs
• Software Capsules Compilation
• CD-ROM Images
• ZX Spectrum
• DOOM Level CD

• Smithsonian Libraries
• FEDLINK (US)
• Lincoln Collection
• American Libraries
• Canadian Libraries
• Universal Library
• Project Gutenberg
• Children's Library
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Books by Language
• Additional Collections

• Prelinger Archives
• Democracy Now!
• Occupy Wall Street
• TV NSA Clip Library
• Animation & Cartoons
• Arts & Music
• Computers & Technology
• Cultural & Academic Films
• Ephemeral Films
• Sports Videos
• Videogame Videos
• Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

• Wayback Machine (iOS)
• Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

• Explore the Collections
• Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

• Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

Journey to Jo'burg

Bookreader item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.

• Graphic Violence
• Explicit Sexual Content
• Hate Speech
• Misinformation/Disinformation
• Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
• Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata

plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews

4 Favorites

DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

No suitable files to display here.

IN COLLECTIONS

Uploaded by station18.cebu on July 10, 2021

SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

TEACHING RESOURCES

Journey to jo'burg by beverley naidoo 9-11.

Journey to Jo'burg gives the reader a glimpse into the life of a young black girl in South Africa under Apartheid.  The book follows siblings, Naledi and her younger brother, Tiro on a journey to try and save their family.  Their journey opens their eyes to the world around them. 

VIPERS Discussion Guide