I think it is a great read for a KS2 class and there are many activities in which it can be used throughout literacy lessons such as looking at characters in depth, retelling a story from a character's point of view, play scripts and report writing. They are portrayed as not exactly horrible people but somewhere near there - "I can't possibly let you go today. He celebrates Journey to Jo'burg for being the first childrens' book about the lives of black African during apartheid. Naledi (”Morning star” in the native language Tswana) and Tiro (”Hard work”) go on an adventure of about 300 km, a race against time and obstacles, during which they walk, hide, make friends, find their mom and go back home with her by train.

And determined to do everything they can for Dineo, the siblings thus set off on foot, hoping to cover the three-hundred-kilometer distance to find their mother in time.It's possible I'm overreading these elements, because I was aware going into it that the book was written by a white woman from South Africa. I have often wondered how, as a child, I never really saw or understood how shocking apartheid and racism were. She does not like being away from her children but must work in Johannesburg to provide money for food, clothing and an education after their father died. Now Beverley Naido herself was born and raised in South Africa (in 1943), and yes, the author has readily admitted never having been taught to question Apartheid (and the general racial intolerance towards Black South Africans) either in school or at home.

Naidoo sent this book to family in South Africa, the book was forbidden (”undesirable publication”). So they set off from their village and travel to Jo'burg, determined to bring their mother back to care for their baby sister.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. After accidentally trying to board a whites-only bus, the siblings find the right bus and meet a young woman named Grace. The story highlights the dangers and adventures the children encounter along the way and the challenges they face in South Africa at the time. This book also helps readers to learn more about history as it is told through the characters' story. The author wanted to teach young children about the unacceptable policy of Apartheit that separated Africans from Caucasians purely by colour.