Beverley Naidoo
Beverley Naidoo joined the resistance to apartheid as a student in South Africa, leading to detention without trial and exile. She began writing while working as a teacher in Britain. Her first novel, Journey to Jo’burg, was originally banned in South Africa but opened a window for children elsewhere.
She won the Carnegie Medal for The Other Side of Truth. She received the US African Studies Association Children’s Book Award for No Turning Back, Out of Bounds (short stories with Foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu), Burn My Heart and Who is King?. In Cinderella of the Nile, she retells a 2000-year-old version from ancient Egypt. Widely translated, she has been a nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Beverley lives in Dorset.
Books
Cinderella of the Nile
Author: Beverley Naidoo Illustrator: Marjan Vafaeian
Publisher: Tiny Owl
Interest age: 5-8
Reading age: 6+
Rhodopis is a rarity in the north of Greece, with her red hair and blue eyes. Soon, she is kidnapped and turned into a slave. When the Pharoah finds a slipper, he declares he will marry the owner. This version of the Cinderella story is based on an Egyptian tale.
No Turning Back
Author: Beverley Naidoo
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 11+
Reading age: 10+
Sipho runs away looking for freedom, but finds that the streets of Johannesburg are hard to escape. This powerful, moving book conveys complex shades of good and evil. The characters, with all their flaws, ring true, and will excite passionate discussion.
The Other Side of Truth
Author: Beverley Naidoo
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 11-16
Reading age: 10+
The family knew that Papa’s journalism might put them at risk. But now Mama is dead, their passports are seized and Papa must try to get the children to safety – illegally. A story of terror, loss, love and humanity. This novel wholly deserves its classic status.
Web of Lies
Author: Beverley Naidoo
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 11+
Reading age: 9+
Web of Lies follows Femi, who is drawn against his will into closer and closer involvement with a gang of criminals who have links to his school – and an unpleasant interest in his sister. A bleak book, but an important and powerful one.
Who is King?
Author: Beverley Naidoo and Piet Grobler
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Interest age: 6+
Reading age: 6
Subtitled Ten Magical Stories from Africa, Beverley Naidoo's collection comes from the rich folklore of Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and South Africa.