Beverley Naidoo facts for kids

Beverley Naidoo FRSL (born Trewhela) is a South African author. She writes wonderful books for children. She lives in the United Kingdom.

Her first three novels explored life in South Africa. This is where she lived until her twenties. She also wrote a biography about a worker's rights leader, Neil Aggett.

The Other Side of Truth, published in 2000, tells a story. It is about Nigerian children seeking safety in England. For this book, she won the Carnegie Medal. This award celebrates the best children's book by a British subject each year.

Naidoo won the Josette Frank Award two times. She won in 1986 for Journey to Jo'burg. She won again in 1997 for No Turning Back: A Novel of South Africa.

About Beverley Naidoo

Her Early Life and Education

Beverley Naidoo was born on 21 May 1943. Her birth name was Beverly Trewhela. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her parents were Ralph and Evelyn Trewhela. Her father was a composer. Her mother was a broadcaster and theatre critic.

She grew up during a time called apartheid. During apartheid, laws treated people unfairly. These laws gave advantages to white children. Black children went to separate schools. These schools often had fewer resources. Families were also told where they could live and work. Apartheid stopped children from different backgrounds from growing up together. It denied them equal chances and respect.

She studied at the University of Witwatersrand. She graduated from there in 1963. Later, Naidoo worked as an adviser. She helped with cultural diversity and English in Dorset. She also taught creative writing. This was at Goldsmiths College, University of London. She has led workshops for young people and adults. These workshops were in Britain and other countries.

She married Nandhagopaul Naidoo in 1969. He was also from South Africa.

Her Journey as a Writer

Beverley Naidoo always loved stories as a child. But she only started writing her own books later. This was when her own children were growing up.

Her first book was Journey to Jo'burg. It won "The Other Award" in Britain. This book showed the challenges children faced under apartheid. In South Africa, the book was not allowed until 1991. This was the year after Nelson Mandela was released from prison. A few years later, all South African parents could vote. Nelson Mandela was then elected president.

Naidoo became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023. This is a special honour for writers.

Exploring Her Books

Many of Beverley Naidoo's books tell important stories. They often explore themes of fairness and courage.

Stories About South Africa

Journey to Jo'burg, Chain of Fire, and Out of Bounds are set in South Africa under apartheid. They show what life was like during that time. No Turning Back is about a boy. He tries to survive on the streets of Johannesburg. This happens right after apartheid ended.

Other Inspiring Tales

The Other Side of Truth and its follow-up, Web of Lies, tell another story. They are about children of a Nigerian writer. These children seek safety in England. Her 2007 novel, Burn My Heart, is set in Kenya in the 1950s. It takes place during the Mau Mau Uprising.

Naidoo has also written several picture books. These books feature children from Botswana and England. In 2004, she wrote Papa's Gift. This picture book is set in modern South Africa. She wrote it with her daughter, Maya Naidoo. In The Great Tug of War and Other Stories, she retells old African folktales. These tales are similar to the Brer Rabbit stories.

List of Her Works

• Journey to Jo'burg (1985)
• Chain of Fire (1989), a follow-up to Journey to Jo'burg
• Through Whose Eye? Exploring Racism: reader, text and context (1992), a non-fiction book
• No Turning Back (1995)
• The Other Side of Truth (2000)
• The Great Tug of War and other stories (2001), retold tales
• Out of Bounds: Stories of Conflict and Hope (2003)
• Web of Lies (2004), a follow-up to The Other Side of Truth
• Making It Home: Real-life Stories from Children Forced to Flee (with Kate Holt)
• Burn My Heart (2007)
• Call of the Deep (2008), retold tales
• Death of an Idealist (2012)

Picture Books

• Letang and Julie Save the Day (1994)
• Letang's New Friend (1994)
• Trouble for Letang and Julie (1994)
• Where Is Zami? (1998)
• King Lion in Love (2004)
• Baba's Gift (2004), by Beverley and Maya Naidoo
• S Is for South Africa
• Aesop's Fables, a retelling with pictures by Piet Grobler