Lady and the Truck Book Review on Youtube

Credits

Readability Age Range

eight to 12

Publisher

HarperCollins

Awards

Josette Frank Award (Bank Street Children'southward Book Award), 1986; New York Public Library's "One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing"

Year Published

1985

Volume Review

This book has been reviewed by Focus on the Family unit's marriage and parenting magazine.

Plot Summary

Xiii-year-old Naledi lives with Nono (her grandmother), Tiro (her brother), and Dineo (her babe sis) in a pocket-sized South African village 300 kilometers from Johannesburg. After her father'due south death, her female parent, Mma, has had to work in Johannesburg for coin for the family.

One solar day, Dineo becomes sick. Naledi is afraid Dineo is dying. Nono and Mmangwane (her aunt) try to help Dineo, but nothing works. Naledi coerces her 9-year-old brother to walk to Johannesburg with her to tell Mma.

Before they exit, Naledi's friend Poleng gives them sweet potatoes to eat on their trip. She also agrees to tell Nono where they've gone once they're safely away. Naledi and Tiro don't want Nono and Mmangwane to exist angry with them or proceed them from going.

The siblings walk alongside a lesser-traveled route. When they come to some other village, they walk chop-chop so as to non concenter the attention of the police because policemen in this area are often corrupt.

Outside of the village, they come across a boy who works in an orange orchard. He lets them eat a few oranges and hides them in a shed for the nighttime. They exit early the side by side morning so as non to anger the orchard's owner.

The next 24-hour interval, a driver with oranges in his truck gives them a ride to Johannesburg. He also gives them money to accept a coach to the surface area where their female parent works. Later accidentally trying to board a whites-simply bus, the siblings find the right bus and come across a young adult female named Grace.

Grace helps them find their mother's workplace and offers them a identify to spend the nighttime in Soweto. When Naledi and Tiro notice their female parent, they learn she is a maid for a wealthy white family. Their female parent is able to get time off, beginning the adjacent 24-hour interval, to have her children habitation and aid Dineo.

That nighttime, Naledi and Tiro travel toward Grace'due south domicile by train. At 1 end, the kids are pushed off the railroad train by the exiting crowd and are separated from Grace. On the train platform, at that place is a surprise laissez passer raid by the police. Adults without passes are taken to jail. Naledi and Tiro are not arrested because they are not yet 16, the historic period when a pass is needed. Soon later on, Grace finds them, and the three consummate their journeying to Soweto.

At Grace's house in Soweto, Naledi learns about the Soweto riots. Thousands of schoolhouse children demonstrated confronting what they were being taught in their schools. Their subjects were cleaning, washing, cooking and gardening. Their schools trained them to be servants. When they demonstrated, the police shot many of them. Some died, some were wounded, and some were arrested. There besides was tear gas, and many public buildings were burned. Grace'due south brother eventually left South Africa for an educational activity. He hopes to return to fight for their freedom.

The next mean solar day, Naledi and Tiro travel with Mma by train to their hamlet. At Naledi'south asking, Mma tells how hard her life is. Once in the village, Nono watches Tiro, and Mma and Naledi take Dineo to the hospital. They must await all day to see the doctor. After Dineo is kept in the hospital for 3 days, Mma is able to accept her home.

The next day, Mma must return to Johannesburg to work for all the money she just spent. Meanwhile, Naledi realizes that she wants to exist more than than someone's servant. She wants to be a doctor and intends to have steps toward a better time to come.

Christian Beliefs

Other Belief Systems

Dominance Roles

Nono and Mmangwane lookout man and care for Naledi and Tiro. They practice everything they know how to do to continue Dineo alive. Nono was the flagman for Naledi and Tiro, simply they didn't tell her about their travel plans. They thought she would exist cross with them. It is apparent she loves her grandchildren though, through the worry on her face when Naledi and Tiro render and her relief when Dineo is healed. Mma is kind and loving. She does not like being away from her children but must work in Johannesburg to provide money for food, article of clothing and an pedagogy after their begetter died. Their begetter, when he was alive, only visited the family once a year because he worked in the mines. Both the truck commuter and Grace accept responsibleness for the children'southward well being once they come up in contact with them.

Profanity & Violence

Although not graphic, descriptions are given about schoolchildren who were beaten, shot and tear gassed, and a few who died in Soweto.

Sexual Content

Discussion Topics

Additional Comments

Racism: Due south Africa, at this fourth dimension, had a system gear up through legislation to keep its society racially segregated. The majority of people in South Africa were black, but they were treated as 2nd-rate citizens who couldn't aspire to more than beingness the servants of those in power.

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Book reviews comprehend the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, non their literary merit, and equip parents to determine whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book's review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family unit.

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