Children of the Stone City

by Beverley Naidoo, N'Jameh Camara (Read by), TBD (Read by)

Overview

A powerful novel by Carnegie Medal–winning author Beverley Naidoo that is in turns heart-wrenching, infuriating, and inspiring—and at its core, a call to readers to make a better world than they have found.

Adam and his sister, Leila, are Nons—second-class citizens, living under the Permitted ruling class. Though their life in the Stone City is filled with family, stories, and music, they must carefully follow the rules, have all paperwork on hand, and never, ever do anything to anger a Permitted. When their father unexpectedly dies, they are even restricted in how they are allowed to grieve.      

Soon, Adam and Leila are back to school and practicing music again. But when Adam’s friend Zak plays a bold prank on a group of Permitted boys, and Adam is implicated in Zak’s “crime,” Adam knows their lives will never be the same again.

Not to be missed by any reader who was moved by Veera Hiranandani’s The Night Diary or Alan Gratz’s Refugee.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798212036658
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Beverley Naidoo joined the resistance to apartheid as a student in South Africa, leading to detention without trial and exile in England. She is the author of the widely popular Journey to Jo’burg, the Carnegie Medal winner The Other Side of Truth, its sequel, Web of Lies, and the award-winning books Out of Bounds, No Turning Back, and Burn My Heart. Visit her online at www.beverleynaidoo.com.

N’Jameh Camara is a voice artist and Earphones Award–winning narrator.

Editorial Reviews

"Themes of equality, human rights, and justice prompt readers to reflect on how they can improve the world. A timely, powerful, relevant story." — Kirkus Reviews

"Well-developed characters, weighty themes, and a quick pace, along with evocative use of metaphor characterize this substantial novel." — Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher

10/01/2022

Gr 5–7—Twelve-year-old Adam and his sister Leila live in Stone City, a society divided into the ruling class called Permitteds and the lower class called Nons. Despite the disadvantages of being Nons, Adam and Leila enjoy going to school and taking music lessons. When their father dies suddenly, they must worry about their mother losing her permit to stay in Stone City. Then Adam is arrested when he and his friend Zak are falsely accused of attacking a group of Permitted teens. Adam fights to clear his name and save his mother from being displaced. Naidoo creates a dystopian allegory illustrating the divisions existing among societies around the world and the need to stand up for equality and justice. The story is told in present tense from both Adam's and Leila's points of view. Adam's chapters include occasional free verse poems. The character names are a mixture of Israeli and Arabic. While the dystopian worldbuilding is limited and young readers may not connect the classical music references, they will find themselves immersed in Adam's desperate struggle. VERDICT Recommended for students who enjoy books about characters overcoming injustice, such as Aisha Saeed's Amal Unbound and Margaret Peterson Haddix's Among the Hidden.—Maile Steimer

School Library Journal

2022-08-17
Siblings Adam and Leila grow up as second-class citizens and face prejudice in the Stone City.

Twelve-year-old Adam and his 10-year-old sister, Leila, have grown up inside the Stone City. Even though they are Nons—lower-class citizens under the rule of the Permitted—their father’s accomplishments have allowed them to get a good education and take music lessons. Things become uncertain when their father unexpectedly dies, especially with their mother’s possible deportation. As things in the city get worse for Nons, for example, having their houses taken, Adam and Leila follow the rules and try to go unnoticed. One day, while the siblings are walking home together, their friend Zak pranks some Permitted teen boys, leading them to accuse him of attempted murder. And simply because he gave his friend a farewell hand slap, Adam is implicated in assisting Zak in the fabricated crime and is sent to a detention center. Everything changes for the siblings, and life gets harder, but Adam remembers his father’s words about finding his voice and speaking the truth. Naidoo presents an evocative, heartbreaking dystopian story reflective of current and historical prejudices and injustices, addressed in her thoughtful, nuanced author’s note. Though the plot is heavy and full of trauma, the racially ambiguous characters use music, stories, and poetry to maintain hope and pursue freedom. Themes of equality, human rights, and justice prompt readers to reflect on how they can improve the world.

A timely, powerful, relevant story. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews