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Biblionef is taking storytelling to another level by going to read in unusual places. Their My Language My Heritage Campaign launched its first Read-in at Mzoli’s Restaurant in Gugulethu on Saturday 22nd November, where Biblionef staff and volunteers read and displayed books in various languages amongst the hustle and hissing bustle of one the regions most popular braai stops.
“We celebrated South African language and heritage by reading from our favourite books and sharing the importance of reading ,especially reading in one’s home language; all this while enjoying some good ol’ SA Braai," Says Jean Williams, Biblionef's Executive Director.
Well known author and storyteller Sindiwe Magona shared stories with the crowd and sparked memories of the joy experienced when she read to as a child. The spirit of the day was fantastic and people were really keen to not only listen to what we had to say, but also to share their stories and experiences about reading and how the part it plays in their family.
The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness and support for Biblionef to acquire more books in the African languages for their Book donation programme. Biblionef hope to get more individuals to support them by inviting people to “take a selfie with a book, upload it to your Facebook and/or Twitter page and use the #BookSelfie…… Making sure to tag 'Biblionef South Africa' when uploading the picture. Then help change the life of a child by donating R60 to Biblionef.
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They launched this campaign on the 19th September at the Biblionef office and invited a few loyal friends of Biblionef to take the first few photos and most of them contributed immediately.
To date 61 people have joined the campaign which brought in R 9 900. A special mention should be made when Cape Town Mayor ,Patricia De Lill, donated R2,000 when we approached her. Since then Biblionef has caught the attention of the media with their campaign and had several Radio interviews about Biblionef’s work.
If you would like more information or to support My Language My Heritage, you can contact their offices at - info@biblionefsa.org.za, or by telephoning - 021 531 0447
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BIG IBBY
IBBY SA supports Silent Books
Launched in 2012, IBBY Italia's extraordinary project 'Silent Books: From the World to Lampedusa and Back” reaches out to young people who find themselves estranged from their country for a variety of reasons, living the life of a refugee far from home. It aims to transcend those immediate and profound cultural and social boundaries that children find themselves thrown against, by promoting books as a tool for integration, books without words that are instantly accessible and universal in theme.
Lampedusa, is the remotest island in the Mediterranean and the first European port of call for those arriving from across the sea, on their way to starting a new life. The project originally comprised over one hundred silent books from four continents and more than twenty countries, housed in old travel trunks, containing books with pictures telling stories that words cannot tell, 'rich in sensations, dreams and memories emanating from their characters' silence to overcome the language barrier and foster encounters among different cultures.'
In the spirit of this International call to action, IBBY SA recently contributed two South African titles to the project, 'A Very Nice Day' by Ann Walton, a simple, comforting, story of the routine happenings
that make up one happy day, and 'Abongi’s Journey' by Kerry Saadien-Raad, a South African classic, its theme cutting across divides and reaching out to children who are missing their parents or close relatives.
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Will the New Adults Please Stand Up?
by Maxine Case
Genre fiction is popular amongst South African readers and booksellers are taking note. A visit to
several bookshops in Cape Town confirmed this with generous shelf space devoted to graphic
novels, sci-fi and speculative fiction. Indeed, the appeal of the latter is now so widespread, that
Exclusive Books has even included a speculative fiction category in its Christmas catalogue –
albeit with a heavy reliance on George R.R. Martin.
The topic of genre fiction arose at a recent board meeting of IBBY SA. What are the new genres
we asked, and are South African publishers on board with current trends? We’ll be exploring this
further in a series of short articles in this newsletter over the course of the next months. One of
the most debated categories was “New Adult” – with what is exactly meant by the term forming
a large part of the discussion.
According to Goodreads.com, “New Adult fiction bridges the gap between Young Adult and Adult
genres. It typically features protagonists between the ages of 18 and 26.” Different sources set
the upper limit of main characters at between 24 or 25, or as high as 35. What separates these
characters from their Young Adult counterparts is that for the most part they are out of school,
often in college or working their first job, and in many instances living a life away from family
or a familiar home environment. While Young Adult fiction often grapples with serious issues
such as illness, death and bereavement, New Adult novels typically explore darker themes
and in greater depth, such as rape, abusive relationships and risky behavior.
Currently, the New Adult genre appears to be dominated by a handful of American authors, many
of whom first came to attention via their self-published books. Jamie McGuire self-published
Beautiful Disaster in June 2011, a book featuring Abby, a seemingly conservative college student,
and Travis, an older student with rage issues. Beautiful Disaster swiftly found a wide audience and
in 2012 Atria Books brought out a traditionally published version. Movie rights were sold to
Warner Bros and by 2014, more than one million copies of the book had been sold, with
McGuire extending the line with titles starring several of the subsidiary characters of the
original book.
Atria Books too clinched Colleen Hoover’s successful and previously self-published Slammed
and Point of Retreat after a spirited bidding war. In this series, the main character, Layken
is an 18-year-old high school student while her love interest, Will, is a teacher at the
school she attends. Tammara Webber’s Easy, about 19-year-old college student Jacqueline’s
experiences of navigating relationships after a sexual assault, sold more than150,000 copies
as a self-published e-book before being sold to Penguin.
No article on New Adult fiction would be complete without mention of self-publishing
phenomenon Abbi Glines. Glines has penned and self-published a number of successful series –
Sea Breeze, Rosemary Beach and the Vincent Boys, the latter of which had originally been
pitched at the Young Adult market, but were made more explicit in order to appeal to an
older audience. To be fair, the more explicit content had been included in earlier drafts, but had been
excised to fit into the Young Adult niche. Like many self-published authors of New Adult books,
Glines has since been signedup by a mainstream publishing company, Simon & Schuster’s
Simon Pulse imprint. Other successful writers in the genre include Jessica Sorensen
(Coincidence series), K.A. Tucker (Ten Tiny Breaths), J.A. Redmerski (The Edge of Never) and
Jennifer L. Armentrout (Frigid series) to name a few.
From the sales figures, it is clear that New Adult is a highly popular (and lucrative) genre. Nor is
readership of New Adult fiction limited to the new adults themselves. A 2012 Bowker study
revealed that 55% of buyers of books aimed at those aged 12-17 were 18 years or older, with the
majority aged 30-44. This segment was responsible for nearly thirty percent of total sales in the USA
with 78% of respondents indicating that they were buying for their own reading.
However, the genre is not without its detractors. Some see it as a marketing ploy by publishers,
while others see the label as condescending, especially given the crossover appeal of the books.
Many refer to New Adult fiction as “Young Adult meets Fifty Shades of Grey” or some variation
on this theme. Given the preponderance of romance novels in this genre, the latter is perhaps
not an unqualified assertion.
Controversies aside, authors and publishers lament the lack of shelf space allocated to New Adult
fiction and in South Africa the situation is much the same. In fact, none of the three bookshops
visited had a dedicated section for New Adult fiction. When questioned, booksellers pointed to
Young Adult shelves – most of which were dominated by books by American authors such as
John Green (The Fault in Our Stars), Veronica Roth (Divergent series), Cassandra Clare
(City of Bones), Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy) and of course Suzanne Collins and
Stephanie Meyer of the Hunger Games and Twilight franchises respectively. “This will be
popular once the movie comes out,” Tavia of CNA Cavendish said of Gayle Forman’s If I Stay,
which is the story of 17-year-old cellist Mia and the choices she has to make after
a horrendous car crash.
Naturally, talk turned to whether South African publishers and writers were active in the genre at
our initial IBBY SA discussion. Some edgier Young Adult titles were raised, while adult novels
with younger protagonists were offered. Yet, we could not agree on one book released by a
South African publishing company as being purely for the New Adult market. As for writers
active in the genre, Johannesburg- born Tarryn Fisher’s Love Me with Lies series –
The Opportunist, Dirty Red and Thief – though set in Miami, has gained the author a strong
following.
Have we missed any South African writers or publishers involved in New Adult fiction? We’d love
to hear from you.
 Maxine Case is a South African novelist, and short story writer. Her debut novel, All We Have Left Unsaid, won the 2007 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book, Africa Region and was the joint winner of the Herman Charles Bosman Prize 2007.
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IBBYSA REVIEWING
by Isabel Essery – Reviews Editor
IBBYSA has received a wonderful selection of books for children and young adults in the past
few months. We have had great fun reading them and would like to thank the publishers for
keeping us up to date with the fabulous books that are on their lists.
The Sanlam Award winners for 2013 included ‘Chain Reaction’ by Adeline Radlof and
‘Alive Again’ by Andre Eva Bosch.. Both of these books for Young Adults deal with
difficult challenges faced by many teenagers. ‘Chain Reaction’ looks at the frightening
world of bullying, and what happens if one fails to intervene. ‘Alive Again’ focuses on the
importance of making wise life choices. You will find reviews for these and the Afrikaans
language winners below.
Young children will be delighted by a fabulous selection of beautifully illustrated picture
books during the holiday season. Some of these include Fiona Moodie’s ‘Noko
and the Kool Kats’, and the quirky ‘Jeff and George and the Totem Pole’. The originality
and humour in South African children’s illustrations and storytelling shines through in these
books, as well as the many more that have been published this year. There will be lots of
reviews appearing on our website in the next few months so please visit the site regularly to
find out more about the books we have been reading. The newsletter’s reviewing section
will give an overview and highlight some of the important books.
'Chain Reaction' by Adeline Radloff (Tafelberg, 2014)
This story about the choices we make and how they affect us and those around us is
given a modern and different spin by the unusual format. The first half of the book looks
at the choice made by “ scholarship girl’, as she is initially introduced to us, when she
comes across a clear incident of bullying. She chooses to ignore it, saying to
herself that it’s not her concern. The ramifications of the decision are then played
out in a type of domino effect for half of the book.
To finish the story you start reading again from the back of the book and a new scenario
presents itself...this time the girl chooses to intervene when she comes across the
bullying and the ramifications are quite different. This book deals with important issues
in a most accessible way and I think the YA market will really enjoy reading it.
A worthy winner of the Silver Salam Award for 2013. Kathy Madlener
'Alive Again' by Andre Eva Bosch (Tafelberg, 2014)
Nandi had always been told by her mother that “ one wrong choice can put an
end to your dreams, make good choices and life will reward you” , so she studies
hard, dreams of being a lawyer and avoids “ the bad boys”. Her mother knows what
she is talking about as her dreams were snuffed out when he fell pregnant and married
her abusive husband. This story about a young , clever, beautiful girl is hard hitting,
very relevant and beautifully written. I read this book from cover to cover in one
sitting and I think it should be in all the high school libraries. A worthy winner
of the Sanlam Gold Award for 2013. Kathy Madlener
Ndizigwazwe Ngowam! ( I Shoot Myself in the Foot!) by Sipho R Kekezwa
The book is good as it addresses the social problems of dysfunctional families that
affect children. Kekezwa has used his experience and skilled writing abilities to portray
the lifestyle of South African townships. Although the story is set in Cape Town it
represents the challenges faces by teenagers who grew up in urban township areas
across South Africa. Amongst the social issues that affect the bad decision making
of the teenagers is the single parenting especially unemployed and elderly parents whose
only income is the social grant. The urban lifestyle of the lack of traditional family support
that still exist in some way in the rural areas add more to the consequences of peer
pressure, misguided children and of cause wrong choices and bad decision making .
The story portrays the individualistic lifestyle of urban people minding their own businesses
in communities by observing school children and under age children in sheebeens freely.
The book is very educational to youngsters because it put all that seems to be ‘cool’ lifestyle
in perspective, and would allow them to learn and try to be mindful of their actions and also
to use every opportunity that comes their way in order to better their lives.
SYNOPSIS
The story is about a school boy who is raised by a struggling grandmother living on
social grant. His best friend is a spoilt drop out school teenager whose mother is a widow
and stay at work, only come s on weekends. The mother has money from the dead
husband and is trying to compensate her absence by spoiling him. Ndoda always has
money and he drinks on the other hand Xola is struggling even to have a meal
with her grandmother. Xola is repeating Grade 9 and the mother is concerned of
befriending a school dropout. Xola ended up getting to frauds (credit cards etc.) of
all kinds and not attending school through the influence of Ndoda who always buys
him alcohol in the nearby sheebeens. One thing led to the other as Xola’s grandmother
observes her grandson with suspicion as he always has lots of money and unaware that
he is no longer going to school. Finally he got into trouble until he got into trouble.
Zonke Silwanyana
'Chuck Norris kan deel deur nul' by Annelie Ferreira (Tafelberg, 2014)
Hierdie jeugroman het so pas die SANLAM-prys vir jeuglektuur se goue medalje 2013
verower.Die Mullers se huis in 12de straat : Hier woon Albert se Ouma, ‘n wewenaar Pa,
Marlie die 16jarige dogter, die verkleurmannetjie Dompeldorius ,en Albert. Albert dink
Steve Jobs was cool. Hy is mal oor Chuck Norris grappe . Hy is die verteller in die verhaal
en vanaf die inleidende paragraaf neem hy die leser op ‘n reis waarin jy sy drome leer
ken, sy beste vriend Ashish, sy Ouma wat heel dikwels wegraak in winkels; Lungelo die
skoolseun van wie hy aanfanklik nie baie hou nie; en dan die nuwe intrekkers oorkant die
straat- Janine wat verwagtend is en ‘n man wat later blyk haar broer te wees. Twee
onderwysers is betrokke by die verhaal se verloop- Meneer Potgieter wat hulle ‘n EWB taak
laat doen en die Yskoningin- die LO onderwyseres.
Albert se bynaam by die skool is Mini-Me want hy is kort. Maar Albert is “lank” as ‘n
dromer, want hy voel “voor jy iets kan doen, moet jy iets kan droom”.Soos Steve Jobs.
Hy neem fotos as ‘n stokperdjie en hy en Ashish is mal oor games en speel gereeld
in die Akasia Mall. Hulle hoor dat die games arcade gaan toemaak. Baie later sal hul uitvind
wie die eienaar is.
Hierdie is die dinge en mense in sy lewe wat hom raak:Hulle gesin: sy ouma se gereelde
wegrakery; Marlie se simple eks-boyfriends; sy Pa wat gedurig besig is en hom as die
toekomstige Drain Wizard and Son kandidaat sien; en Marlie se snaakse idees dat
hul oorlede ma nie dood is nie. Die skool: Hy en Ashish se belangrike projek vir EWB
wat handel oor sy droom om elke minderbevoorregte kind in die land van
tweedehandse selfone te voorsien. Marlie se vriendin Suzanne –‘n droom-meisie; die verkleurmannetjie Dompeldorius vir wie Albert baie lief is; en baie belangrik-
Chuck Norris –grappe – Albert is mal oor sulke grappe en vertel dit gedurig.
Hierdie verhaal bied die leser ‘n interessante, geloofwaardige en vermaaklike kykie in die
lewe van ‘n gewone Suid Afrikaanse gesin en die jongmense met Albert as die spreekbuis
vir hul drome en gevoelens. Die karakteruitbeelding is oortuigend . Die styl gemaklik,
snaaks, kort sinne vertel die storie. Die spanningselement word goed
gehandhaaf- hoekom verdwyn Ouma gedurig?; waarom dink Marlie hul ma leef nog?;
wie stuur eposse aan Marlie en wie is die man Steve wat sy gaan ontmoet?; gaan sy
e-pos aan Bill Gates vrugte afwerp?; gaan Janine na haar baba se geboorte ‘n groter
rol in hul gesin speel?; wat gaan gebeur met hul EWB taak wat Meneer Potgieter
administreer?
Dit is veral Albert se humorsin, beeldspraak en kommentaar en Chuck Norris
grappe wat ek die meeste geniet het. Sy verhouding met sy Ouma is ook heerlik
om te deel.Hy is altyd besorg oor haar; spot oor die slegte kos wat sy maak:Sy
Ouma se Chinese herderspastei: As die Chinese dit regtig gereeld eet , kan
daar onmoontlik soveel van hulle op die aarde wees”;-Sy Ouma se verdwynery
wat dalk ‘n “alien abduction” kan wees; die baie visvingers wat sy koop is
genoeg “vir ‘n gesin robbe vir ‘n jaar lank”.Hy sê van Steve:”As daai man
hot is, is ek wraggies so warm jy kan met my sweis”.
Tieners sal kan identifiseer met die Muller gesin en die mense by wie hulle
betrokke is. Die tieners verteenwoordig menige tiener in die drome wat hul
nastreef, die frustrasies van verhoudinge met maats en ouers; maar ook die
issue van ‘n oorlede ma en ‘n dogter se behoefte om met haar kontak te
maak. Daar is ‘n opregte warm gevoel wat dwarsdeur die boek loop. Selfs die
feit dat sy Ouma se optrede suggereer dat sy mediese hulp nodig het,
word fyn ingeweef in die verhaal. Die verskillende spanningselemente
word ook dwarsdeur die verhaal gedra en tot ‘n klimaks gebring.
Hierdie is ‘n volwaardige wenner van die SANLAM prys virJeuglektuur.
Ideaal vir biblioteke en sal ‘n welcome voorgeskrewe werk vir skole kan wees.
Lona Gericke
'Moord per suurlemoen' by Jelleke Wierenga ( Tafelberg, 2014)
“Die een oomblik is ek Dale Steyn, wêredklasbouler, die volgende oomblik lê ‘n vrou leweloos
op die veld. Dis hoe hierdie hele sage begin het. Hierdie sage van kop verloor or ‘n moord
per suurlemoen. Van ‘n gesteelde Gold Wing. Van Russiese akteurs. Van ‘n Romanof-prinses met ‘n veel gesoende handjie. Van getikte dwelmoperateurs. Van vergeefse liefde….”
Vanaf die eerste inleidende paragrawe besef die leser dat hierdie ‘n opwindende leeservaring
gaan wees! Dale Steyn en sy suster Brunhilde is so gefrusteerd met die twee “blaffers van
formaat” die buurvrou se honde - dat hulle besluit dit is nodig om met die hulp van ‘n vrag
suurlemoene die twee stil te kry. Maar die idee was nou regtig nie om die buurvrou in die
proses dood te gooi met ‘n suurlemoen nie! Impulsief besluit die twee dadelik dat hulle
sal moet vlug. En hul getroue vriend Ben word ook betrek. Sy broer se geliefde Gold
Wing motorfiets moet die drie na die naaste veilige dorpie bring.
Hier vind ‘n wonderbaarlike transformasie van die drie tieners plaas- hulle doen hulle
voor as Russiese akteurs en gaan tuis in die gastehuis die Groen lantern.
Sersant Japie Kleynhans van die plaaslike polisie is dadelik verlief op die bekoorlike
Russiese prinses. Maar die eienaar van die Groen lantern het gou ander planne met
die drie- Brunhilde is volgens hom die dogter van die legendariese dwelmkoning
Pappie, vergesel van haar twee luitenante. En hierdie is ‘n geleentheid vir die klomp
dwelm-handelaars om hul network uit te brei! Maar nouja… lees en sien wat gebeur!
Moord per suurlemoen is ‘n waardige wenner van die SANLAM silwer medalje
vir jeuglektuur. Die skrywer praat die taal wat tieners sal geniet. Die teks is
deurspek met humor en kwinkslae en die drie jongmense se vermommings en
lawwe idees om die moeilike situasies te fnuik, sorg vir lekker en opwindende
leesstof. Tieners sal wens hulle kon ook in so ‘n situasie beland ! Dale Steyn
as verteller beïndruk met sy skerp waarneming van situasies en karakters, hy
verwys byvoorbeeld na die eienaar van die Groen Lantern as ‘n man met ‘n “
ongesonde psige”; en wanneer hulle uit “blommerige koppies” tee drink merk hy
op dat die prentjie van verfyndheid effens bederf word deur die manier waarop
hy en sy addelike vriende die sjooladekoek aanval. Die teks is deurspek met
oorspronklike beskrywings van die omgewing, die inwoners van die dorpie ,
die Groen Lantern se personeel, die Negosiegat waar hulle hul verskeie kostuums
aanskaf, en die ete in die restaurant die Goue Pampoen. Hier is geen geleentheid
vir die leser om verveeld te wees nie.
Juis die gedagte dat twee tieners kan aanvaar dat hulle die buurvrou doodgegooi
het met ‘n suurlemoen en dus van moord aangekla gaan word, maak die hele
leeservaring een van groot absurde aweregse lekkerte. Aanbeveel vir biblioteek,
skool-en tuisversamelings. Lona Gericke.
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