My son has recently started reading books by himself and this is really exciting to me! At the moment he is going through a bit of a Wimpy Kid stage and he’s really enjoying them. I’m so glad that he can enjoy this skill at last and I’ll grab any opportunity to cultivate a love of books in my child. So when I got an email to review and give away some children’s books, I jumped at the chance.
What makes “The Haunted Library” unique is how South African it is. I’m not just talking about the names or the places but part of the plot revolves around corruption and milking the government for money which should ring true with every adult in this country. And the kids get to bring the crooks to justice which is really cool!
The children in question are the outgoing Karabo, her sensible sister Siphe and their friend Bandile and his very useful dog Zuko.
The story starts with some construction workers complaining about some supernatural events at their site for the new library and the children are compelled to investigate.
What follows is a very magical story. There aren’t only ghosts here (and I assure you they are the friendly kind) but whole changes in space and dimension that reminded me a bit of Alice in Wonderland.
Most strange of all is the creature Anansi – half man, half spider – but you’ll have to read the book to find out exactly how they capture the bad guys and get rid of all the ghosts.
This story is written by Bontle Senne who was shortlisted for the Golden Baobab Prize in 2014. She was awarded the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize in 2021. Bontle lives in London but was born in Johannesburg.
The book also has some really striking illustrations by Mogau Kekana who was also born in Johannesburg but is currently completing a masters degree in art in Paris.
And what did my boy think? He wants to know if there is another one! I hope there will be, my boy!
To win a copy of the book – comment below.
Terms and Conditions:
- This competition will run for a week. The winner will be announced on the Facebook page, and emailed.
- This competition is open to South African residents only.
- The prize is not transferable.
- If you have won on SA Mom Blogs in the past 3 months you will not be eligible to win this competition.
- If you win the same prize on another site then you forfeit this one.
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AWESOME!
Sou ds like the books my tween will love as well 😃
I love it when children’s stories entail the characters going on an investigation spree & oh when there’s magic in the book, nice! 🙂
My kids have the greatest passion for books and reading. I have always instilled my love of books in them from a young age. They also love scary stories, so this will be such a perfect gift for them.
My daughter is Autistic but lately she has started getting into books even though she is dyslexic. This would be such a lovely summer read for her.
Awesome, grandson would love this
Fantastic prize really awesome book . My kids love reading
Fantastic, the more local authors our children can read the better.