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Children of the Stone City is a thrilling, resonant and inspiring novel about justice, privilege and the power of the young to strive for change.
The story is set in a world where Adam and Leila and their friend Zak live as Nons under the Permitted ruling class. When Adam and Leila’s father dies unexpectedly, their mother faces losing her permit to live in the Stone City with deportation to where she was born. Before music-loving Adam can implement his plan to save Mama, Zak is arrested for a bold prank that goes wrong, with far-reaching repercussions for them all …
This eagerly awaited new children’s book comes from award-winning author Beverley Naidoo, winner of the Carnegie Medal for The Other Side of Truth. Beverley’s first novel, Journey to Jo’burg, has never been out of print in the UK and US since its publication in 1985. It now appears in the HarperCollins Modern Classics list and is frequently read in schools worldwide.
Take a look at the reviews from our Young Readers for Children of the Stone City by Beverley Naidoo below 
Book review from Naimh, 13
This book is about a family of sons working together to stay in the Stone City. But with the recent death of their father, their mother’s permit on the line and the Permitted’s taking away the Non’s homes and imprisoning the innocent, Adam and Leila must find a way to save their family and friends before it’s too late.
I think the audience for this book would be 9 to 12-year-olds. It’s not too long, quite enjoyable and spreads the message of all lives matter. It really feels like the author wrote from the heart. I very much feel like the story had an emotional turn for most people. You really felt for the characters when something bad happened to them.
I thought the book was very interesting how it made the story go through its normal path before shaking things up again. The characters were well made and loveable. The story had a great feel to it and you didn’t want to put it down. I think I would definitely read it again.
I would absolutely read other books by Beverly Naidoo. The book ended on a cliffhanger, so naturally it needed a second book, but her writing is soo catchy!
I liked the cover art because me, personally, I judge books by their cover and title. The pretty illustrations really draw me in.
Overall, this book is a good choice for those who like tear jerkers and cliffhangers.
Book review from Jonathan, aged 13
Children of the Stone City by Beverley Naidoo is a book that follows the story of two children, living in a city corrupted by power and discrimination. There are two different classes in this city – nons and permitted. The law enforcement in the city is extremely biased towards the permitted and basically let them get away with everything. This is demonstrated throughout the book as we see many things that happen to nons that should be punished however the opposite happens and the nons end up in trouble instead of the permitted. The two children that the book follows are both avid musicians, that enjoy playing their instrument as it allows them to ignore the problems surging around them, and do something that they enjoy.
The true main character is Adam as the book practically centralises around his story due to him being the eldest and being responsible, trying to help his mother get her permit renewed. He has a genius plan to do this however he faces many problems with carrying this out through the book, and we see how he overcomes these and perseveres all the way into the very end. Overall there is much character development we see in the characters in this book, and we see what happens in the book from many different perspectives, seeing other characters’ outlook on the situation.
Book review from Eva, 9
Hi I’m Eva and I am going to tell you about the Children Of The Stone City.
This story has a main character called Adam, and he plays violin. He and his sister Leila recently lose their father and their friend Zak goes to prison for a brave trick.
I think this book would be good for people who like reading long, sad stories that are also interested in different cultures and ways.
Book review from Hamish, aged 12
The story starts off with Adam and his sister Leila who have a friend called Zak. The three of them live with Adam and Leila’s Nan after their dad dies unexpectedly from unknown reasons. Adam’s mum ends up losing her permit to live in Stone City which raises the risk of her being sent back to the country she grew up in. Their city is under strict rules and the people that live there have to have permits or they will be kicked out.
Zak gets arrested for a silly prank that goes wrong while his friends plan a way to help him escape prison and they also come across some major challenges along the way.
I enjoyed this book because of the plan they make to help Zak escape. I recommend this book for people that are into adventurous themes. Overall, I give this book a three-star rating because I felt that the storyline wasn’t explained that well. I found the storyline confusing and hard to follow.
Families were provided with a copy of the book for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers. This article contains information provided by HarperCollins.
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