The Hidden Star by K. Sello Duiker

“Eleven-year old Nolitye’s granny used to say: If you mess with a woman, you mess with a stone.” Set in South Africa, in a township called Phola, K Sello Duiker tells the story of Nolitye, her best friend Bheki and her new friend “Four-eyes” who after finding a magical stone have to go on a quest to save the world from evil. The Hidden Star reads as the perfect mix of real-life such as school, bullying, friendship and magical realism - talking dogs, evil witches and magical powers.

So when I started reading this I was so nervous because the author is known for his gut-wrenching stories which will leave you crying in the wee-hours of the morning. I eventually let my guard down when I realised that this read would be more “light-hearted” than TQVOD and Thirteen Cents - which reminds me @spinesandtitles pointed out that Nolitye and Bheki’s friendship reminds her of Tshepo and Mmabatho’s (which I totally agree with). But even though this read wasn’t as dark as Duiker’s previous work, he was still able to discuss abject poverty, absent parents and disappearing children.

I feel like this was the perfect way to “end” my three year long journey with this young but brilliant writer. May his wonderful soul Rest In Peace

We covered this book in a course I did recently on children's literature as an example of African children's literature. It has all the hallmarks of the classical quest novel for children: dark and frightening enemies that can only be overcome by the chosen child, who is the One who will unite all people. It's well written, fun, and places the township at the centre of the story without politicsing it: it simply is the reality. There is a lot of fascinating African mythology in this book that I think any teen who enjoyed books like The Hobbit, the Percy Jackson series, or or magical fantasy will also go for. Do them a favour and get them started on African lit early, or buy it for yourself!