in the final years of South Africa’s Apartheid era, an unlikely trio-a sheltered white rugby player, a black farmworker’s son, and an Indian shopkeeper’s daughter-discover the consequences of knowing the truth and having the courage to speak it. Halley’s Comet is the coming-of-age story of Pete de Lange, a white 16-year-old schoolboy, set in small-town South Africa in 1986. Pete lives a relatively sheltered life, primarily concerned with girls and rugby- until one January night changes everything. Thrust together with two complete strangers-Petrus, a black farmworker’s son and Sarita, an Indian shopkeeper’s daughter-the trio find themselves running for their lives from the vicious Rudie, whose actions will ripple far beyond that fateful night. This era-defying friendship-sparked by a shared secret- challenges everything Pete thought he knew and believed. And when anti-Apartheid revolutionaries set their sights on the town, it will change the course of the three young people’s lives forever. Halley’s Comet is a story of friendship, love, change, taking chances, hope, a comet, and some pretty cool 80s music. Hannes Barnard is a South African-born author of both English and Afrikaans novels. He debuted in 2019 with the YA novel, Halley se komeet, which he translated into English as Halley’s Comet. In 2020, Wolk, his apocalyptic YA adventure, was released, and coming up in 2022 is his crime novel, die wet van Gauteng. When not writing, traveling, or planning his next adventure, Hannes works in marketing. He has called England and Seychelles home but now lives in Johannesburg with his wife.
Africa
Materials from Africa
Feathers Together
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Stork friends Malena and Klepetan look forward to the next migration from Croatia to South Africa, but when Malena is injured and can not join the flock, their time apart brings many challenges and big feelings, pushing them to stay connected and hope for a spring reunion.
Anne And Her Tower Of Giraffes
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The remarkable true story of how a young girl’s never-wavering fascination with the world’s tallest animal leads her to become the first giraffologist.
If You Were An Elephant
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“A factual depiction of a young African elephant’s day in the wild”–
Bottle Tops
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The life story of Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui, a highly acclaimed African artist, whose tapestries made from repurposed bottle tops have been exhibited throughout the world.
Onyeka And The Academy Of The Sun
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When twelve-year-old Onyeka discovers that she has psychokinetic powers, her mother reveals that she is Solari, part of a secret group of Nigerian mutants that trains at the Academy of the Sun.
Serengeti
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Award-winning science poetry master Leslie Bulion presents a lyrical salute to Africa’s Serengeti Plain, one of the most spectacular and productive ecosystems on Earth.
Akata Woman (The Nsibidi Scripts)
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With the help of her friends, fifteen-year-old Sunny embarks on a mission to find a precious object and return it to the spider deity Udide, but defeating the guardians of Udide’s ghazal will put all of Sunny’s hard lessons and abilities to the test.
Olu And Greta
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Olu lives in Lagos, Nigeria; his cousin, Greta, lives in Milan, Italy. Though their lives may be different, their ways of living and playing are quite similar. They both roller skate; they both skip down the street; they both play with toy trains, trucks, and boats… and they both dream of meeting and being together
Smile With African Style
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It’s a special day in Macy’s classroom as all the children come in dressed up in their most stylish African clothing! Zahra’s Ethiopian dress is covered in beads, while Malika’s Namibian outfit is bursting with colours. And who is hiding behind that elephant mask from Cameroon? No two outfits are the same, in this beautiful and varied parade of clothing from across Africa!