Although many publications have been produced for the youth market, few tell their stories through the eyes of young people living in the townships.
A new publisher, Cover2Cover, aims to fill this gap with a series of books about a group of teenagers who attend Harmony High, a fictional high school in a township.
The first title, Broken Promises by Ros Haden, is about a teenager, Ntombi, who is forced to take care of her sister because her mother spends all her time with her boyfriend, Zakes.
Ntombi’s life gets even more complicated when she starts receiving attention from one of the notorious boys at school. Both Zakes and Mzi seem to be hiding secrets that always lead them to make empty promises.
The book reads like a soap-opera novel and the narrative is gripping and fast.
Getting into the minds of teenagers
The aim of the series is to reflect the obstacles of teenage life in the townships. The message is positive but not preachy and the series deals with teenage anxieties in a readable and accessible way.
One difficulty in writing Broken Promises was to get into the minds of the teenagers. To help overcome this, the chapters were tested on students from Langa in Cape Town who attend Leap Science and Maths ÂCollege.
“They loved the book, because they could identify with the characters. The story also touches subjects they have dealt with on a daily basis, such as relationships, parenting and friendship,” said Dorothy Dyer, a Leap Science and Maths teacher.
Many were intrigued by the drama in Ntombi’s life. Hlengiwe Khumalo said she loved the book because it captured the realities of township life. “I love Ntombi. She is very courageous,” she said.
Nosipho Tsizi, who appears on the cover of Broken Promises but was also part of the group tested, said some sections in the story mirrored a reality for many teenagers who are easily tricked by boys into drinking and sex.
Khumalo said: “It’s very hard to find a book that is based on township life, especially in the library, I hope this book will be available in most township libraries. I really enjoyed the book.”
A sequel to Broken Promises, titled Jealousy, will be released in September. Ntombi leaves for Johannesburg to take part in the finals of a teen singing competition. Other books in the pipeline include Sugar Daddy and Too Young to Die. Sugar Daddy is being written by award-winning author Dianne Case.
Promoting reading
The publishers have also founded the FunDza Literacy Trust initiative as an equal shareholder, which uses social media to promote literacy among teenagers.
FunDza is taken from the Xhosa word “funda”, meaning to read or learn. Readers are invited to join FunDza’s mobile reading club via a please-call-me SMS. An auto response explains how to connect to FunDza and to give feedback on books, enter regular competitions and give story ideas.
Readers can join theFunDza Ânetwork by sending a please-call-me SMS to 072 924 2525 or visit the FunDza mobi-site: www.fundza.co.za.