Addo

Elephant

AdventurePage 5

Tuesday • 24 April 2012 • Vol. 5 No.2

After reading this copy please pass it on to another reader to show your commitment to saving the environment.

APRIL 2012S M T W T F S1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10 11 12 13 1415 16 17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 25 26 27 2829 30

Linda Mafele Grade 11 Mary Waters High School

20 Upstarters were chosen to take part in the Upstart holiday programme during the March/April school holiday. The theme for the week was Hope. We participated in a

number of different sessions with different guests but all emphasising the idea of hope.

Most of the sessions focused on values, personal identity and the things that motivate and keep us going. One of the most positive outcomes of the holiday programme is that we as Upstarters got to know each other better and therefore

have become more comfortable around each other. That prompted everyone to participate freely, getting their opinions heard and asking questions.

Read all about the holiday programme on pages 8 and 9.

UPSTART holiday programme

YOUTH SPEAKING TO POWER

PICS BY: Upstart staff

educationdialogue

Page 4

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.com Ueditorial2

My name is Neliswa Mjeje. I attend school at Nathaniel Nyaluza High School and I was chosen as the Upstart

captain at my school for this year. I am in Grade 10 and I joined Upstart in 2010. I am looking forward to new challenges and experiences as the captain. I enjoy being a leader and leading by example.

I would like to thank God for giving me this opportunity of being the captain. Thank you also to Sis’Mpumi and Sis’Zandi for all they have done for me in the few years that I’ve been with Upstart.

My name is Ziphozihle Goje, other people know me as Yolanda. I’m 16 turning 17 this year and in Grade 10 at Nombulelo High School. I’m originally from Hamburg near Peddie and I was born and raised there. I like listening to music, reading and writing. I love dancing (although I’m not that good).

I live with my grandparents and uncle in Extension 6. I attended my lower grades at DD Siwisa Primary School. I have been a member of Upstart since 2010 and this year I was voted the captain of my club.

IMPORTANT CONTACT information FOR CHILDRENOrganisation Telephone Email

Childline 08000 55555

Child Welfare 046 636 1355 childwelfareght@telkomsa.net

Commissioner of Childwelfare 046 622 7303

Department of Justice 046 603 4000

Department of Social Development 046 636 1484

Eluxolweni Children’s Shelter 046 622 2537 eluxolweni@imaginet.co.za

FAMSA 046 622 2580 famsa@imaginet.co.za

Grahamstown Foster Parent & Child Forum 046 636 1355

Hospice 046 622 9661 hospiceadmin@telkomsa.net

Rhodes UniversityPsychology Clinic 046 603 8111

SAPS Emergency 10111

Grahamstown SAPS 046 603 9111

Report Child Abuse 046 603 9111 childprotect@saps.org.za

Settlers Hospital 046622 2215

CAptain profilesUpstart on the move!

Welcome to the second edition of Upstart. Upstart has a brand new look, it’s more fun and funky. We would like to know

what you, Upstart readers, think about it. Write to us and tell us what you think of the new look.

Upstart newspaper clubs are doing well and this year’s focus in the clubs is reading, writing, career guidance and computer training. Although we are determined to get our members reading, this continues to be a challenge among youth. On page 3 of this edition, Wouter Hollerman poses a challenge to all learners out there to read for at least half an hour everyday for a month. We also encourage our readers to rise up to this challenge and we will continue our efforts to get our members reading.

During the March/April school holiday, 20 Upstarters were selected to be part of a holiday programme. The theme for this year’s programme was Hope. Julie Nxadi inspired our Upstarters with her life story, proving that through hard work, perseverance and determination one can make it through difficult times. Thank you to everyone who was involved in making this programme a success. Basil Mills and Jeremy Fogg from NELM, Athambile Masola, Julie Nxadi, Ntsikohlanga Kitsili,

Megan van der Nest and Richard Bowker. Read all about the holiday programme on pages 8 and 9.

Once again Upstart is collaborating with fourth year students from the radio section of the Rhodes School of Journalism and the Rhodes Music Radio (RMR), working towards creating a radio show by the youth for the youth. Six Upstarters are trained to produce for the Y.U.N.G. Amplified show with the hope that by the end of the year they will be able to generate content that relates to their lives and communities without the students. Read all about the radio team on page 10 and remember to tune into the Y.U.N.G. Amplified show on RMR 89.7 FM at 10am every Saturday. You can interact with the show live on air by sms, twitter and facebook. Send the team your requests, ideas on issues to discuss and general feedback.

To keep in touch with us write to us at PO Box 8027, Grahamstown 6143, call or sms us on 073 040 7802 Visit our website http://upstartyouth.com to read up on the latest Upstart news and give us feedback. Do not forget to visit our facebook page upstart the paper for the youth by youth and follow us on twitter @Upstart_Ght. Happy reading! The Upstart team

editorial

Vol. 5 No. 2Published by the David Rabkin Project for Experiential Journalism Training (Pty) Ltd 40 High Street, Grahamstown 6139.Printed by Paarlcoldset

Telephone: 046 6227222Fax: 046 6227282Upstart cell no: 073 040 7802Facebook page: Upstart the paper for youth by youthEmail: upstartyouth1@gmail.comWebsite: www.upstartyouth.comProject Manager: Shireen BadatProject Co-ordinator: Nompumezo MakinanaIntern: Zandi RadebeDesign: Natalia CarvalhoLayout: Natalia Carvalho

upstartyouth1@gmail.comP.O. Box 8027 Grahamstown 6143

Dear Upstart readers

At the top of the banner on the front page of Tuesday, 21 February, Upstart is written “FIX OUR ENGLISH PLZ”.

Well, whether we like it or not, English still is the most widely spoken language in the world, the language of business and commerce. It has a larger vocabulary than any other language and by far the largest literature. It is also not an easy language to learn: I know this from teaching Chinese students to speak, read and write English for nearly 10 years.

While it is true that everyone benefits from getting others to help them “fix our English”, there is a lot that everyone can do – on their own, with a friend or in a small group – it is to READ! Read to yourself, read to a friend, read to a couple of friends and take turns. When you read to yourself, read aloud for 15 minutes at a time … yes, I know that sounds funny, but when you read aloud your mouth and eyes and ears all learn at the same time. It is the MOST IMPORTANT way to help fix your English – and isiXhosa and Afrikaans – READ, READ, READ. Read for at least half an hour every day. Read when your teachers are not in class. If you don’t know what to read, ask a friend, ask a librarian, and READ! There are lots and lots of interesting, exciting, romantic, magic and scary stories to read.

So here’s a challenge: who would be willing to read for half an hour (at least, and 15 minutes aloud) EVERY DAY, for ONE WHOLE MONTH. Challenge your friends, tell Upstart who you are challenging, and see who can do it. Write a record of the stories you read. And, at the end of the month, write and tell Upstart readers what you discovered.

Go for it – enjoy it!“An old reader”Wouter Holleman.

I would like send a shout out to my family

and my friends Siphosihle, Sinovuyo and

Ziphozihle. Also to my school friends and

all ZCC members, I love you all. Lindokuhle

Mzongwana, Grade 10, Nombulelo High

School

I would like to say hello to my family and

friends Kwanele, Masiva, all Upstart members

at Ntsika and everyone who knows me.

Ntsikelelo Dlephu, Grade 10, Ntsika High

School

HI Upstart readers, I just want to tell you all

that I love you all and mostly the following

people: Anathi, my family, my teachers, my

friends Lindo, Buhle, Sino, Poppy, and Ace.

Ziphozihle Goje, Grade 10, Nombulelo

High School

I would like to send a shout out to my peers

at school, Babsie, Pizza, Onie, Siphosethu,

Anez and Nonilicious. I love you all Upstart

members and wish to communicate with

new members. Thembani Buka, Grade 10,

Nombulelo High School

I would like to send a shout out to Upstart

members, Upstart managers, my family and

friends, Sanelisiwe, Ayathanda, Awongwa,

my teachers and community. Lindokuhle

Mzongwana, Grade 10, Nombulelo High

School

My shout out goes out to my beautiful peeps

Emihle Tsili, Andiswa Gazo, Nlolusindiso aka

Cyndy, Nomvano Debra Ncwadi, Thando aka

Mantiya and my parents. Nqatyiswa Ncwadi,

Grade 10, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School

I would like to say halla to Xolela Landu,

Aviwe Diko, Nombuso Bikitsha, Anam Adam,

Andiswa, Ntombozuko, buhle, Sibahle, Zoleka,

Nomfundo, Boniswa, Granny Jane and Khaya

Heshu. I love you all. Neliswa Mjeje, Grade

10, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School

Hi guys, I would like to send my shout out

to the following peeps: my brother, cousins,

my friends Andiswa Gazo, Nqatysiwa Ncwadi,

Nolusindiso Mpehlo and Asandiswa Ngqoba.

Nosifundo Faba, Grade 10, Nathaniel

Nyaluza High School

I would like to halla at my peeps Fabs aka

Fabulous, Nqatyiswa aka Nqa, Andiswa aka

Gazation, Neliswa Mjeje and a beautiful girl

my mama Nobom Tsili. Nolusindiso Mpehlo,

Grade 10, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School

I would like to say hi to my family and my

best aunt Primrose and my friends Neliswa

Mjeje, Nqatyiswa Ncwadi, Nolusindiso

Mpehlo, Nangamso Gobile and my best

friend Asandiswa Ngqoba a.k.a. Lala I love

you all. Unathi Nelani, Grade 10, Nathaniel

Nyaluza High School.

SHoutouts!

Dear UpstartI would like to say a big thank you to Sis’Mpumi, Sis’Zee and to Mrs Shireen for all the help they gave me last year. I was happy to work with them and I enjoyed myself. I have seen a change in

myself. May God bless you for that and give you many more years to live.Ntsikelelo Dlephu, Grade 10, Ntsika High School

Dear UpstartI write this letter to just say a few words to the new members of the Upstart family. Upstart is the best place to be because it gives you an opportunity to expand the knowledge you have. To the younger kids, this is a reason for you to join Upstart in the future.

This letter is to encourage

you and welcome you to the new world of reading, writing and expressing your views. Knowledge will take you from zero to hero; Upstart will make you reach higher places. Thembani Buka, Grade 10, Nombulelo High School

Dear Upstart I just want to say that it is good to be part of Upstart again. I’m glad to be experiencing the fun again. I must say Upstart is the best. I would like to send a big shout out and thank you to all the people who have made a big

difference to Upstart. To Sis’ Zandi for starting the debate club, to Ms Frans for always guiding us through the way and to everyone who cares about me. Thank you.Vongo Nolubabalo, Grade 10, Nombulelo High School

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.comU Letters 3

stabilityW2Kword worth knowingWord: stabilityType of word: nounDefintion: the state or quality of being stable, especially resistant to change

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.com Ueducation4

Aviwe Menze Grade 11 TEM Mrwetyana High School and Nkcubeko Balani Grade 11 Mary Waters High School

A group of teachers, school principals, parents, non-

governmental organisations, community members and learners gathered at Stirling High School in East London to have a discussion on the challenges

facing education in the Eastern Cape. The Finding Ways to Walk Together on Education dialogues were also hosted in the Free State, Western Cape and Gauteng Provinces. The dialogues focused on (1) identifying the problems; (2) how we got here, how did the problem come about and (3) what can we do about it?

Some of the issues that came out in the dialogues include the shortage of teachers, untrained teachers, the lack of resources for schools, lack of ambition in the pupils, less or no community engagement and the teacher-parent relationship being unstable.

There was a discussion around the ever-changing education system and how it affected the learners; change vs. stability.

On the second day of the dialogues we were divided into groups and were asked to come up with possible solutions to these challenges. Some of the solutions groups came up with included that the community and the school need to act together to get rid of poverty. Communities should no longer be passive but they must play a greater role in the way that schools function.

As Upstart members we had an opportunity to do a little presentation on the Upstart Project. We talked about what we do in the project and our

highlights as members. The project was much-admired as an example of how people are working to empower learners to reach their full potential.

Mother-tongue education was also identified as a tool to improve the education system.

Some of the participants in the dialogue were people who were members of the liberation movements. It was so sad to hear them say that this is not what they fought for, people are accepting whatever little they are receiving and that the government is not doing anything to significantly change this situation.

The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation made it possible for this event to happen. The dialogues in the four provinces act as a build up to the national dialogue that will take place in June. The opinions expressed at these regional dialogues will be presented at the national event.

Education should not be about finding jobs, it should make people better citizens.

Nolubabalo Ralo Grade 11 Ntsika High School

My name is Nolubabalo Ralo, a learner at Ntsika High School and I am doing History as one of my subjects. In 2011,

I was chosen by the Albany Museum to go to Mthatha in Qunu where Nelson Mandela was born. We attended a youth camp where we learnt about our history of apartheid and how we can follow in Nelson Mandela’s footsteps.

Out of that youth camp, four of us were chosen to attend an international youth camp in Germany. The international youth camp started on March 25 until April 5. The camp was basically about the history of Ann Frank, a 16 year old girl that died during the Nazi War.

During the two weeks we were given tasks to do for two days and then present. I was part of the group that filmed a documentary about the concentration camps. We went to the concentration camps and took pictures and gathered information. We created a film using the pictures and someone narrating our story.

In the second week I was part of the remembrance group and I really enjoyed this task. In the group we were taught about the white line. The white line represents the route that the prisoners walked to get to

the concentration camps where they were forced to do hard labour without food or water. They were killed in gas chambers, in large numbers. When there was nowhere to bury anymore bodies, a big hole was dug and the dead bodies were put in there. My group decided to repaint the white line and write quotes taken from the prisoners’ diaries next to it.

Over the two weeks we South Africans had an opportunity to present about South Africa. We chose to do a play about Nelson Mandela and the role he played in freeing us from apartheid. I personally did a praise poem thanking him for everything. I was proud of the group of South Africans with me.

I would like to thank the Nelson Mandela Museum and the Albany Museum; if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have made my dream come true. Thank you to the municipality, the Executive Mayor for the support they gave me. Thank you to my school principal Mrs Schoeman, Mrs Madinda and Mr Matshoba from the Albany Museum.

Finding Ways to Walk Together on Education

Upstarter go to Germany

Pic supplied: Upstarter Nolubabalo Ralo (right) with Nozipho Madinda and her chaperone Zama at the airport.

Pic supplied: Upstarters Nkcubeko Balani and Aviwe Menze with participants from the education dialogues. dialouge

W2Kword worth knowing

Word: dialogueType of word: nounDefinition: a conversation between two or more people

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.comU 5enviroment

Anesipho Ntleki Grade 10 Mary Waters High School

A group of Upstarters joined the WildReach team on a visit to the

Addo Elephant Park. Upstarters interested in the trip were required to write an essay about wildlife. It was a Saturday morning when we first drove to the Dung Beetle Lodge where we were treated to breakfast. We talked about the Madagascar Flower that is very popular around the area. We also saw a Golden Orb female spider which has been around for approximately 165 000 years. One thing that is fun about being at Addo Elephant Park is that it consists of seven biomes and has a dense environment. The plants in the reserve make it beautiful.

We drove to Addo and on our way there through the national reserve we saw dung beetles. An interesting fact about them is that they lay their eggs in the dung to prevent flies from getting to them. We spent the whole day at the reserve and saw a number of animals including elephants, warthogs and different kinds of birds.

The reserve opened in 1931 with only 11 elephants but today it has over 500 elephants. We were also told about the history of Addo. It was the best experience ever.

Phaphama Frans Grade 9 Archie Mbolekwa Higher Primary School

When Addo Elephant National Park was created,

there were only 11 elephants. There are over 500 elephants today and the number continues to rise. Elephants use their trunks, tusks and even feet to gather vegetation. At Addo, much of what they eat is thorny. The trunk moves branches into position between their large grinding teeth, so their tongue and lips are protected from the thorns.

An elephant spends most of its day and night eating.

Very little of the food passing through an elephant is digested before it comes out. As a result, an elephant needs to eat 150 – 200kg of grass a day to produce up to 100 kg of grass.

Like human children, elephant calves spend many years with their family. Female elephants stay in the family in which they were born but bulls are kicked out when they are 12 – 14 years old.

African people have a tradition of respect for elephants and many believe they have magical powers. The San people of Southern Africa believe that elephants can call rains from the sky.

Upstart would like to thank the members of WildReach for inviting them to spend the

day at the Addo National Elephant Park.

Twenty Upstarters were chosen to spend a day at the Addo Elephant National Park. The trip was organised by Rhodes University student organisation WildREACH.

Phakama Ndayi Grade 8 Archie Mbolekwa Higher Primary School

Learning about the different kinds of rhino was the most interesting part of the trip for me. The black rhino also known as the hook-lipped rhino has a very mobile upper lip which they use to strip branches clean of leaves. They are not actually black but they are grey in colour. They are solitary animals and leave their mothers when they are grown enough. They mark their territory with piles of dung. The other kind of rhino in Africa is the white rhino. It is a grazer and not a browser and has square lips for eating large amounts of grass.

Rhinos recycle nutrients because they eat a lot of grass and produce dung. The flightless dung beetle then eats the dung from the rhinos, elephants and buffalo. Dung beetles are very quick to find fresh dung and either eat it at the spot where it dropped or roll it into a big ball to eat later.

Nobathembu Nxawe Grade 9 Archie Mbolekwa Higher Primary School

The trip to Addo Elephant National Park was very interesting. We learnt a lot about the world that we live in. When we first arrived at the park, we were taken to a guest house called Dung beetle Lodge. There we met the owners who took us around their house and their garden. We were told a story about the lady owner’s father who was sick with asthma and was cured by using the milkwood plant that was there. According to the story, American and European people use the milkwood roots to cure asthma. While in the garden, we learnt about the caster bean flower which has seeds that are poisonous. Animals do not eat that plant because they know that it is poisonous.

On our way through the park, we drove through Vukani Road which has prickly pear trees all around. We were told that the prickly pear originally comes from Mexico. From there it was found in India and then in KwaZulu Natal in South Africa through the Indian people about 150 years ago. Indian people from KwaZulu Natal then had regular adventures into the Eastern Cape and that is how we have it here.

I really enjoyed the trip and meeting new people and experiencing the world that we live in. Thank you to

Upstart and WildReach - conservation through knowledge.

Addo Elephant Adventure

Pics supplied by: WildREACH

Nkcubeko Balani Grade 11 Mary Waters High School

Upstart Plus members have been meeting on a regular basis to have lessons that help us with our academic work. Us Grade 11s in June and December are expected to write and pass external examinations. This is despite the fact that we, unlike Model C schools, had no teachers for such a long period of time this year. Thanks a lot Department of Education!

The lessons dealt with maths, English- both grammar and literature and logic. The lessons on logic were there to help us with the way we think both as writers and learners. They gave us alternative ways of thinking and finding solutions. It also tries to add a sprinkle of argumentative thinking in the way we view, say and interpret things. The Logic-ship is sailed by Rhodes University PhD student Megan van den Nest. We have a lot to

thank her for. We’ve got good hopes for what is ahead and cross our thumbs that we will do well in all our

upcoming examinations. We also hope that the Upstart spirit lives on and that we continue flying the flag up high.

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.com UUpstart plus6

Aviwe Menze Grade 11 TEM Mrwetyana High School

We are a group of learners from different schools from the location, brought together by this programme. A programme of which the people who came up with it saw the difficulties that we children from disadvantaged schools go through and decided to do something about it.

Upstart has saved me from being bound by the culture of poverty. The culture which holds the belief that educational achievements come about because of luck, which is not the case.

Making the choice to join Upstart was the first step to a

world of endless

possibilities. Highlight of this programme has been meeting with Megan van der Nest. That lady has changed the way I think. She has got me acing my English, speaking new words that my friends don’t know. I think she is the best, teaching us logic and ethics.

A lot of young people are suffering and it all starts with the mind. Some are less ambitious because they have not been exposed to what is out there and have not been taught to think outside the box. Upstart has taught me to think outside the box. Some young people are caught up in impossible situations. Upstart has exposed me to endless possibilities. Some are very lazy and Upstart has made me see that achievements come through hard work.

Good hopesendless possibilities

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.comU Upstart plus 7

Aphiwe Mame Grade 11 Mary Waters High School

Last term’s programme was interesting and informative. I learnt a lot and it has been a very good platform for me. There have been a number of different guests and teachers who visited us and taught us from logic to literature.

The Upstart Plus group attended the Israeli Apartheid week at Rhodes University. It was an interesting affair as it was informative. We watched a

movie related to this issue called Roadmap to Apartheid. This movie is narrated by Alice Walker (the acclaimed author of The Color Purple).

We did Shakespeare’s poem “let me not to the marriage of true minds” and we read a short story by Gcina Mhlope called “The toilet”. It was the first short story written by a South African that I enjoyed.

I have learnt a lot things that I didn’t know and I’m hoping that this term I will

be introduced to a lot more new things.

Xola Joni Grade 11 TEM Mrwetyana High School

Being an Upstart Plus member for me is not only about making new friends and going to camps, although that has been fun. As a shy girl, I think being a part of this group has helped me break out of that shell.

Usually, I do not talk a lot but now I am able to express myself and make my voice heard loud and clear. I used to be one of those who preferred writing emotions down but Upstart has

taught me another way, through poetry and public speaking. To me, being an Upstart Plus member means having a golden key to open all locked doors, a magical key. It means using opportunities, appreciating what you have because some learners are even less fortunate. It means experiencing and learning, giving back to others and learning from them too. It means sharing knowledge and feeding my little brain with as much information as possible.

Being part of this group means that I have people who

support me, encourage me when I am about to give up. They give me strength and help me overcome my odds. It is like being in a world of success, a world of dreamers, the stars of tomorrow and a world of leaders.

Being an Upstart Plus member has taught me to value, to love, appreciate, think, be confident and to be keen. It has proven to me that two minds are better than one, as a group we can do it. We can be whoever we want to be. Let us hope and strive.

informative

Linda Mafele Grade 11 Mary Waters High School

Upstart Plus has been having classes three times a week as a sort of preparation programme for the year and the next. The aim of this programme is to help us with our academic work. Being the pioneers of

this programme, we can’t tell yet whether it is going to be a long-term project but so far we are enthusiastic as to how it will turn out with our examinations which we hope we will do well in.

We had some people willing to help us with our maths, logic and literature. We have taken part in the holiday programme

which dealt with everything from our morals and values to hard-core stuff like writing speeches on hope which raised the competition amongst Upstarters.

I think the last term went fairly well and we are looking forward to starting this term’s programme with new energy.

enthusiastic

encouragement and support

PassiveW2Kword worth knowing

Word: passiveType of word: adjectiveDefinition: receiving or subjected to an action without responding or initiating an action in return

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.comU hope 9Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.com UHope8

“Well for me, in one of the simplest forms, hope is that

small yet significant force that either tugs us out of bed to start a new day or tucks us in at night in the heaviest storms. Without it, we’re doomed for epic failure. Hope plays a big role in humankind and is for the most part, our only companion. It is the one that gets us through yet another day of tragedy, hoping that tomorrow will be a better day.” Linda Mafele, Grade 11, Mary Waters High School “Hope to me means a lot because it is what you rely on until such time that your dreams come true. Hope is that belief you hold on to until your dreams come true. There is nothing on earth that can stop me, not even death itself. Ithemba alifi. Alizange laphela emntwini. Linje ngelanga

elitshona liphinde libuyele esihlalweni salo.” Sinovuyo Geelbooi, Grade 10, Nombulelo High School

“My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry and also to try and love someone and have the courage to accept the love in return. So says Maya Angelou who I feel is talking about my very own hopes. As humans when we talk of hope, we talk of having things like fancy cars, huge houses and lots of money. We almost never think of hoping for small important things such as laughing, having fun, caring for animals or even our values.” Ziphozihle Goje, Grade 10, Nombulelo High School

“Hope to me means aiming to achieve something with the help of well-experienced people around you, guiding you. In

order to have hope, people need to first find out what their strengths and weaknesses are. This will help determine what it will take for them to achieve and fulfil their hopes. Hope is cultivated when we have a goal in mind.” Anathi Madinda, Grade 9 , Khutliso Daniels High School “My main point today is about hope as a tool that produces positive, confident and ambitious people. For example, a hopeful kid in a difficult upbringing will think ‘I will get out of this and I will try my best to get out of this situation’. Hope is a four letter word, a noun, a verb. When the world says ‘give up’, it is hope that whispers ‘try it one more time’.” Nkcubeko Balani, Grade 11, Mary Waters High School

Thandile Lumkwana Grade 9 Khutliso Daniels High School

What I loved about the holiday programme was the speech competition. Everyone wrote impressive speeches. When I read my speech to everyone, I felt something within me. I was very nervous but I had hope and I believed in myself that I could do it. All of us were nervous about reading our speeches but Sis’Zandi encouraged us to have hope and believe in ourselves. Some of us won the speech competition but one of the judges told us that win or lose, we are all winners.

What I loved the most is that we did not laugh at each other or gossip about how the other read his speech. All in all, the holiday programme was fantastic.

Xola Joni Grade 11 TEM Mrwetyana High School

I learnt a lot in just a few days. We heard Julie Nxadi’s story that was touching and moving. All I can say is that I could relate. It felt really good to know that in whatever situation there is always someone who has walked that road but made it through.

The theme of the whole programme was ‘hope’. It can be just a four letter word but it actually means a lot. I was surprised by how a few seconds can change your life and you can become aware than in life you need to walk fast.

I’ve made new friends and I know the difference between false and true friends. I know who has my back and who doesn’t. I know the meaning of true friendship.

Anathi Madinda Grade 9 Khutliso Daniels High School

The camp was awesome as we learnt a lot about animals and how to treat them. Basil Mills is the owner of the Donkerbosch Farm that we went to. He has a number of animals on his farm including a crocodile. I’ve never seen a crocodile before and that one was huge. It is locked inside so everyone can look at it as many times as they want. We also saw an owl and an eagle nesting in the tree.

We saw two different snakes and Basil told us how the snakes communicate with humans. Snakes do not hurt people unless it is protecting itself. If you attack the snake then it will attack back. Did you know that a cobra can spray its poison and blind you even if you are 15 steps away from it? Snakes are very dangerous but people must stop killing them.

Sibulele Moyakhe Grade 9 Archie Mbolekwa Higher Primary School

From the camp I learnt that team work is important. Even when we were building the tents, it took effort and team work. I learnt to lead by example. At the camp we went through a series of obstacle courses where we had to help each other in our teams. This taught me that friends should be there for each other even in difficult situations.

I had fun and I really enjoyed the time we spent together before going to sleep. We were chatting, sharing jokes but girls don’t bother to ask because it was boy stuff. We were told scary stories as we sat around the camp fire.

I learnt to say thank you. Thank you to my sister for giving me taxi money for the holiday programme and thank you to Bhut’ Athi for all the information that he gave me about hope. The hugs we shared made me feel welcomed; I felt I was a part of the Upstart family.

Nkcubeko Balani, Grade 11, Mary Waters High School

At the end of the week we had a speech competition based on Hope.

My fellow Upstarters stripped hope to the bare and shared what it meant to them. It is said that when the world says ‘give up’, it is hope that whispers ‘try it one more time’. Remember and appreciate it being there for it is true. If it was absent we would be creatures in despair.

Ziphozihle’s speech on ‘hoping to laugh as much as I cry’ earned her a spot amongst the winners. So did Aviwe Menze’s confident speech which she began with an inspirational poem.

And the third winner...? Well, yours truly. Hope is essential and you will discover that with hope you become ambitious and flamboyant. So don’t lose hope for the future looks bright.

We were privileged to hear Julie Nxadi’s life story which shows perseverance and strength. A truly inspirational story. Stories like that should be captured and stored, they are life-changing. I guess one of the reasons people urge us to read books is that many of them are found among the ‘dull-looking’ corridors of libraries.

HOPE

CONFIDENCE

FOCUS

FUN

TRUST

Roché Buchner Grade 9 Hoërskool PJ Olivier

To date my favourite show has been the one on Saturday March 24. The show was great for all of us, it was educational and fun. The show was focused on two special events that Upstarters had attended that week. Anesipho reported back on the outing to Addo National Park where they went on a game drive and learnt about the dung beetle and plant life on the reserve. The second event we reported on was the Sci-fest show we saw hosted by Dr. Kim Bernard. Her talk was about the Antarctic

and life there. Thobani and I interviewed Dr. Bernard about her trip to the Antarctic. She studies the Antarctic krill that lives there. Her work at Palmer Station in the Antarctic will hopefully save the population of Adelie penguins living there. The penguins feed on the krill that Dr. Bernard studies. Antarctica is one of the coldest places in the world but Dr. Bernard said that at the end of a study trip, when they say goodbye, they all jump into the ice cold water half naked.The show was very informative and the listeners also responded really well. One of the listeners sent us an sms saying, “The future is in the hands of those who prepare for it” and we all totally agree with that.

Fun and informative

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.com Uradio10

Thobani Moneli Grade 10 Mary Waters High School

First of all let me start by saying it is a big challenge conducting an interview, especially when you are covering big news and school events. The people you are interviewing must see that at all times you know what you are doing and you are in control. It is not as easy as it looks, especially when you are interviewing for radio. The sound quality of your recording must be perfect for the people listening at home.

Luckily for us we have a team of students helping us with all those skills. With all the experience that I have gained working on the radio project, I am confident that I can do a

good interview on my own. The person I would like to interview the most is my grandfather. I would like to know about the past and how life was like for him back then. I would also like to know how at that time they dealt with some of the challenges that we are facing today.

My first interviewing experience went very well; even the person I was interviewing said that I did a great job. I thought of questions during the interview based on the answers she was giving. That requires you to pay attention to the person when they are talking.

Thank you to the radio students as well as the YUNG Amplified show for this opportunity.

Tune in to the

Y.U.N.G Amplified

show every

Saturday at 10am

on RMR 89.7FM.

Interact live on

air by sending the

Upstart Radio Team

your sms, tweets and

facebook messages.

Not as easy as it looks

Ziphozihle Goje

Grade 10 Nombulelo High School

As part of our training as radio

producers we were divided into

groups and asked to interview someone

from the Rhodes School of Journalism.

The aim of this task was to see how we

would handle an interview with a difficult

interviewee. Our interviewee was Jude

Mathurine, the head of New Media.

We did not know but the plan was for him

to do all the wrongs things that he should

not do during an interview. During the

interview, he had his cellphone switched on;

he was opening windows and turning the

fan on. He was very difficult but Anesipho

who was doing the interview handled him

very well. At the end of the interview, Mr.

Mathurine even gave us some advice.

After that difficult interview we did I

think I would be able to interview someone

alone, knowing the challenges that I would

have to face. To interview someone takes

courage, especially interviewing a stranger.

The hardest part would be asking them

to stop doing what they are doing such as

switching off their cellphone. Some people

do not like being told what to do, especially

by someone younger than they are.

The person I would like to interview the

most is one of last year’s matric learners

at my school Phuluso Ngwenya. He put

our school and all township schools in the

Eastern Cape on the map with his amazing

matric results.

Challenging interviewAnesipho Ntleki Grade 10 Mary Waters High School

There are six learners from different schools that were chosen to be part of the Upstart/JMS Radio project. We work together with fourth year Radio Journalism students Nadia Moore, Mike Moodie, Beekay Hlanze and Steven Mina.

We have a very busy but fun schedule. At first we thought that being on radio was just about sitting there and talking, but we were wrong. We were taught about the volume, the control buttons and shown around the studio. We were taught how to use the recorders, writing for radio, writing

cues, and interview dos and don’ts. The best part for us all is actually putting all that knowledge we have been given into practice.

The Upstarters involved in the radio project are Ziphozihle Goje, Sinovuyo Geelbooi, Roche Buchner, Thobani Moneli, Anelisa Valela and Anesipho Ntleki. Our aim with this project is to use YUNG Amplified as a platform for us to express ourselves and to change the world, especially our schools. The journalism students would like to see us carry on with this project even if they are not there. Listen to us every Saturday at 10am on RMR 89.7FM.

Radio experience

Lwando Manyonta 1st year student Fort Hare University

My experience as a freshman at the University of Fort Hare so far has not been what I was

expecting. I was expecting more from it but it feels like I’m still in my own township because everywhere I go I see black faces. It feels more like a black university. I do feel at home but I’m too comfortable here.

Many students at UFH do not live in res because they registered too late. I was fortunate to find a room at the Z.K. Matthews 2 residence. It is a simple res and I have settled well in it. There are no dining halls here, each students cooks their own meals.

Unfortunately, I missed orientation due to my late registration. I wanted more from UFH but it feels as if I’m back at home, in my own township. It is important that I keep my focus on my studies because there is a hectic

party scene on campus. Every weekend there is an event for students to socialise so they do not go off campus. Wherever you go here, you see a black face. I feel at home yes but it’s too comfortable.

The experience of being independent feels good but I haven’t gotten used to it yet. I will be fine that’s what I keep telling myself. It is an experience being around so many new and different people.

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.comU Updates 11

Sanele Ntshingana 1st year student Rhodes University

It is such an unusual feeling when you are carrying your luggage, standing in a rather

long queue; surrounded by so many other new students accompanied by their parents who are coming from all over the world, waiting to be registered at Eden Grove Building. It is quite exhilarating. I remember sitting in the purple and white Oppie Bus heading to my new home. I sat there in silence, trying to get a sense of what Rhodes held for me. There was no turning back and that gave me goose bumps and filled me with excitement.

De Beers House is my new home. The House Committee warmly welcomed me and treated me like royalty. Everyone who lives in De Beers is called a Young Diamond due to the obvious reasons that De Beers House was sponsored by De Beers mining company.

Orientation week was quite an experience, waking up at 5:30 am to serenade ladies from one of the female residences in lower campus; going out and attending special events the whole week. Most of those activities intentions were to help us to mingle and make contacts with the other first years-exchange BBM pins; facebook contacts and most definitely cell phone numbers.

I have met people who come from totally different backgrounds-America; Canada; England you name them. Living away from home has given me independence, given me the opportunity for self-introspection and getting to know other people who are different from me and experiencing different cultures. My experience of life at Rhodes has been great so far.

Lwando Manyonta

Sanele Ntshingana

Ucommunity engangement12

The Upstart Big Brother/Big Sister mentorship programme is a project between Upstart and Rhodes University students where Upstarters from Archie Mbolekwa have been paired with Rhodes students residing in two campus residences. The primary aim of this project is to provide Upstarters with academic support and personal development. The project also aims to provide mentorship training to Rhodes students and Upstarters to foster effective and substantive mentorship through the year.

Recently, the big brothers and sisters met with their little siblings for the first time and Upstarters share some of the experiences:

“I feel so excited about having this opportunity to have a big sister. Mandilive is so sweet, kind and reliable. I know she won’t let me down. I am hoping to learn a lot from her, we have so much in common like laughing, and smiling and we are both beautiful. I don’t have big sister so this is exciting for me.” Nosifundo Faltein, Grade 9.

“I’ve always wanted someone to help me with my homework and subjects that I don’t understand. I was happy to hear that we would have mentors but nervous about meeting them. My brother’s name is Sean and he is doing his third

year at university. He showed me that he cares, asked about which subjects I struggle with at school. He said he would help me with my English.” Khonaye Mpofana, Grade 9.

“It was nice to meet my big sister Christi Olivier. She comes from Germany and is doing second year at Rhodes University. She told me all about her family that at home she lives with her mother and sister. She had a dog once with a long body and very short legs, but it died. I also told her about mine, that we are eleven at home and I don’t like pets. We took a pen and paper and wrote down our friendship agreement and we each have a copy. We stayed in contact over the holidays because that’s what we agreed on.” Lumka Mdlungu, Grade 9.

“My big sister is Tshego. She comes from Pretoria and has studied in Pretoria and KwaZulu Natal before coming to Rhodes. She looks like a loving and caring person. She gave me advice that if I want to be successful at school, I must not listen to what other people are saying. I have to fight for good marks and know where it is I’m going. She’s willing to help me and she knows where she is going.” Luleka Mdlungu, Grade 9

Dana and Frederieke Sperke

We are Dana and Frederieke Sperke, 20 year old twins from Germany. We finished school last year and decided to volunteer

in South Africa for five and a half months before studying. This was an opportunity for us to get new life experiences, learn more about other cultures and traditions and to improve our English.

For the first three months we worked at the Outdoor- Education- Centre in Hobbiton on Hogsback. During this time we had the chance to also work in Fairewood, where we met the Upstart project. After speaking with Shireen and Zandi we were invited to volunteer at Upstart for a week and we gladly accepted.

During the week with Upstart, we had interesting experiences and had nice chats with some of

you, the members of Upstart. You asked us about Germany, what we eat, how we celebrate Christmas, if we have snow in winter and so on. We also find out a lot about Africa, what we didn’t know before. Some of you were very surprised that we didn’t know Maize meal and that we usually eat brown bread with seeds instead of the white bread you normally eat.

We also found that we all have similarities as well. For all of us English is the second language. Our mother language is German and like you we only learnt English in school. First we only learnt the grammar, how to count and how to ask questions and then write short sentences. In the last four years of school everyone was able to write long texts, poems, essays, analysis and so on and we also could watch movies in English.

But when we came to Africa and we had to speak

English the whole time and it was very difficult at first. When we met you, we found that some of you were too shy to speak with us in English, because they were too scared to make mistakes. When we told you that we also only speak English as our second language and that you can only learn a language when you speak the language and not only write it, many of you suddenly talked a lot and were very open. That was really nice, and something which we will forever keep in our mind!!! What we also enjoyed so much, were the nice games we played together with you. We had a lot of fun!

Thank you very much for the nice happy-birthday-song!!! All in all we really loved to be part of the Upstart project for one week, and maybe we will meet again in May, before we fly back to Germany. Greetings to everyone.

Big Brother Big Sister

Rising starSibongile Koli,

Grade 10 Ikamvalesizwe Combined School

My name is Sibongile Koli, an opera singer and Upstart member. I started singing opera music at school in 2008. My teacher Mr Ngeju was the one who encouraged me to join. I didn’t know that I had the potential to sing but realised it as I continued singing with Mr Ngeju. He told me that I had a bold yet sweet voice and that I could sing solo. I just went along with it thinking that maybe he had a point.

With my singing I have gone to many places, even out of the province. When I

perform I get so emotional, it is like giving the audience my life. When I sing I tell a story, people don’t understand the language but through body movements I make them understand.Recently, I performed at the opening evening of Community Engagement Week at Rhodes University. I was very nervous, I won’t lie. While sitting there I was thinking of the song I was about to perform. I thought to myself that it was all going to be a waste of time because those people were not going to like me anyway. The lady sitting next to me asked if I was ready and I said yes, although my heart was pounding very loudly. The MC introduced me and I came in front of the audience and told myself that I would do it and do it right. After my singing, everyone was impressed by my voice. Some even said that I am too young for the voice that I have. They treated me like a star and I also felt like a star.

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.comU poetry 13

Siyamthanda Dyantyie Grade 10

Nombulelo High School

Love love love. What is love?Where does it come from?

What does it mean?How do I define the word?Many people do not knowThe meaning of the wordThey use it to hurt others

Feelings are hurt, hearts are brokenWhat do I do from here?

Who do I turn to?How many times must I be

Heartbroken before I realise what love is?Nobody knows the real meaning of love

People take the word for grantedThey hurt others

It’s just a four letter word butWe think we know the meaning of it

But we don’tL.O.V.E.

Four alphabetsWith many different meanings

When we finally realise what it means to love

We realise we have lost the ones we love.

Anelisa Mzamo Grade 10

Ntsika Secondary School

Love me for meWhen I am thinking of youMy heart beats too much

Love me for me loveFor who I am

You bring happiness in my soulI can see the birds singing for usI want to be with you everywhere

Our love will last foreverYou will always be in my heart

Love me for me!!!

Sisipho Phongolo Grade 10

Nathaniel Nyaluza High School

A loving person with strength in her mindIn my mind there’s this woman of fear

And in my thoughts she speaks with her heartShe runs in my mind all the time, look at her she’s smilingShe’s a woman of hope, woman of passion, power and she

keeps blushingThe way she smiles makes everything seem okay

She’s all that matters in my lifeShe move s so graceful, she’s no less than a nightmareHer thoughts are too precious, look at her pretty face

The worlds seems old and my heart has gone crazyWhat should I do about this woman?

Every moment I’m beside her I want to arch my feelingsThis is a beautiful moment; I’m lost in her thoughts all day

I’m crazily in love with herPeople search for love and I have found you

Feelings are such good hope, but they will give you stressLead your way with a bright smile, because a bright smile

Will give you the word to tell the one you loveLove will prevail forever, who is in my eyes it’s a flower

And this flower is this woman.

This woman

The stars of tomorrow

Lindokuhle Mzongwana Nombulelo High School

Thank you!Just a line to thank youYou mean a lot to me

If everybody thought like youWhat a nice world this would be.

A poem for Upstart

Love me!!! love

Affection: poem for my books

Aviwe Menze Grade 11

TEM Mrwetyana High School

I write down because words can feel the pain thatbattles my heart

They remove the darkness in my eyes and show lightOut of all the propositions in my mind that fight

words come up with a way outIf it’s not that they make me feel better

after a long time of sobbingThe motive of being friends with a book

It doesn’t judge me by the way I lookIt doesn’t have to find me cool

And it doesn’t take me for a foolMy dear diary the love I have for you

I can feel it in my right arteryIt’s like you can feel the pains shot by bows in my heart

As if it were a game of archeryI share my pains and sorrow

And you give me hope for tomorrowTear drops draw my feelings of sadness

In its pages tear drops draw my Feelings of happiness in its ever ready pages

How I love my book.This poem is dedicated to my diaryand the journey that it has been with me all the way.

Sinovuyo Geelbooi Grade 10

Nombulelo High School

We must work hard in order to have a bright future

We must work hard in order to shine brighter than the stars

We must work hard in order to be heroes and heroines of our nation

We must work hard in order to be well known for what is good and better for the people

But all of this can’t balance without education, because education is the key to success

And if you want to be an achiever you must work hard, respect others, behave wellAnd listen in order to gain something

So if we want to be the stars of tomorrow, do what’s good for you and your nation

We are the stars of tomorrow.

Ziphozihle Goje Grade 10

Nombulelo High School

NombuleloWhat an obedient school

It has all the margin you needIt is filled with benevolent

teachersNombulelo should never be

uninhabitedOne can never say they loathe

NombuleloWhat would be the reason?But I hope it will not be an

enormous animosityBut you do have a say because

At the end, we all have an option

But love or hate Nombulelo It is my school and I will always

love it.

Nombulelo my school

Athenksoi Office Gadra Matric School

Sometimes we don’t get what we want.But this is a benevolent universe.

And once in a while we do.Going home means getting comfortable

being who you are, and who your soul reallywant to be.

There is no strain with that.The strain and tension comes,

when we’re not being who our soul wantsus to be, and we’re not some placewhere our soul doesn’t feel at home

But the question is do we knowwhat we want?

Your body is free, but your heartis in prison. To express what we want.To release your heart, you just need

to reverse the process that locked it in.First you need to listen to messages

from your heart, and those messages could be the onesyou had been ignoring since childhood, that

tell you what you want to be.Find the way of expressing, with risky steps

to express your heart and feelingsto the reality of the world.

As you learn to live by heart thenevery choice you make

will become another way of telling your story.And you will know what you really want in life

it is the way you were meant to exist.If you stop to listen. you’ll realize,that you heart had

been telling you so all along what you really want in your life.

DO WE KNOW WHAT WE

WANT

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.com Umember’s corner14

My name is Siphokuhle

Tata, I’m thirteen

years old and I attend school

at Ntaba Maria Primary

School. I’m a proud Upstart

member. I’m doing Grade 8

and my class teacher is Mrs

Oosthuizen. I enjoy reading

storybooks and novels

especially to little kids and

sometimes in front of the

whole class. I enjoy listening to

jazz music when I’m relaxing.

I enjoy going around taking

pictures and exploring more

interesting things

and learning about teenage

life.I’m a very loving person and

I care a lot about others. I love

school and I ‘m very proud

of that. My favourite subjects

are Natural Science and Arts

and Culture and I love drama,

I even joined a drama club

at school. I would like to

encourage more young teens

to focus on their education

and become who they want to

be in future and do their best

because the work is hard to

find these days.

Siphosethu Tata

Siviwe Magobhiyane

Anathi MadindaMy name is Anathi Madinda,I’m doing Grade 9 at Khutliso Daniels High School also known as KD. I have two homes in Grahamstown, one in Phumlani and one in Extension 9. At the home in Phumlani I live with my grandmother Dora and my little sister Asemamhle Madinda. At Extension 9 I live with my Aunt Norita and my cousin Zintle Buwa also known as Precious. I lived in Port Elizabeth before but my mother sent me to Grahamstown to look after my grandmother. She is very old to live on her own. I’m a kind,

talkative, shy and respectful

boy. My hobbies are soccer, table tennis and play station. At school the subjects that I love the most are mathematics and arts and culture. When I grow up I want to be a pilot because I want to take people around the world and I also want to take Nelson Mandela to the United States of America other countries.Something I love about myself is that I’m responsible. I also like the fact that I love food and eating but I do not gain weight. My dislikes are rugby, cricket and picking my nose in public. I like soccer, table-tennis and play station. The thing I like the most is Upstart!

Lindokuhle Jawa Grade 8 M Vellem Higher Primary School

I started reading books when I was in Grade 4. I wasn’t really into reading but my English teacher

encouraged me to. At first I didn’t understand what reading meant and I didn’t really know how to read but I took books home to read.

I love reading because it gives me more knowledge. It takes up most of my time so I don’t have much time to do any of the bad stuff out there. Sometimes I struggle because I like watching television and at times will not read for two days.

Reading helps me when I’m bored. It helps me understand the world in my own way because some of the stories I read are true and some I can relate to.

I would like to say to other children that you don’t only have to read at school. Don’t read to impress teachers and don’t lie and say that you do read at home when you don’t. The books I’ve read over the years include Brenda’s story, Thank you Sara, The master key and The best school year. Over the holidays I’ve been reading a book called The mating birds. I enjoy reading because reading helps me discover new words like groovy, renaissance and many more that I’ve just discovered.

For the love of books

My name is Siviwe Magobhiyane, a Grade

9 learner at Ntaba Maria Primary School. Earlier this year I won the Shoprite Class of 2012 competition. In the essay I was asked to write about my big dream, what I

want to be when I grow up. I wrote about my dream of becoming a farmer.

I won R1 100 for school fees for the whole year. I feel very good because this means that my parents do not have to pay school fees

and that they can use the money for other things we need.

At school I play rugby as my sport. I live in Extension 6 with my parents. Thanks to my greatness, I won the competition.

Pic supplied: Upstarter Siviwe Magobhiyane with

his principal Reggie Scheepers

and Shoprite manager Lunga

Matebese

biomeword worth knowing

Word: biomeType of word: noun

Defintion: a complex community characterised by distictive palnt and animal species and mainatained under the climatic conditions of the region

W2K

Title of the book: Buffy the vampire slayer: Seven crowsAuthor: John Vornholt

Review by Lindiwe Daweti Grade 9 Nombulelo High School

This book is based on the television series Buffy the vampire slayer. The characters in this book are Buffy Summers, Agent Riley Finn, his wife

Sam, a secret agent man and an angel. The story takes place in a little town on the border between Arizona and Mexico. Agent Riley Finn and Sam have been working undercover as a married couple to try and find a group of criminals. It turns out that the criminals are a group of international smugglers and they are vampires.

People are dying in this little town and some people pretend that they can’t see what is happening. It is safer to stay out of this mess. Agent Finn notices that there are more and more crows arriving in this little town. Crows are believed to be a sign of war and death and even the Agent is afraid of what is going to come next.

Only one girl can help with this case, Buffy the vampire slayer. She does not work alone, she works with the angel. Angel and Buffy at first do not like to work with each other because things were tense and awkward between them. The story gets interesting from there because there are drugs involved and werewolves and vampires smuggling people across the border.

I liked reading this book a lot and I think that many teenagers will enjoy reading it too. People who will enjoy this book will enjoy the Twilight series as well. The book is available at the local library.

Title of the book: My Secret Unicorn (Flying High)Author: Linda Chapman

Review by Zikhona Faku Grade 9 Nombulelo High School

The characters in this book are Twilight, Lauren Foster, Mel, Jessica, Max, Tilly and Alice Foster. The story is about the adventures of Lauren

and Twilight her beautiful pony. Lauren and Twilight had a secret, when Lauren said the magic words Twilight would turn into a beautiful unicorn with magic powers. This had to be a secret because if people knew their secret, they would take Twilight away. Lauren loved to spend time with Twilight in the stables but her mother Alice Foster did not want her to stay out there until very late.

Lauren’s friend Tilly found out that her father was getting married again and did not like the idea. She did not like her step-sister and they were always fighting. On the day of the wedding Tilly decided to run away. She ran away into Twilight’s stable and that is where Lauren found her. Lauren tried to speak to her friend and convince her that running away would not help. Her father would be very sad without her and her family wouldn’t be the same. They used Twilight’s magic powers to convince Tilly to go back. When she agreed they used Twilight to take her back to the wedding before anyone noticed that she had disappeared. Lauren made her friend promise to drink a magic potion that would make her forget about seeing a unicorn.

This is a very interesting story if you like fairytales. You can get the book at the library or at the bookstore to read more about Lauren and her pony.

Title of the book: The mystery of the vanishing treasureAuthor: Robert Arthur

Review by Siphosihle Mzizi Grade 8 Mary Waters High School

The main characters in this book are Jupiter Jones, Bob Andrews and Pete Crenshaw, the three investigators. This is a mystery and

crime story involving three investigators. This book is part of a series on these investigators.

In this story, the three investigators are involved in a mystery crime about the disappearance of the missing jewelled belt. The belt goes missing at the local Peterson Museum. The belt was an ancient Japanese belt; it was a very important part of history that is why it was kept at the museum. The person who stole the belt did it in the dark because the lights went off.

The story is very interesting because there is more than one mystery happening at the same time. Alfred Hitchcock gave the investigators a case about a strange group of gnomes that an old woman saw at her home. They think that the woman is crazy until they also see the gnomes when they go to Los Angeles to investigate.

The story gets very interesting because it goes back to the theft and how it is solved. The book is very interesting and easy to understand. It teaches us that stealing is not something good. I didn’t like the title very much but the book was good. It is available at the library.

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.comU books 15

What the reader thought ...1 poor

2 good

3 excellent

4 better than a movie

5 you MUST read this book

Book Reviews

Title of the book: AlhajiAuthor: Ebou Dibba

Review by Aviwe Menze Grade 11 TEM Mrwetyana High School

The story takes place in Gambia and is set in one of Gambia’s most beautiful beaches. There is a 16 year old boy Alhaji who narrates the story. He has a horse that he likes very much, much more than anything. He received this horse as a gift from a tourist. Alhaji has to get a lift to school every day because he cannot take his horse to school.

One day he was walking along the Old Cape Road in an attempt to get a lift to school when a really smart Mercedes Benz stopped to give him a lift. This was the day he met Aljah Kebba, a man wanted by the police. Kebba wanted to see Alhaji the following day; he wanted to buy his horse. Alhaji refused because he loved his horse very much. No one knew why he wanted to buy this horse so badly.

Kebba was a dangerous criminal who had robbed Sierra Leone, Liberia, Congo and South Africa millions of rands. One day coming out of Kebba’s hotel, Alhaji met Chief Superintendent Nicholls from Sierra Leone who was looking to catch Kebba. The story reaches its peak when Kebba steals the horse and puts diamonds in it. He was smuggling diamonds to Senegal. Fortunately, Kebba was caught and the horse was returned to Alhaji.

What I liked about the book were Alhaji’s friends. They were a trio. One was very smart but he acted dumb, the other boy just liked girls and considered his friends fools because they were unlikely to be seen with girls. Then there was Alhaji who loved his horse so much that it became his everything.

I loved reading this book because it has so much humour in some parts. I found it

at the Duna Library in Joza.

Title: Ruby Parker hits the small timeAuthor: Rowan Coleman

Review by Anganathi Yanta Grade 8 Mary Waters High School

The main characters in this story are Ruby, Nydia, Anne-Marie and Ruby’s parents Mr and

Mrs Parker. The story is about a girl, Ruby, the same age as me who is having a hard time growing up. She wasn’t just a normal girl; she was an actress from the age of six years old. She appeared in the soap opera Kensington Heights which was very popular. Millions of other girls wanted to be just like her. You would think that her life was perfect, but it wasn’t. Even though Ruby was an actress, she and her best friend Nydia were not popular at school. They were not as cool as the blonde girl Anne-Marie.

Ruby had other problems too. At home her parents were getting divorced and breaking up her family; she was in love with a boy she worked with on the soap opera and the actress who played her mother was trying to get her fired. It upset her that her parents were getting divorced and she begged her father not to move out of their home. Her world was upside down.

Luckily, Ruby had her friend Nydia to help her through all of this mess. She found out that she was not going to be fired from her soap opera work; her role was being expanded. In one of the scenes she would have to kiss her co-star and crush Justin de Souza. Ruby felt nervous because he was one of the hottest guys around. Nydia suggested that they ask Anne-Marie to help coach Ruby in kissing. Anne-Marie agreed and in the end they all become good friends.

This entire drama in her life helped Ruby to grow as a person and as an actress.

For me, the best part of the book was when Ruby and Justin ran away together. I really enjoyed this book because it talks about some of the things that some girls go through when growing up like having your parents divorcing and breaking up the family.

Tuesday 24 April 2012 • upstartyouth.com Ubook reviews16

Title: Return to Never LandAuthor: R.H. Disney

Review by Sinovuyo Geelbooi Grade 10 Nombulelo High School

This is a story about Wendy, a married mother with two children Jane and Danny. Wendy loved telling her children stories about her

going on wondrous adventures in a place called Neverland. In Never Land, she met Peter Pan, a fairy named Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys who never, ever grew up. Never Land was a place full of magic, mermaids and pirates. The children loved hearing these stories from their mother and they spent hours pretending to be fighting pirates like the evil Captain Hook. Jane wished to go to Never Land one day.

The war took over the city that Wendy and her family lived in and her husband had to go join the army. There were many air raids in the town, Jane and Danny had to be moved to the countryside where they would be safe from the bombing. They did not want to be separated from their mother. Sometime during one evening, Jane and Danny stood by the window and searched for the star that led to Never Land. During that night Jane was awakened by a creaking sound. When she opened her eyes she couldn’t believe what she saw. It was Captain Hook and his gang of rugged pirates. She couldn’t believe that the characters from her mother’s stories were in her room. She wanted to scream but before she could Mr Smee, one of the pirates had draped a sack over her.

Captain Hook had returned from Never Land to come and find Wendy. He wanted to use her to get revenge on Peter Pan. He mistakenly took Jane thinking that it was Wendy. In Never Land, he pushed down into the water so she could be eaten by an octopus that was chasing after him. Peter Pan and Tinker Bell arrived and saved Jane from the octopus. Jane was startled to see the fairies in front of her and convinced herself that she was dreaming.

She met the Lost Boys who wanted her to be their new mother but she refused. She was only interested in going home and she told them that she did not believe in fairies. Captain hook managed to fool Jane again by telling her to look for treasure that would have powers to take her home. Luckily for Jane, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell helped her with their fairy magic to fly back home to London. They had helped her believe in fairy tales again and use her imagination.

Captain Hook fell through his ship and the octopus was waiting for him patiently in the water. The other pirates swam towards the shore to escape the octopus. They were all scared especially Captain Hook.

The book’s ISBN number is 174150366-3 and it is available from the library.

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