SuitabookThe other side of truth
Beverley Naidoo
- Reading
- Pause after the children reach London to talk about what feels unfamiliar to them.
- Themes
- Truth and trust: The children have no one to trust, and the book poses whether truth might harm them or save them. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Displacement and family separation: Sade and Femi are sent from Nigeria to London and left without their uncle; they worry about their father, who remains in Nigeria. The children’s fear and uncertainty are part of the setup; the wider treatment of displacement is not established.
- Worth knowing
- The story includes a mother’s murder, children being smuggled out of their country, and fear about an absent parent. Consider whether these themes merit a check-in while reading.