Nolitye lives in a shack with her mother Thembi in Phola, a dusty township on the edge of Johannesburg. She is good at maths and likes collecting stones, which she places in a bucket under her bed. She also has unusual powers: she can communicate with dogs. Nolitye has two close friends, Bheki, who is overweight, and the bespectacled Four Eyes, who join with her to resist the bullying from Rotten Nellie and her gang of Spoilers.
One day, Nolitye finds a special stone that has the power to make people feel happy and laugh. Her mission from now on is to gather together the other pieces of the stone and reunite them, to stop darkness from taking control of her world.
Nolitye lives in a shack with her mother Thembi in a dusty township on the edge of Johannesburg. One day, Nolitye finds a special stone that has the power to make people feel happy and laugh. Her mission from now on is to gather together the other pieces of the stone and reunite them, to stop darkness from taking control of her world.
"In this enjoyable middle-grade novel, Duiker successfully manages to blend traditional South African folklore with township life, which gives the whole book a modern flair...And while magic has suffused every element of the story, from the plot to the setting, where Duiker shines most is when he highlights the magic of friendship and found family. A wonderful tale for any fan of fantasy adventures."
