Written by Phil Bildner, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson
Hector, a young black boy in Johannesburg, South Africa, loved playing soccer and dreamed of playing on a real field with boys from another part of the city. Because of apartheid this was impossible. When Nelson Mandela became President of South Africa, apartheid began to crumble. President Mandela loved sports and when South Africa was chosen to host the 1996 African Cup of Nations the whole country rallied around their team, Bafana Bafana. Hector and a blond boy become friends through this sporting experience and their joint love of soccer. This story depicts a brief but critical time in South African history.
Review by Carmen Southern, Pioneer Elementary Media Center
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)
Interest Level: 3-6
The Soccer Fence: A Story of Friendship, Hope, and Apartheid in South Africa
Written by Phil Bildner, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson
Putnam Juvenile
40 pages
Release Date: March 13, 2014
ISBN: 9780399247903 (hardcover)
