The Cedarville Shop and The Wheelbarrow Swap

A colourful patchwork of Midlanders – academics and artists, bakers, bibliophiles, yogis and farmers – gathered at La Popote Café in Hilton on Friday12 August 2022 to launch award-winning author Bridget Krone’s latest book published by Catalyst Press.

Over 100 people listened to Kim Ward in conversation with Bridget about The Cedarville Shop and The Wheelbarrow Swap, discover where Bridget gathers her inspiration, learn about her detailed research, the themes that are close to her heart, and her deep love for the place where she grew up – Cedarville – on the border of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape on the southern edge of the Drakensberg.

Bridget chats about her Cedarville World

“When I grew up the village of Cedarville was the nearest ‘town’ – about 15 minutes drive across the Cedarville flats in the farm bakkie. It was never big enough to do a ‘proper shop’; – that happened in Matatiele or Kokstad – but it was still a useful place to have nearby.

Dad got tractor parts from the Massy Ferguson garage; he bought gumboots, bailing twine and fertilizer from the co-op and we’d pick up the newspaper from the Cedarville café. In those days there was a functional post office, a branch of the Standard Bank, and a hotel with a ‘bar’ – the setting for much drunken hilarity.

One story involved a farmer from just outside Kokstad called Mr Lourens who had an Afrikaner bull that he’d taught to drink beer. The bull with its massive horns would be dragged into the bar to join the locals. The bar had bat-wing doors like an American saloon, and once after it had burnt down (rumored to be for insurance purposes), a regular client flung open the doors and fell flat on his face because the floorboards had disappeared. 

I remember the thud, thud of the stamp wielded by Mrs. Marx the Postmistress as she franked letters. She also operated the telephone exchange and as a result, knew everybody’s business. She once told my uncle who phoned from Hong Kong, that he should phone back the next day because as far as she knew our whole family was attending the carol service at St Mary’s church. We were. And he did.  

I remember going with my father to visit Mr Pelser the local blacksmith. His untidy garden was full of old drums and bits of scrap iron. I think that this probably informed the character of Mr. Tshezi in the The Cedarville Shop book.

When I was a child the cheese factory, called Kromdraai, was functional and produced massive blocks of cheddar cheese. I remember going to buy cheese and the rather unpleasant warm smell of curdled milk coming through the doors. We could see the enormous vats of milk being churned by massive blades. Everyone wore white gumboots and white overalls – just like Boi’s dad and Potso’s mum in the book.

We sometimes walked up Cedarville Mountain on boxing day, to shake off the excesses of Christmas. I can distinctly remember the surprise of how rough and steep that mountain was when we climbed it. And then how orderly Cedarville looked from above – in absolute contrast to the mess and muddle when you were in the village. I used that same shift in perspective for Boi when he needed time away from everyone to reflect on the mess that he’d made.

The town hall (the setting for the talent show) – a square, white building with a red roof – was used for weddings and once for a Christmas party. Some farmer was dragooned into wearing a red Father Christmas suit and a truly horrible bearded mask. You had to go up and kiss him to receive your present. As my turn got closer and closer, the thought of kissing that scary man, made me hyperventilate, and I ‘came over funny’. I remember being taken outside by my mum and Colleen Tweedie (who was a nurse) and being made to breathe into a paper bag. Somehow I got the present – a tin airplane – without having to kiss the man.”

Even before the official launch, her new book has gathered an award – the USA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.  95% of the books that receive this award go on to win other awards, starred reviews, and industry accolades.  Naturally, the books sold fast once the conversation was over, with Bridget inscribing personal greetings to everyone who clutched a copy.

Ian McFarlane of Top Class Books was thrilled “We usually expect about 20 people for a book launch, so this is fantastic.”  Certainly, Bridget’s community had come out in support – bringing plates of snacks to share with the case of wine sponsored by Athlone Pick ‘n Pay in the beautiful old barn.

In the book, the main character Boi creates something extraordinary using the patched umblaselo style to upcycle his battered wheelbarrow.   With grace, skill and charm, Bridget ensured that everyone on this occasion felt delighted to be part of her magic quilt of community connections. 

Bridget had the final word “If this book had been strapped to a rocket and sent into space, it could not have been more thoroughly launched!”  

Review of The Cedarville Shop and The Wheelbarrow Swap

There is magic in small towns – often in unexpected places.  In her latest book The Cedarville Shop and The Wheelbarrow Swap, Bridget Krone winkles out some utterly delightful bits of real-life magic.  This is to be expected after the success of her previous book Small Mercies, which was named a Best Middle-Grade Book of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews.   Already, this new novel, aimed at 10- to 12-year-olds has received acclaim – a Junior Library Guild Gold Star Selection and there can be little doubt that Cedarville in the Eastern Cape (where Bridget grew up) is going to be on the world-wide radar.

The story follows 12-year-old Boipelo Seku (Boi), who has a typically challenging South African rural township life. However, his imagination is sparked by a story that he reads in an old magazine, of a Canadian man who traded a paperclip for a house, and he sets off on an adventure of personal discovery.  More than anything, he would love a lovely house to share with his father and grandmother, so he too embarks on a scheme to work towards this dream.  He starts by making a cow from river clay which he barters for 2litres of Coke with Mrs. Viljoen who owns the village store.  Bridget has captured familiar vignettes of South African life beautifully – including soccer matches, a man who can fix anything, taxi music, the quiet desperation of the unemployed, trips to the TB hospital, backyard chickens and drum majorettes.  Particularly special is Boi’s use of the umblaselo patchwork style (traditionally used for trousers and waistcoats) to turn a battered wheelbarrow into something swappable. 

Through a motley crew of characters and funny incidents, Bridget shares universal themes of friendship, community, hope, and respect. This is a story that takes many detours, teaching Boi some of life’s great lessons as he and his best friend Potso swap and trade their way into the hearts of the wider community. Sometimes things seem to take a backward step or become a bit of a mess, but with optimism, perseverance, and good intentions, the pair put their connections and limited resources to good use, and with a little bit of luck, things turn out better than they could ever have imagined.

While the book is written for young readers, it has a lot of appeal for adults too, particularly if you need a little joy in your day. Formerly an English teacher, Bridget currently works as a writer of English textbooks for South African schools, and crafts novels between textbook commissions. She lives in Hilton and is married with two grown-up sons.

Who is Bridget Krone?

Bridget lives in Hilton with her husband. Two grown sons come home for occasional holidays. Her house is on the edge of a farm and a nature reserve where she can see cows on the hill as well as the Drakensberg mountains from the stoep. Bridget was an English teacher for a few years and then started writing English textbooks for South African schools.

Bridget’s first award-winning book Small Mercies is set in Pietermaritzburg. The story is about an eleven-year-old girl called Mercy who fights to protect her home when a devious property developer tries to steal it from the two dear, elderly, and very poor sisters who are her foster mothers. There’s also a social worker who is threatening to remove Mercy from her dotty family and put her in a ‘place of safety’. Mercy is shy and doesn’t like to draw attention to herself, but when she gets into trouble at school for stealing raffle money, she discovers that she has to speak up for herself. Bees buzz in and out of the story; there is a pet chicken, an unexpected treasure, a kind man who talks to statues, and lots of ‘un-prescribed singing.’

Where to find Bridget’s books

Find The Cedarville Shop and The Wheelbarrow Swap and Small Mercies at Top Class Reads in Hilton, Exclusive Books, Bargain Books and all online stores.