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“who would use a place like this, and why?”
The Mystery of Kgwakgwe Hills follows a group of curious children as they accidentally uncover a criminal operation involving drugs, stolen property, and secret codes. Where did the idea behind this mystery come from?
It started with place. Kgwakgwe Hills are beautiful, historic, and a little bit mysterious after dark.
I asked: what if 4 kids went there to explore and stumbled onto something adults were trying to keep hidden? The drugs, the stolen property, the codes — that all came from asking “who would use a place like this, and why?”
I wanted to write a story where being curious isn’t dangerous, it’s powerful. Sly, Nathan, Jane and Musa prove that kids can be brave, smart, and still go home for dinner.
Did you draw on any real local history or legends surrounding Kgwakgwe Hills or the old manganese mine while developing the story?
Yes. The hills and the old manganese mine in Kanye are real, and they carry stories.
I talked to people about the mine’s history, the workers, and the legends of lights and sounds in the hills at night. I used that atmosphere as the backdrop.
The criminal operation in the book is fictional, but the setting is rooted in truth. If readers finish the book and want to visit Kgwakgwe with their family and learn the real history, that’s exactly what I hoped for.
Your story addresses issues such as cable theft, drug trafficking, addiction, and environmental responsibility. What inspired you to weave these real-world concerns into a children’s adventure?
Because these are real issues in real communities, and kids see them.
I didn’t want to write a textbook. I wanted to write an adventure where the kids face hard choices.
Cable theft hurts schools and clinics. Drugs hurt families. And the hills deserve to be protected, not used and dumped in.
Through Sly, Nathan, Jane and Musa, I could show how to respond: observe, document, don’t confront alone, and tell a trusted adult. Thrills first, message second. If kids are entertained AND thinking, we’ve done something good.
Can you give us a glimpse inside Book 2 of The Jackson’s Children Mystery Series? Where will it take readers?
Book 2 is The Mystery of the Roaring Lion. It takes Sly, Nathan, Jane and Musa into the hills and the wild.
Sly, Nathan, Jane and Musa go out to while time away and have encounter with the Pharing Gorge, Kanye Mmakgodumo dam, Kgwakgwe Hills and Matsieng footprint in Kanye.
They hear a “roaring lion” at night and mid day… but there are no lions in that enclosure.
Then, equipment goes missing. Cultural artifacts disappear. And a ranger starts acting suspicious.
Sly, Nathan, Jane and Musa have to figure out: Is it poachers? Is it a smuggling ring? And why does the “roar” only happen after mid-day and at night?
Expect animal tracks as clues, night missions, and Musa sense of humor and acting as a guide. Expect Sly to get stuck in the gorge. And expect the biggest twist: the “lion” isn’t what anyone thinks it is.
It’s adventure, nature, and a mystery that teaches kids to protect wildlife and tourists’ sites.
They discover the mysteries of the haunted bungalow, cult, caves, arm robbery and drug cartel.
Belt up and enjoy the whirlwind of the mystery of Kgwakgwe Hills.
The Mystery of Kgwakgwe Hills
The Mystery of Kgwakgwe Hills, by James Banks, is a children’s mystery adventure set in and around Kanye, Botswana. It follows Sly, Nathan, Jane, and their reluctant friend Musa as their curiosity draws them toward an abandoned manganese mine, a neglected bungalow, hidden tunnels, and a series of electrical cable thefts. What begins as an attempt to escape boredom gradually exposes a larger criminal operation involving drugs, stolen property, secret codes, and an effort to frame the children’s father, retired detective Daniel Jackson. The young investigators must overcome storms, threatening strangers, family warnings, and their own fear before the mystery can finally be solved.
I enjoyed the book most when it allowed the setting to become part of the mystery. Kgwakgwe Hills feels like more than a backdrop. The caves, old mining equipment, sudden storms, dark forests, and abandoned buildings give the story a strong sense of place, and I could often feel the damp air and darkness closing around the children. The Botswana setting also gives this children’s mystery adventure its own identity. The author brings community life, family responsibility, local history, and concerns about crime into the plot rather than creating a mystery that could happen anywhere. I especially liked Musa because his fear makes him feel human. He complains, hesitates, and repeatedly wants to be left out, yet he still follows his friends when they need him. His reactions add humor, but they also show that courage is not the absence of fear. Sometimes courage is simply staying when every part of you wants to go home.
The author makes bold choices with the size and complexity of the mystery. The story moves from cable theft to secret tunnels, coded messages, a criminal cartel, an inheritance dispute, kidnapping, and undercover agents. That creates plenty of momentum, and younger readers who enjoy constant danger may find it difficult to put down. At times, though, I felt the plot became crowded. New threats and revelations arrive so quickly that some important moments don’t have enough room to breathe. Still, I appreciated the ideas beneath the action. The book asks children to think about civic responsibility, environmental care, loyalty, education, addiction, and the difference between reckless curiosity and genuine bravery.
I found The Mystery of Kgwakgwe Hills imaginative, energetic, and sincere. It’s a children’s mystery adventure with the spirit of an old-fashioned detective story, but its Botswana setting and community concerns give it a distinctive character. I would recommend it most to younger readers who enjoy fearless child detectives, caves, codes, hidden passages, dramatic rescues, and mysteries in which ordinary people work together against crime. Readers will find a lively story about curiosity, friendship, family, and learning that even the bravest investigator sometimes needs help.
Pages: 145 | ASIN : B0GNLKXP41
