A Long Walk to Water

by Linda Sue Park (Author)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

The New York Times bestseller A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985.

The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours' walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya's in an astonishing and moving way.

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ALA/Booklist

Starred Review
There have been several books about the lost boys of Sudan for adults, teens, and even for elementary-school readers. But [this] spare, immediate account, based on a true story, adds a stirring contemporary dimension. . . . Young readers will be stunned by the triumphant climax.

Kirkus

Park simply yet convincingly depicts the chaos of war and an unforgiving landscape. . . . A heartfelt account.

None

Riveting.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review
Newbery Medalist Park's (The Single Shard) spare, hard-hitting novel delivers a memorable portrait of two children in Sudan--one an 11-year-old Lost Boy, Salva, who fled in 1985 and later immigrated to the United States, and 11-year-old Nya, who collects water for her village in 2008. Park employs well-chosen details and a highly atmospheric setting to underscore both children's struggles to survive. Salva's journey is tragic and harrowing, as he's driven by attacking soldiers and braves hunger, shifting alliances among refugees, and the losses of a friend to a lion attack and his uncle to violent marauders. "The days became a never-ending walk," he reflects. Salva's narrative spans 23 years and highlights myriad hardships but not without hope, as he withstands the deprivations of refugee camps, leads 1,200 boys to Kenya, and eventually gains sanctuary in Rochester, N.Y., where he still lives (he also contributes an afterword). Briefer entries about Nya preface chapters about Salva, illustrating the daily realities and sacrifices of modern-day life in Sudan. The eventual connection of Salva and Nya's stories offers the promise of redemption and healing. Ages 10up. (Nov.) Copyright 2010 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

Gr 5-8--Salva and Nya have difficult paths to walk in life. Salva's journey, based on a true story, begins in 1985 with an explosion. The boy's small village in Sudan erupts into chaos while the 11-year-old is in school, and the teacher tells the children to run away. Salva leaves his family and all that is familiar and begins to walk. Sometimes he walks alone and sometimes there are others. They are walking toward a refugee camp in Ethiopia, toward perceived safety. However, the camp provides only temporary shelter from the violent political storm. In 1991-'92, thousands are killed as they try to cross a crocodile-infested river when they are forced out of the country; Salva survives and gets 1200 boys to safety in Kenya. Nya's life in 2008 revolves around water. She spends eight hours a day walking to and from a pond. In the dry season, her family must uproot themselves and relocate to the dry lake bed where they dig in the mud until water eventually trickles out. Nya's narrative frames Salva's journey from Sudan to Ethiopia to Rochester, NY, and, eventually, back to Sudan. Both story lines are spare, offering only pertinent details. In the case of Salva, six years in a camp pass by with the barest of mentions. This minimalism streamlines the plot, providing a clarity that could have easily become mired in depressing particulars. The two narratives intersect in a quiet conclusion that is filled with hope.--Naphtali L. Faris, Saint Louis Public Library, MO

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"This powerful dual narrative packs suspense and introspection into Park's characteristic spare description; while there are lots of details offered to the reader, they come not in long, prosaic lines but in simple, detached observations. Both Salva's and Nya's stories are told with brutal, simple honesty, and they deliver remarkable perspective on the Sudanese conflict. The novel's brevity and factual basis makes the reality of life in Sudan very accessible, and readers will find both the story and the style extremely moving."—The Bulletin

"Brilliant. . . . A touching narrative about strife and survival on a scale most American readers will never see."— Book Page

"[A] fast, page-turning read. . . . A great book for high school students and an important novel for young adults who enjoy learning about other world cultures."—VOYA

Linda Sue Park
Linda Sue Park received the 2002 Newbery Medal for A Single Shard. In addition to novels, she has written picture books and poetry for young readers. Before turning to children's books, she worked as a journalist, a food critic, and a teacher of English as a second language. She lives with her family in Rochester, New York.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780547577319
Lexile Measure
720
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
October 04, 2011
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV016080 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | Military & Wars
JUV013050 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Orphans & Foster Homes
JUV001010 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
JUV016010 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | Africa
Library of Congress categories
History
Refugees
Survival skills
Survival
Water
Blacks
Sudan
Dut, Salva
Civil War, 1983-2005
Golden Sower Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
Jane Addams Children's Book Award
Winner 2011 - 2011
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
Nominee 2012 - 2012
Flicker Tale Children's Book Award
Nominee 2012 - 2012
Volunteer State Book Awards
Runner-Up 2012 - 2013
Black-Eyed Susan Award
Nominee 2011 - 2012
Nutmeg Book Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
Young Hoosier Book Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award
Nominee 2012 - 2013
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
Sasquatch Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
North Carolina Children's Book Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
Nene Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
Virginia Readers Choice Award
Nominee 2014 - 2014
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award
Nominee 2015 - 2015

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