A Long Walk To Water

 I have read a number of things by Linda Sue Park, but A Long Walk to Water was by far the best I’ve read!  This is a dual narrative based on a true story.  The first narrative is by one the Sudanese “Lost Boys.” It is the story of how Salva survived an attack on his village, his long walk to a refugee camp in Ethiopia, and his eventual adoption to a family in New York. 

The opposing narrative in present day Sudan, is about a young girl, Nya, who must walk eight hours a day to a water hole in order to secure the survival of her family.  The stories come together at the end of the book when Salva begins helping to build wells in villages like Nya’s, freeing her for the chance to attend school.

This is a beautiful story that would work well for this year’s Summer Reading theme, but is also an important story for young people to read.  It is a reminder of how different and how similar children are around the world.

Title: A Long Walk to Water
Author: Linda Sue Park
Publisher: Clarion Books
Page Number: 128 pgs.