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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
This is a TRUE story of two children. At the end of the book it says that some of the details are fiction, but the main events of the story are historic.
I always find myself thinking back to what was going on in my life while these horrors were occurring. One story is of Salva that starts in 1985. I was graduating from high school, hanging out with friends a lot, working and thrilled with my new money making place in life. The other story is a girl in the year 2008. That year I was in mourning over the loss of our stillborn daughter, Destiny. People in Sudan never had the luxury to mourn for a day let alone a year or more like I did.
Walking is an important motif in this story. Salva walks from war to refugee camps. Then when they are no longer safe he walks to another country. He walks, sometimes just keeping his eye on a mirage ahead. He realizes that all he has to do is make it through the next hour and through this day. He leaves Sudan and ends up in a refugee camp, alone, for 6 years. He often tells himself, just one more day.
The girl in the story, Nya, is also forever walking. She spends half a day walking to a well to get her family some water and then carries it home on her head. She then turns around and does it again. Every day. In time, her village gets a well. This changes their lives. After the well is built they can grow crops. The children can go to school. Life truly changes.
Water has so much meaning for the people. Clean water means health. Unfortunately, not everyone has clean water. Water means life. Dehydrated men die as they try to walk away from the war. People move away from their homes during the dry season because there is no water. Water is life. Seeking water is life. Sometimes they have to dig below dry cracked ground that shows no sign of water, but if they dig deep enough they find it.
The story is really well told. In the end, the boy, Salva and the girl, Nya, meet each other. When this happened in the book, I gasped out loud. It made my heart race and emotion welled up inside me. It is a beautiful story!
I always find myself thinking back to what was going on in my life while these horrors were occurring. One story is of Salva that starts in 1985. I was graduating from high school, hanging out with friends a lot, working and thrilled with my new money making place in life. The other story is a girl in the year 2008. That year I was in mourning over the loss of our stillborn daughter, Destiny. People in Sudan never had the luxury to mourn for a day let alone a year or more like I did.
Walking is an important motif in this story. Salva walks from war to refugee camps. Then when they are no longer safe he walks to another country. He walks, sometimes just keeping his eye on a mirage ahead. He realizes that all he has to do is make it through the next hour and through this day. He leaves Sudan and ends up in a refugee camp, alone, for 6 years. He often tells himself, just one more day.
The girl in the story, Nya, is also forever walking. She spends half a day walking to a well to get her family some water and then carries it home on her head. She then turns around and does it again. Every day. In time, her village gets a well. This changes their lives. After the well is built they can grow crops. The children can go to school. Life truly changes.
Water has so much meaning for the people. Clean water means health. Unfortunately, not everyone has clean water. Water means life. Dehydrated men die as they try to walk away from the war. People move away from their homes during the dry season because there is no water. Water is life. Seeking water is life. Sometimes they have to dig below dry cracked ground that shows no sign of water, but if they dig deep enough they find it.
The story is really well told. In the end, the boy, Salva and the girl, Nya, meet each other. When this happened in the book, I gasped out loud. It made my heart race and emotion welled up inside me. It is a beautiful story!
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Themes: perseverance, family, resilience, hope, survival
i'm no expert in children's literature but this felt very underdeveloped
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So accessible for kids. Needs to be read as a story about Salva, not as a political story by any means.
Quick and great read. Proud of him and all he’s gone through. I’m going to have my entitled American kids read it.
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love this author and I truly enjoyed reading this book. It was beautifully written and tells the story of 2 youths growing up in different times in Sudan.