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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
A very quick read, this is a fictionalized account of one of the lost boys of Sudan. It is largely based on the life of a boy who is separated from his family when his small, remote village is attacked. He narrowly escapes with his life and joins others who flee Sudan and ultimately end of in a refugee camp in Ethiopia. When that camp is abruptly shut down, the refugees are once again thrust into a long, chaotic journey to safety, ultimately ending up in another refugee camp in Kenya. The author provides two narratives in the book which connects in the end. One narrative is the lost boy and the other the story of a young girl who spends her day walking back and forth from a distant water hole to provide the necessary water for her family's survival. It's a good read.
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park is based off a true story. Two narratives from two different time periods in Sudan are woven together to show both the political climate and devastation of this area and to demonstrate the power and will of the human spirit. The writing is straight forward and very clear. It explains civil war in Sudan in a way that even the most historically-challenged can understand.
I think students will enjoy the story and putting themselves in the young man and young girl's shoes. It will definitely make them reconsider their first-world problems when they see how others in the world are having to live day in and day out.
I think students will enjoy the story and putting themselves in the young man and young girl's shoes. It will definitely make them reconsider their first-world problems when they see how others in the world are having to live day in and day out.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Uplifting
This is a feel good read that immediately gets down to business. The paralleling story lines finally cross and the story ends with a feeling of fulfillment.
This is a feel good read that immediately gets down to business. The paralleling story lines finally cross and the story ends with a feeling of fulfillment.
One of the most moving true stories I've read this year.
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-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:
No
Virginia Woolf once said, "Ideally, we lose ourselves in what we read, only to return to ourselves, transformed and part of a more expansive world — in short, we become more critical and more capacious in our thinking and our acting." I really felt myself getting lost in this short, yet intense account of life for the Sudanese people, especially the young children, caught in the conflict of ideals that destroyed their country and many of their people.
It seems like there's a refugee story on the BOB list every year. I think that it's good for students to be exposed to world problems, but the quality of the books doesn't always seem that high. I do like how the story is told through different narrators at different times, and how these two stories are woven together. It also provides a stark contrast to a lot of the difficulties that our students face, which, when compared with Salva and Nya don't seem so bad.
Salva was a child learning in school, when a civil war broke out and he was forced to flee. Walking for days, months, years on end, never without a real home. Finally the opportunity to go to America arrives. But once he's there, Salva wants to do something more for Sudan.
Nya makes two long walks to a pond every day so her family can have water. She can't go to school, because her family depends on this water. They sometimes get sick when it's contaminated too. But then strangers come to the village and change Nya's life forever.
Salva was a child learning in school, when a civil war broke out and he was forced to flee. Walking for days, months, years on end, never without a real home. Finally the opportunity to go to America arrives. But once he's there, Salva wants to do something more for Sudan.
Nya makes two long walks to a pond every day so her family can have water. She can't go to school, because her family depends on this water. They sometimes get sick when it's contaminated too. But then strangers come to the village and change Nya's life forever.