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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
A well-written account, Park does an excellent job of clearly communicating the horrors of the conflict in Sudan and some of the difficulties of life in a refugee camp at a level that is accessible to younger readers. As an adult reader, I felt that the book could have gone a bit deeper in examining both the context and the effects of the conflict, however I think it is crucial that younger readers be exposed to stories like this one, and leaving room for further study while inviting engagement is an effective strategy. I hope that all readers, both young and old, have an opportunity to pick up this book and to reflect on the selfishness that we often promote in our (US) foreign policy when we decline to fund refugee resettlement programs and/or support agencies like UNHCR, the Red Cross, and many, many others who face these situations head-on and offer support. Our planet is full of gifted people, and we should all do what we can to lift each other up and encourage talents to be discovered, developed, and shared.
Meh. Parts of this story were too watered down and glossed over too quickly.
How far would you walk for water?
A Long Walk to Water tells two stories about two different people from two different times. Nya, a girl living in Sudan in 2009, eagerly awaits the building of a new school and fresh water in her village. Salva, a boy from the same place in 1985, becomes one of the “Lost Boys” and tries his best to survive the Sudanese War. This book takes you through both their stories of happiness and struggle -- through water and war.
This was a great book, but I will say it was a surprise to me, how much I enjoyed it. I don’t typically read or like “based on a true story” books. To me they just aren’t interesting. But not this one. A Long Walk to Water was so fascinating to me that when my reading time was up for the day, I was almost sad. I wanted to keep reading. But alas, other schoolwork had to be done.
I think my favorite part of the whole thing would have to be the ending. At first, when I started reading, I was a bit confused as to how Nya and Salva’s stories fit together. But once I started to reach the end of the book, I started to see how their timelines would crash into each other.
Great story, important message. I would recommend this book to anyone who is willing to read it.
“If he were older and stronger, would he have given water to those men? Or would he, like most of the group, have kept his water for himself?”
11 November 2019
A Long Walk to Water tells two stories about two different people from two different times. Nya, a girl living in Sudan in 2009, eagerly awaits the building of a new school and fresh water in her village. Salva, a boy from the same place in 1985, becomes one of the “Lost Boys” and tries his best to survive the Sudanese War. This book takes you through both their stories of happiness and struggle -- through water and war.
This was a great book, but I will say it was a surprise to me, how much I enjoyed it. I don’t typically read or like “based on a true story” books. To me they just aren’t interesting. But not this one. A Long Walk to Water was so fascinating to me that when my reading time was up for the day, I was almost sad. I wanted to keep reading. But alas, other schoolwork had to be done.
I think my favorite part of the whole thing would have to be the ending. At first, when I started reading, I was a bit confused as to how Nya and Salva’s stories fit together. But once I started to reach the end of the book, I started to see how their timelines would crash into each other.
Great story, important message. I would recommend this book to anyone who is willing to read it.
“If he were older and stronger, would he have given water to those men? Or would he, like most of the group, have kept his water for himself?”
11 November 2019
A skinny book with big ideas. Told in two narrative voices: A Sudanese boy forced from his village and all that he knows and loves and forced to wander away from the security of his family; a young girl who must walk twice a day nearly all day every day in order to get water for her family. The ending is powerful with their lives intertwining. This is a simple, yet impactfully told story for kids (and adults) to understand the magnititude of life on the distant continent of Africa in a war ravaged country of Sudan. Water-borne illnesses, social injustice, and maintaining strength in the face of certain death each and every day are sure to educate all who read this powerful book. I had the great honor and fortune of meeting a "Lost Boy" this summer in a writing institute. Writing his own story of how he survived that period in his life, he clutched an unopened letter from his mother, someone he had long since thought was gone-a reminder to him of home that he wished to keep sealed until he had written what he needed to write. It broke my heart. A Long Walk to Water reminds us that we are all part of the human experience and are all responsible for each of our well being. The author's male subject in this book has started an organization bringing fresh pumped water to communities in Sudan. To learn more, please visit: http://www.waterforsouthsudan.org/
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
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:
No
A Long Walk to Water is a must read. I said what I said.
Linda Sue Park wove together two stories with our heartstrings. In her brief novel, Park discusses what it means to be human. She discusses the desperate measures people have to take just to survive.
Park illustrates the heartbreaking and triumphant story of a Lost Boy of Sudan. Salva Dut refuses to give up even though there is one life threatening challenge after another. He shows strength and resilience when most would choose the easy route of giving up. Park reminds readers how lucky we are to not have to witness the atrocities Salva does- we will never know heartbreak the way he knows it.
Yet, Park also reminds readers that when there is a will, there is a way. She reminds us to never stop trying to better the world around us.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Me today:
- complaining because I had to microwave my coffee
- commenting that gas prices dropped a few cents
- brushing my teeth with the faucet on
- video chatting with my husband who is across the country
Sobering thoughts:
- to not drink and die or to drink, get sick from the water and die
- 19 years away from family
- am I leaving a positive impact on my world, a legacy my family would be proud of
Deep, deep middle grade read for ALL AGES!
- complaining because I had to microwave my coffee
- commenting that gas prices dropped a few cents
- brushing my teeth with the faucet on
- video chatting with my husband who is across the country
Sobering thoughts:
- to not drink and die or to drink, get sick from the water and die
- 19 years away from family
- am I leaving a positive impact on my world, a legacy my family would be proud of
Deep, deep middle grade read for ALL AGES!
This book is an example of a book that is beautiful but a hard subject. The author took a very difficult topic and made it not only easy to read (children's book) but also made it inspiring. The book switches between Salva who starts the book as a child in Sudan during a civil war (1985) and Nya, a young girl who walks 8 hours a day to get water for her family (2008). I hurt for both of them for very different reasons. Salva endured hardships in trying to escape a country at war. He ended up as a refugee for many years and always wondered what happened to his family. Nya doesn't get to have a traditional childhood because she is having to walk so far to get water. While she does have her family there is still a lot of worry.
This really is an uplifting and beautiful story. I was touched by what I read and it reminds me of how blessed that I am and the need to help others.
2019 PopSugar Challenge #38 A novel based on a true story
This really is an uplifting and beautiful story. I was touched by what I read and it reminds me of how blessed that I am and the need to help others.
2019 PopSugar Challenge #38 A novel based on a true story