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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
A beautiful and compelling story, made me cry...but in a good way.
My daughter had to read this book for her 8th grade English class, and said she read it a few years ago as well. A short but very compelling story about two children in Sudan -- one "Lost Boy" from the 1980s, who journeys for months and years in search of safety in refugee camps; one young girl from the 2000s, who journeys all day, every day, in search of basic water (usually unsafe/unclean) for her family. This was a quick read but still very emotional -- yes, I cried -- and an important story for American youth (and adults) to be familiar with.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This story was very inspiring and personal. However, I wish it was much longer and more detailed. I listened to the audiobook, which featured white sounding voice actors doing very cringe tribal african accents. I also was quite bothered that the book was split into two accounts, one of the little boy, Salva, and one of a young girl named Nya; instead of their stories taking up 50/50 of the narrative, it was more like 90/10, which felt very sexist and made the pacing frustrating AND made Nya feel like a token character.
challenging
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:
Complicated
I read this in 6th grade for the first time and LET ME TELL YOU: this was a perfect reread as an 8th grader. Salva's story was so interesting and saddening at the same time. The addition of Nya to the overall plot was soooo smart, because I feel like she emphasized Salva and his troubles AND his future decisions to make the world a little better. WOULD REREAD AGAIN.
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
This was based on a true story and was so heavy and unbelievable, I didn’t know much about the conflict in Sudan and would love to know more.
Only 3 stars, though, as it was very simply written. Chapters were too short and I wanted more detail, depth, and reflection.
Only 3 stars, though, as it was very simply written. Chapters were too short and I wanted more detail, depth, and reflection.