by Linda Sue Park

A Long Walk To Water is largely based on the true story of Salva Dut, one of the “lost boys” of Sudan. Park tells the story of Salva set in 1985 and of Nya set in 2008. Salva is driven away from his family and village by the civil war. He doesn’t know what has happened to them; he only knows to walk away from the direction of the fighting. Along the way Salva joins other children and adults walking to refugee camps in Ethiopia. In 2008, Nya spends every single day walking endless miles to carry water to her family. The pond water is unsanitary and unreliable, but it’s the only source of water available to the village. Both children struggle to survive in a country so torn by drought and war that it takes incredible courage just to survive. For both, the unrelenting search for water and food dominates their daily lives. Lately, the Sudan elections have been in the news, and this book brings the conflict down to a human level. The alternating stories are told in simple, short entries that come together in an unexpected and inspirational conclusion.

reviewed by Victoria