A Long Walk to Water

Cherished by millions of readers, this #1 New York Times bestselling novel is a powerful tale of perseverance and hope. Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park interweaves the stories of two Sudanese children who overcome mortal dangers to improve their lives and the lives of others.

A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours' walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay.

Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya's in an astonishing and moving way. Includes an afterword by author Linda Sue Park and the real-life Salva Dut, on whom the novel is based, and who went on to found Water for South Sudan.

Author: Linda Sue Park
Publisher: Clarion Books
Published: 11/15/2010
Pages: 128
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.58lbs
Size: 8.41h x 5.84w x 0.61d
ISBN: 9780547251271
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5
Point Value: 3
Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus
Quiz #/Name: 140710 / Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story


Award: Jane Addams Children's Book Award - Winner
Award: Kentucky Bluegrass Award - Nominee
Award: Flicker Tale Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Volunteer State Book Awards - Runner-Up
Award: Black-Eyed Susan Award - Nominee
Award: Nutmeg Book Award - Nominee
Award: Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award - Nominee
Award: Young Hoosier Book Award - Nominee
Award: Sunshine State Young Reader's Award - Nominee
Award: South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award - Nominee
Award: Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Sasquatch Award - Nominee
Award: North Carolina Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Nene Award - Nominee
Award: Golden Sower Award - Nominee
Award: Virginia Readers Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 09/01/2010 pg. 97
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2010
Publishers Weekly 10/18/2010
School Library Journal 11/01/2010 pg. 123
Voice of Youth Advocates 12/01/2010 - Recommended - Hard To Beat
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 12/01/2010
Horn Book Magazine 01/01/2011 pg. 98
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2011 pg. 79
BookPage 11/01/2010

About the Author
Linda Sue Park received the 2002 Newbery Medal for A Single Shard. In addition to novels, she has written picture books and poetry for young readers. Before turning to children's books, she worked as a journalist, a food critic, and a teacher of English as a second language. She lives with her family in Rochester, New York.