A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Last week I was talking with a few junior teachers about books to read with our students for the upcoming school year.  A Long Walk to Water came up as a great read, so I ordered it right away.

A Long Walk to Water is based on the true story of one of the Lost Boys of Sudan in 1985 coupled with a young girl's story in 2008.  Salva is an 11 year old boy at the start of the story, who is separated from his family when war comes to Sudan.  He is forced to walk across Africa in order to escape the war and look for safety.  Nya is a young girl who has to walk 8 hours each day in order to get water for her family.  Both stories share what it is like living in Sudan and trying to survive each day.

This book was a quick, but very informative read.  I can see teachers and students in grade 6 reading this story to learn about life in other parts of the world and what some children deal with.  I will be putting this in my 'Children Around the World' box for sure.