K10: A LONG WALK TO WATER

The Kidliterati Ten is an interview series with young readers. We ask them about a favorite book and hope that you enjoy their answers.

Tell us a little about yourself: what is your first name, how old are you, and what is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Aletta, 9 1/2, vanilla.

What book did you read and why did you choose it? A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Can you describe this book in one word? That’s really hard. I’d say sad and interesting.

What was your favorite part of this story? (Spoiler alert) The end when the boy gives the girl water.

If you had a problem similar to the main character's problem, what would you do? I would try to get water for my family and help them survive.

What would you say to your best friend to convince them to read this book? It’s important to know that not everybody has everything they need. Some people don’t have food and water and people need to help others survive.

What do you think about the book's cover? I like how it has the boy walking from war and the girl walking to water.

Would you want to read another book about these characters? Yes. I would interested to know about their lives and how they continued to live.

Can you name another book that reminds you of this one?  It reminds me of Outside It’s War, but Anne Frank had to stay hidden inside to survive.

If you could ask the author one question about this book, what would it be? Is Nya a real person? If so, how is she doing now, eight years after the war?

Thank you, Aletta!

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.