Review: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, November 2010

Ages 12 & up

128 pages
Rating: 4 stars

"One step at a time . . . one day at a time. Just today—just this day to get through . . ."

That's the mentality that Salva Dut takes on on his journey from a war-torn Sudan to—he's not sure where. When Salva is forced to leave school due to nearby gunfire, he is separated from his family and friends and sent on a walk that seems to have no end in sight. Along the way, he makes friends with a boy named Mariel and is reunited with a family member, but the hardships of war prove troubling in even the lighter moments.

Newbery Award winner Linda Sue Park's A Long Walk to Water is a story of hope—and how that hope can overcome even the greatest struggles. Adding fictionalized details to Salva Dut's fascinating life story, Park creates a story that is at times heartbreaking but always educational and inspirational.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!