A long walk to water
based on a true story
Readers rate it 4.2 (77 on Hardcover)
145 pages · Released 2009 · Clarion Books
Content report card
A long walk to water parent’s guide: what’s inside
Language
Sexual content
LGBTQ+ themes
Substance use
What it offers
Educational value
A note for parents
This acclaimed novel tells the true story of a Sudanese refugee boy separated from his family during civil war, following his long journey to safety. While it addresses serious themes of war, displacement, and survival, the treatment is age-appropriate for mature middle-grade readers and emphasizes resilience, kindness, and the power of helping others. The dual narrative (alternating between Salva's story and a modern girl's perspective) and strong educational value about refugee experiences and global issues make it valuable despite the heavy subject matter.
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From the publisher
When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after emigrating to America in 1996, began a project to... When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after emigrating to America in 1996, began a project to dig water wells in Sudan.
Shelved under
- Children's fiction
- Refugees, fiction
- Survival, fiction
- Blacks, fiction
- Africa, east, fiction
- nyt:childrens-middle-grade=2013-07-28
- New York Times bestseller
- Water
- Blacks
- Juvenile fiction
- History
- Refugees
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ISBN 9780547251271 · Clarion Books