A Long Walk to Water Book Summary

        A Long Walk to Water, is written by Linda Sue Park. The story bounces back between two characters, Nya, and Salva Dut. Nya is an 11-year-old girl who has to walk two eight-hour trips daily to fetch water. She has to watch out for thorns and make sure she gets enough water. The water they drink is from a pond and it is very mucky and dirty.  Nya's family moves back to and from to camps, every year. When it is the dry season she moves to the camp. In the other half of the year she lives at her house with her siblings, and family. On day at the camp her sister Akeer, gets very sick, and has to travel a very long trip, or go to the 'hospital' there. Nya comforts her sister while she is in the camps, medical area. One day two men come to the camp and talk about something Nya did not know about. Later she found out that they were going to build a well for her village, right by her house. When the well is finally built they find out that there is going to be a school and market place built, and she willl be able to go to school. One day Nya mets the builder. She says, "The man smiled. 'Whats your name?' he asked. 'I am Nya.'  ' I am happy to meet you, Nya,' he said. 'My name is ___________'


          Salva is also a 11-year-old boy who is in a war torn village. He fled from his family because of a war break out during school. He ran into the bush not knowing that he wouldn't see his dad for 19 years. He traveled on tough terrain and joined other groups of people from the Dinka tribe on the way. One day Salva met a new friend, named Marial, who was going through the same trial. One day Salva's group met with another tribe, and in this tribe was Salva's uncle. Salva was ecstatic to meet his uncle. One night while they were sleeping a lion ate Marial. They later had to cross the Nile and go through the toughest part of their journey the Akobo desert. Salva's uncle gets shot by a group of armed men in the desert. Later they make it to a refugee camp in Ethiopia and Salva lives there for six years and is later pushed out by soldiers. Salva leads a group of boys and gets most of them to a refugee camp in Kenya. Later Salva moves to the Nairobi refugee camp also in Kenya. Salva is later moved to Rochester New York, in the United States, with a family. Salva lives in the United States for 15 years and later goes to see his dad in the clinic in Sudan. Salva hasn't seen his dad in 19 years and was ecstatic to see him.