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

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story Overview

A Long Walk to Water is a historical novel based on a true story by Linda Sue Park. Published in 2010, the novel is written for older children and young adults. In each chapter, there are two different time periods and two different stories that eventually are brought together in the final chapter. The first story is about Nya, an 11-year-old girl living in contemporary (2008) Southern Sudan who must make two long walks to fetch water for her family each day. The second—and main—story is set in 1985 and based on the true life experiences of Salva Dut, a boy forced to flee the war in Southern Sudan at 11 years old. A Long Walk to Water explores themes of perseverance, responsibility, civil unrest, and war. NOTE: Citations in this Lesson Plan are from the paperback version of A Long Walk to Water, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.