BASIC FACTS
Who wrote the book?
Linda Sue Park
What does Nya's day look like 7 months of the year?
She walks to water and brings it back by lunch. She has lunch with her mother and sister. Then she takes her sister back to the water to gather more to bring home.
What does Salva do when the rebels surround his group? And how do they respond?
He offers to fight with the men, but they tell him to go with the women, children, and elderly
Why do people keep abandoning (or wanting to abandon) Salva at the start of the book?
Because he is young, they must feed him and food is scarce, he cannot help hunt or fight, and it is more dangerous to travel
Where is Salva's group walking to?
A refugee camp in Ethiopia
Where does the book take place so far?
Southern Sudan
What does Nya's day look like 5 months of the year?
Her family moves to a lake where they have to live in a camp and dig in the lakebed for water every day. Also, her dad and brothers must hunt in dangerous territory.
How does Salva's first group get their first found food?
They follow a bird to honeycomb and cut it down
What group does Salva belong to?
Dinka
How did Marial die?
He was eaten by a lion in the night
What year does Nya start her story?
2008
What tribe does Nya belong to?
Nuer
What happens after Salva's Uncle kills a topi for the group?
Everyone eats too much and spends the night getting sick
What memory does Salva have of his father in Ch. 8?
His dad would bring him mangos and come home with them in the spokes of his bike
Describe Salva's uncle
Supportive of Salva, a leader and a fighter
What year does Salva start his story?
1985
What does her family do when Nya's sister gets sick and what is the outcome?
They take a dangerous walk to a doctor to get her medicine, but it helps make her better.
Why do the fisherman disappear at sunset?
Because of the mosquitos
Describe Salva's family
He has brothers, sisters, a mom, and a dad who is a judge and they are all cattle herders
What made Nya's sister Akeer sick?
The water not being clean
Why are North Sudan and South Sudan fighting.
South Sudan wants to be free/independent of North Sudan (due to religious and cultural differences, as North Sudan has a larger Muslim population, and South Sudan is more religiously diverse)
What are the strangers looking for in Nya's village?
Access to water (the pond she goes to every day)
What do the men in Ch. 9 tell the women not to do with the water and why?
Give it to the dying men, because they will still die, and then the women will die too
How does Salva's Uncle get him to keep walking?
He tells him to just make it to the next thing, one step at a time
What are the "clumps of rocks" Salva sees when walking in the desert in Ch. 9?
People passed out or dead