A Long Talk About Linda Sue Park
By: Kylie Stevens
Biography
Linda Sue Park is an author who was born and raised in Illinois, USA. Linda has been writing since she was four so she has a lot of practice and experience. When Park's was nine, her first haiku was published in a children's magazine. Both of her parents were Korean so it has an impact on her life nowadays. After high school, Linda went to Stanford University and majored in English. She also received degrees in London and Dublin. Before discovering that she wanted to be an author, Park's had several jobs like public relations,advertising,food journalism, and teaching English as a second language. IN the mid 90's LInda knew she wanted to be an childrens author. (Scholastic)
Publications
Besides Linda's publications when she was a kid,her Author life started when she would retell Korean Folktales. After that she started working on her novels. Park's has written several books like Seesaw Girl, The Kite Fighters, A Single Shard, A Long Walk To Water and many others. Some of Linda's awards include a John Newbery Award, and also making it on to Best Book Lists. (Cynthia Leitich Smith)
Linda Sue Park
Linda and Salva
In the book, A Long Walk To Water, Linda bases the main character off this man, Salva Dut.
Southern Sudan
In A Long Walk To Water the most of the story is based in Southern Sudan in 1985.
A Long Walk To Water
This book was published in 2010 by the amazing Linda Sue Park. "A Long Walk to Water is based on the true story of Salva, one of some 3,800 Sudanese "Lost Boys" airlifted to the United States beginning in the mid 1990s. Before leaving Africa, Salva's life is one of harrowing tragedy. Separated from his family by war and forced to travel on foot through hundreds of miles of hostile territory, he survives starvation, animal attacks, and disease, and ultimately leads a group of about 150 boys to safety in Kenya. Relocated to upstate New York, Salva resourcefully learns English and continues on to college. Eventually he returns to his home region in southern Sudan to establish a foundation that installs deep-water wells in remote villages in dire need of clean water. This poignant story of Salva's life is told side-by-side with the story of Nya, a young girl who lives today in one of those villages" (lindasuepark.com) This story should be read by everyone around because it has a great theme. Don't take what you have for granted because there are people that have it way worse. Not only should you read it because of the theme but you should read it because it will make you think differently about the world and how one person cam impact it greatly.
Bibliography
- Scholastic. "Linda Sue Park's Biography." Scholastic Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. <http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/linda-sue-park>
"Cynthia Leitich Smith: Official Author Site and Home of Children's & Young Adult Literature Resources." An Interview With Newbery Award Author Linda Sue Park. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/authors/interviews/LindaSuePark.html>.
"A Long Walk to Water." A Long Walk to Water. N.p., 15 Nov. 2010. Web. 07 Nov. 2014. <http://www.lindasuepark.com/books/longwalk/longwalk.html>.