A Long Walk To Water
Text-Based Discussion Questions
Pre-Reading:
1. What do you notice about how the text is laid out?
2. What do you notice about the type? The dates? The titles? Etc.
3. Why do you think the author made these choices?
4. Look closely at the map at the beginning of the book. What do you notice? What do you
wonder?
5. Salva’s route goes from Loun-Ariik to Kakuma. What environments does he travel
through?
Chapter 1:
1. Before his village was attacked, Salva was daydreaming about his life at home. What are
three things we learned about him in this passage?
2. Why are North Sudan and South Sudan fighting?
3. Why did only the boys go to school?
Chapter 2:
1. What does Nya’s experience with the thorn tell us about her? What is a personality trait
you could use to describe her, based on her reaction?
2. How does Linda Sue Park describe the airplane Salva sees? What does this tell us about
the plane? What literary device is this?
3. How is Salva feeling when he realizes the men with the guns are the rebels? Explain.
4. What does Salva’s choice to step forward on p. 11 tell you about his character? Explain.
5. Reread this sentence about a Rebel soldier:
“A soldier hit him in the face with the butt of a gun.”
If the Rebels are supposed to be the “good guys,” why are they being so harsh?
6. Why does Salva keep repeating the words, “where is my family” throughout the chapter?
7. Why does everyone leave Salva behind at the end of the chapter?
Chapter 3:
1. What was the long history between the Nuer and the Dinka tribes?
2. How does Salva identify the old woman as being from the Dinka tribe?
3. What does Salva mean when he says “everything was upside down?”
4. What was the old woman's reasoning for not bringing Salva along with her?
5. How does Salva feel when he sees the group of people walking towards the house?
Chapter 4:
1. Describe a typical day in Nya’s life.
2. Why did the men consider leaving Salva behind?
3. In the end, why did they let him join them?
4. Describe a typical day in Salva’s new life.
