'This spare, hard-hitting novel delivers a memorable portrait of two children in Sudan...Tragic and harrowing.'

'Park simply yet convincingly depicts the chaos of war and an unforgiving landscape...A heartfelt account.'

'Riveting.'

'There have been several books about the lost boys of Sudan for adults, teens, and even for elementary-school readers. But [this] spare, immediate account, based on a true story, adds a stirring contemporary dimension...Young readers will be stunned by the triumphant climax.'

'Brilliant...A touching narrative about strife and survival on a scale most American readers will never see.'

'This powerful dual narrative packs suspense and introspection into Park's characteristic spare description; while there are lots of details offered to the reader, they come not in long, prosaic lines but in simple, detached observations. Both Salva's and Nya's stories are told with brutal, simple honesty, and they deliver remarkable perspective on the Sudanese conflict. The novel's brevity and factual basis makes the reality of life in Sudan very accessible, and readers will find both the story and the style extremely moving.'

'Two narratives intersect in a quiet conclusion that is filled with hope.'

'[A] fast, page-turning read...A great book for high school students and an important novel for young adults who enjoy learning about other world cultures.'

Linda Sue Park is the author of many books for young readers, including the Newbery Medal winner A Single Shard, and many other novels, poems and picture books. She lives in Rochester, New York, with her family, and gave a popular TED talk called Can A Children's Book Change the World?