The Story of the Lost Boys of SudanIllustrator: R. Gregory Christie
For: School age children
Published: 2005
Rating: 4
Read: Jan. 3, 2009
Coretta Scott King Honor Award
Endpapers; Evergreen
Written by the founder of the Lost Boys of Sudan Foundation, this story is told from the point-of-view of 8-year-old Garang and is based on true stories. While tending cattle in the countryside, Garang's village was attacked, and all the adults and girls were killed - all the boys were out tending cattle. This happened all over southern Sudan, so that thousands of boys were left alone and homeless. They banded together, taking care of each other, and walked all the way to Ethiopia, where they had heard there were refugee camps. We follow Garang through ups and downs as the leader of a group of 35 boys, all the way to America at age 21. What kept them alive? Each other, determination, faith, a yearning for education -- it is a story of bravery and courage.
The prose is easy to understand, written in the first person, and although not what I'd consider "great" writing, it is good storytelling. The illustrations seem to be thick acrylic paintstrokes, and although not my favorites, do the job well. There are excellent AUTHOR'S NOTES and AFTERWORD as well as a map of Africa with Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya clearly labeled. The Lost Boys of Sudan Foundation was begun in 2000, and I wonder where the boys and the foundation stand now.
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