THE LOST BOYS OF NATINGA: A School for Sudan's Young Refugees

by Judy Walgren ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1998

Thousands of boys ages 8-18, displaced by the Sudan's bloody civil war, have taken refuge in Natinga, in southern Sudan, in a camp protected by the Sudanese People's Liberation Army. Walgren, who traveled to Natinga and spent time in the camp, puts a human face on this tragedy as she records in text and full-color photographs the daily lives and straggles of these children. After offering background on the war, she describes the significance of the school, closed when it rains because there is no roof; when school is in session, children smooth over and mark letters on the mud floor with sticks because paper and pencils are scarce. Breakfast is half a cup of grain from the relief trucks, hunger is faced with resignation and pain. Among the challenges are growing up without parents or community, keeping clean when there is little water or sanitary facilities, considering a future that may include conscription by the army, and returning to a half-remembered home a stranger. Haunting and compelling.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1998

Categories: CHILDREN'S