Lost Boy, Lost Girl:
Escaping Civil War in Sudan
with Michael S. Sweeney and K.M. Kostyal
2010, National Geographic Society
Inspirisational Personal Memorable
Awards & Honors:
- 2011 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Nominee
- Included in the 2011 Notable Books For a Global Society
Helpful Information:
Age Level- 11-14
Reading Level-Fountas and Pinnell- W
Lexile- 900
Suggested Delivery- individual or small group
Genre- Non-Fiction
Key Vocabulary & Terms:
Clan- a group of families or households
Amochro- short plant with a fleshy, juicy root shaped like an onion
Apai- a type of grass
Refuge- A person who is fleeing their own country or home becuase of the danger there
Refugee Camp- a temporary settlement built to receive refugees, designed to meet basic human needs (food, water, and a home) for only a short time
Luak- a cattle shed
Sorghum- a type of grain that you boil, similar to grits
Dowry- In the Dinka culture usually the man would give the brides family cows in order to marry her
Lost Boys- the name given to the groups of over 20,000 boys from Southern Sudan who were displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War
Lost Girls- the name given to the group of girls from Southern Sudan who were displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Many girls were in foster homes at the refugee camps and where foster parents would require them to do many chores and try marry them off to much older men to recieve the dowry.
Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading Activity:
This topic may be very different for most students, something they have never learned about yet. Show students a map of Sudan and Afric, teach them about the history and geography. Get students familiar with the topic and intrigued to read more about first hand accounts.
- For more information on the History of Sudan and a timeline of both civil wars please visit this site.
During Reading Activity and Writing Activity:
While reading have students keep track of the places that John and Martha traveled to. Encourage students to write down facts about their journey there and important things that happend when they arrived to their different destinations. Students should also be able to explain what different emotions John and Martha were feeling during their journeys.
After Reading Activity:
Provide students with a map of Sudan, Africa, and the world. Have them look back in their Travel Journal and track the journey of John and Martha. Ask them essential questions like: Were they ever in the same place? How did they meet? Where did they end up at the end of the book? Some student may be able to track the amount of miles John and Martha traveled using the scale on the map (a great way to combine math with literacy!)