A Long Walk to Water: Chapters 1–5

by Linda Sue Park
A boy named Salva struggles to survive after being separated from his family in war-torn Sudan. A girl named Nya spends hours each day collecting water for her parents and sister. Their lives eventually intersect in this novel based on a true story.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–11, Chapters 12–18
15 words 43136 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. drone
    talk in a monotonous voice
    The teacher droned on with the lesson, about the Arabic language.
  2. urgent
    compelling immediate action
    “Go quickly, all of you,” the teacher said, his voice low and urgent. “Into the bush. Do you hear me? Not home. Don’t run home. They will be going into the villages. Stay away from the villages — run into the bush.”
  3. veer
    turn sharply; change direction abruptly
    Overhead, a jet plane veered away like a sleek evil bird.
  4. tense
    in or of a state of physical or nervous strain
    At first, everyone stood around uncertainly, speaking in tense whispers or silent with fear.
  5. gleaming
    bright with a steady but subdued shining
    All he could see was the gun’s huge barrel, black and gleaming, as it moved toward his face.
  6. sludge
    any thick, viscous matter
    The dirt under her feet turned to mud, then sludge, until at last she was ankle-deep in water.
  7. ritual
    of or relating to or employed in social ceremonies
    The ritual scar patterns on her forehead were familiar: They were Dinka patterns, which meant that she was from the same tribe as Salva.
  8. flinch
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    Salva flinched at her glance. Would she be friendly to a stranger? Would she be angry with him for spending the night in her barn?
  9. haunch
    the upper thigh and back of the hip in human beings
    Squatting on his haunches next to her, Salva shelled the nuts and ate them.
  10. artillery
    large but transportable armament
    During the daytime, Salva could hear the distant booming of artillery from the fighting a few miles away.
  11. desperately
    in a state of intense distress and hopelessness
    With every shell that exploded he would think of his family, hoping they were safe, wondering desperately when he would be with them again.
  12. lag
    hang or fall in movement, progress, development, etc.
    Then he caught up with the group, determined not to lag behind, not to complain, not to be any trouble to anyone.
  13. stunted
    inferior in size or quality
    The terrain changed from scrub to woodland; they walked among stands of stunted trees.
  14. abruptly
    quickly and without warning
    Buksa stopped abruptly in front of a very large tree.
  15. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    It was worth it, Salva thought as he touched his eye gingerly.
Created on Wed Mar 26 20:35:53 EDT 2014 (updated Mon Jun 16 18:07:57 EDT 2025)

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