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Linda Sue Park

Author of A Single Shard

38+ Works 18,127 Members 921 Reviews 4 Favorited

About the Author

Linda Sue Park was born in Urbana, Illinois on March 25, 1960. She received a B.A. in English from Stanford University. After graduating, she worked as a public-relations writer for a major oil company for two years. She obtained advanced degrees in literature from Trinity College, Dublin in show more Ireland and from the University of London. Before becoming a full-time author, she held numerous jobs including working for an advertising agency, teaching English as a second language to college students, and working as a food journalist. Her first book, Seesaw Girl, was published in 1999. Her other books include The Kite Fighters, Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems), and A Single Shard, which won the 2002 Newbery Medal. She also wrote Storm Warning, which is the ninth book in the 39 Clues series. Her title A Long Walk to Water made the New York Times bestseller list. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Linda Sue Park gives a presentaiton on the Children's Green Stage at the National Book Festival, August 31, 2019. Photo by David Rice/Library of Congress. By Library of Congress Life - 20190831DR0213.jpg, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82899176

Series

Works by Linda Sue Park

A Single Shard (2001) 4,857 copies
Storm Warning (2010) 1,558 copies
When My Name Was Keoko (2002) 1,273 copies
The Kite Fighters (2000) 1,048 copies
Project Mulberry (2005) 858 copies
Bee-Bim Bop! (2008) 841 copies
Trust No-One (2012) 472 copies
Seesaw Girl (1999) 463 copies
Prairie Lotus (2020) 444 copies
Keeping Score (2008) 386 copies
The Firekeeper's Son (1900) 313 copies
Archer's Quest (2006) 278 copies
Tap Dancing on the Roof (2007) 233 copies
Forest of Wonders (2016) 213 copies

Associated Works

Click (2007) — Contributor — 456 copies
Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out (2008) — Contributor — 342 copies
Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All (2018) — Contributor — 312 copies
The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection (2018) — Contributor — 96 copies
The Hero Next Door (2019) — Contributor — 86 copies
You Are Here: Connecting Flights (2023) — Contributor — 66 copies
The Exquisite Corpse Adventure (2011) — Contributor — 61 copies
Period Pieces: Stories for Girls (2003) — Contributor — 15 copies

Tagged

adventure (148) Africa (175) Asia (153) chapter book (136) children (120) children's (186) children's literature (134) culture (84) family (307) fantasy (124) fiction (825) food (93) friendship (134) historical (98) historical fiction (945) history (225) Japan (115) juvenile (86) juvenile fiction (85) Korea (787) Korean (159) middle grade (100) multicultural (244) mystery (134) Newbery (150) Newbery Medal (179) non-fiction (93) picture book (267) poetry (102) pottery (202) realistic fiction (164) refugees (100) short stories (146) Sudan (186) survival (86) to-read (457) war (174) WWII (168) YA (173) young adult (207)

Common Knowledge

Members

Discussions

(M62'12) A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park in World Reading Circle (September 2012)

Reviews

Salva Dut is 11 years old when war raging in the Sudan separates him from his family. To avoid the conflict, he walks for years with other refugees, seeking sanctuary and scarce food and water. Park simply yet convincingly depicts the chaos of war and an unforgiving landscape as they expose Salva to cruelties both natural and man-made. The lessons Salva remembers from his family keep him from despair during harsh times in refugee camps and enable him, as a young man, to begin a new life in America. As Salva’s story unfolds, readers also learn about another Sudanese youth, Nya, and how these two stories connect contributes to the satisfying conclusion. This story is told as fiction, but it is based on real-life experiences of one of the “Lost Boys” of the Sudan. Salva and Nya’s compelling voices lift their narrative out of the “issue” of the Sudanese War, and only occasionally does the explanation of necessary context intrude in the storytelling. Salva’s heroism and the truth that water is a source of both conflict and reconciliation receive equal, crystal-clear emphasis in this heartfelt account. (Fiction. 10-14)

-Kirkus Review
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CDJLibrary | 154 other reviews | Mar 15, 2024 |
Another newberry winner and justifiably so. I enjoyed the plot and characters and what I learned about ancient Korea and pottery. I was somewhat upset at the ending… will leave it at that as don’t want to do spoiler.
 
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cspiwak | 148 other reviews | Mar 6, 2024 |
My 12 year old son gives this his highest recommendation. “I really like historical fiction and learning about other places, and stories of people trying to survive, and this has both and is really good!”
 
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lelandleslie | 154 other reviews | Feb 24, 2024 |

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Statistics

Works
38
Also by
12
Members
18,127
Popularity
#1,217
Rating
4.0
Reviews
921
ISBNs
349
Languages
13
Favorited
4

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