A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

When rebels take over his village in the African Sudan and gunfire erupts outside of his one room school, 11 year old Salva flees for his life.  Not knowing if his family is dead or alive, he joins a refugee band and heads to a camp in the neighboring country of Ethiopia.  Dodging the bullets and rebels who force children to become soldiers, Salva's dangerous journey is just beginning.  When he finally makes it to Ethiopia and later Kenya, he is one of the few selected to join a family in America.  Read about the true life story of Salva and his journey across Africa in A Long Walk to Water.