Parched

by Melanie Crowder

Overview

In this haunting, lyrical novel told from three perspectives, Sarel has just witnessed the violent murder of her parents. But she is not completely alone on the drought-ridden land. Nandi is the leader of a pack of dogs who looks out for her pups and for skinny Sarel-girl. Nandi knows they are all in trouble, and she knows, too, that a boy is coming—an escaped prisoner with the water song inside him. A hard-hitting but ultimately hopeful survival story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544336315
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/18/2014
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	890L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Melanie Crowder is a ceramist, painter, and sculptor who received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. 
 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Brutally beautiful, this is a story that both inspires and sounds an alarm, a story of courage and heart. Just like Musa’s ability to tap into water, it asks us to tap into our own humanity, even though it might be more deeply hidden than we can imagine."—Kathi Appelt, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Underneath

"A thrilling, imaginative soul quencher. Crowder’s stunning debut is sure to become a modern classic."—Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor-winning author of One Crazy Summer

"Spare, unflinching, and beautifully written, this novel walks the line between magic and reality."—Franny Bilingsley, National Book Award finalist for Chime

Editorial Reviews

A Junior Library Guild Selection   "Brutally beautiful, this is a story that both inspires and sounds an alarm, a story of courage and heart. Just like Musa’s ability to tap into water, it asks us to tap into our own humanity, even though it might be more deeply hidden than we can imagine."
—Kathi Appelt, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Underneath   "A thrilling, imaginative soul quencher. Crowder’s stunning debut is sure to become a modern classic."
—Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor-winning author of One Crazy Summer   "Spare, unflinching, and beautifully written, this novel walks the line between magic and reality."
— Franny Bilingsley, National Book Award finalist for Chime   "Thirst and heat are palpable as kids and dogs fight fatal dehydration. . . . A wrenching piece with a wisp of hope for the protagonists if not for the rest of their world."
—Kirkus   "The writing, especially the descriptions of the drought conditions and extreme thirst, is excellent."
—School Library Journal   "The direct powerful prose in this first novel dramatizes the exciting contemporary survival story. . . . Fans of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet (1987) will want this."
—Booklist   "Taut yet descriptive, Crowder's writing dramatically captures the characters' desperation; the blistering heat and their acute hunger and thirst are entirely persuasive."
—Publishers Weekly   * "Crowder's spare storytelling and third-person narration provide young readers some safe distance for witnessing the tragic events, while well-chosen details and taut descriptions effectively convey the intensity of the situation."
—Bulletin, starred review —

From the Publisher

With severe drought, child enslavement, and multiple shootings of people and dogs, this slim volume isn't for the faint of heart, though it repays those who soldier on. In an unspecified African "place of dust and death," in a story somewhere between realism and fable, Nandi the dog narrates an opening scene in which Sarel sees her parents gunned down. The gunmen, failing to find a water source, set the house afire and depart, leaving Sarel orphaned on her desert homestead. An underground grotto with a well sustains Sarel and her pack of dogs--fully family to her--while they recover from smoke inhalation and bullet wounds. In a nearby city, Musa sits in chains, taken outdoors only when gunmen (those who shot Sarel's parents) need a dowser--Musa hears a buzz in his skull when water's nearby. One generation ago, there were faucets and lawn sprinklers; now, gangs kill for a water bottle. When Musa escapes and Sarel's well runs dry, the tale's fablelike nature makes their meeting inevitable, even in the desert. The narration uses primarily Sarel's and Musa's perspectives, describing nature sparely and vividly. Thirst and heat are palpable as kids and dogs fight fatal dehydration. Occasionally, Nandi narrates, in broken English more distracting than doglike. A wrenching piece with a wisp of hope for the protagonists if not for the rest of their world. (Fiction. 12-14)

Kirkus Reviews