Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan

Written by Mary Williams

Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Published in 2005 by Lee & Low Books

ISBN: 1584302321

Grades: 2 - 6

  After a civil war destroys villages and kills millions of people, a group of approximately 30,000 Sudanese boys, ages 8-15, band together and walk nearly 1,000 miles to find safety at a refuge camp in Ethiopia. Here, they meet a man named Tom who helps them. However, as soon as they feel safe, they must flee again due to outbreaks of violence in Ethiopia. Tom travels with them to Kenya, but when he finally leaves, the boys face many difficulties. Thirteen years later, after telling the boys’ story in the United States, Tom finally returns to the camp where the boys are and shares the good news with them…they will all have a home in the United States.

    Reflection: 

Teaching history lessons on war-torn countries doesn’t always stick with young students, but reading a story generally does…especially a story about children who are similar ages to the readers. It’s hard for children who were born and raised in the United States to understand the impact that wars have on a country and the people who live there. It’s even sometimes hard for me, as an adult, to understand this concept. What would it be like for me to leave my house and worry about if I would make it back to my house later that day? What would it be like to hear bombs going off in the distance? I will hopefully never know the answers to these questions, but many people who live in other countries aren’t so lucky. This fictionalized story helps people of all ages to understand the effects that the civil war had on the country of Sudan and the people who live there. It’s a powerful story that students of various ages will help students better understand devastation, war, and the feeling of hope.

  Classroom Applications: 

Research: Allow students to research the war in Sudan and wars in other countries. How were the people of these countries affected? Where are The Lost Boys now?

Connect: Have you ever gotten lost and couldn’t find your parents or whoever you were with? How did you feel? What did you do? Put yourself in the shoes of The Lost Boys. How do you think they felt? How would you have felt it you were one of The Lost Boys? What would you have done?

Write: Pick and research a topic similar to the war in Sudan and The Lost Boys. Write a fictional story about the topic.