Parched

What an apt title, Sarel's family life has been decimated with the arrival of men looking for water. They murder Sarel's parents and set their home on fire with Sarel terrorized thereafter with the recurring fire nightmare. If she did not have her father's dogs (Rhodesian Ridgebacks)I know she would have perished from grief. Each night Sarel would lock the herself and the dogs kennel and they would drape themselves across her body. For awhile there was water but it became evident that the water was drying up. There is a boy, Musa, who is in shackles and being held against his will because he can find water just by dowsing sticks. Musa escapes his captors and walks across the desert and finds Sarel and her dogs. The mother dog, Nandi, knows Musa is the boy who will find them water. Melanie Crowder's plot, characters, and their exhaustive, painful search for water is a must read. It will make readers aware of how many throughout the world are losing their water source and how we must work on conserving this natural resource before it is too late.

I bought this book because the dogs in the story are Rhodesian Ridgebacks. It’s a book for mid teens. (It’s pretty intense subject matter) I initially bought for my 10 year old grandson. I read the first few chapters & decided to save it. We own this breed, they are a somewhat little known breed. They are large dogs & make a wonderful protective family dog. They do require training as puppies. They are quite headstrong & stubborn. Very loyal, loving, & do calm down when they are 2-3 years old. It’s a good book. Short read.

It's hard to find anything to complain about in this mythic parable of a girl, a boy and a dog as they guard the only water source left after a homestead attack in the bush. It's breath-takingly easy to read, as well. What will happen to the young water seeker after the ending? Perhaps a sequel.We know the girl will be all right because of her dogs.

Crowder's debut is stunning. The language is beautiful, and the sparse prose perfectly reflects the parched setting. The characters are easy to like and root for, as they show a lot of determination and heart. And the structure is great--I enjoyed getting the three different points of view (including the dog's!). You'll love this book, but make sure you have a glass of water handy when you read--it'll make you thirsty! :-)

This sparse, post-apocalyptic book is set in a drought-ravaged land and tells the story of a girl who's lost everything but her dogs and a boy who's lost everything but his ability to find water. The prose is lovely and the story is gripping. A quick, but powerful read.

Good writing, especially describing the landscape. Could use a bit more character development. Location deliberately vague, so it could be set anywhere. Using the different voices: dog, girl, boy, was helpful.

If you want a book to grab your middle grade reader and not let them go until the last page, this is the book. The story is told from the view point of the three main characters, yet each blends with the other. This is a story of survival under the harshest of conditions from nature and man. I thought and talked about this book for days after finishing it. I will suggest our class at school read this book.

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