The second book in the internationally-bestselling series that includes The Breadwinner, Mud City and My Name Is Parvana
In 2001, a war is raging in Afghanistan as a coalition of Western forces tries to oust the Taliban by bombing the country. Parvana's father has died, and her mother, sister and brother have gone to a faraway wedding, not knowing what has happened to the father. Parvana doesn't know where they are. She just knows she has to find them.
She sets out alone, masquerading as a boy, her journey becoming more perilous as the bombs begin to fall. Making her way across the desolate Afghan countryside, she meets other children who are strays from the war -- an infant boy in a bombed-out village, a nine-year-old girl who believes she has magical powers over land mines, and a boy with one leg who is so obnoxious that Parvana can hardly stand him. The children travel together because it is easier than being alone. And, as they forge their own family in the war zone that Afghanistan has become, their resilience, imagination and luck help them to survive.
The reissue includes a new cover and map, an updated author's note and a glossary to provide young readers with background and context. All royalties from the sale of this book will go to Right to Learn Afghanistan.
"This sequel...easily stands alone...An unforgettable read." -- School Library Journal, starred review
DEBORAH ELLIS is the author of The Breadwinner, which has been published in thirty languages. She has won the Governor General's Award, the Middle East Book Award, the Peter Pan Prize, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Deborah has donated more than $2 million in royalties to organizations such as Right to Learn Afghanistan, Mental Health Without Borders and the UNHCR. She lives in Simcoe, Ontario.
Target age: 10 to 18
Groundwood Books
Pub Date: May 1, 2015
0.4" H x 7.9" L x 5.2" W
200 pages
Paperback