My Name Is Parvana (Breadwinner Series, 4) - Softcover

Ellis, Deborah

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1554982987 ISBN 13: 9781554982981

Publisher: Groundwood Books, 2015

Synopsis

In this stunning sequel to The Breadwinner Trilogy, Parvana, now 15-years-old, is found in a bombed-out school and held as a suspected terrorist by American troops in Afghanistan. The girl does not respond to questions in any language and remains silent, even when she is threatened, harassed, and mistreated over several days. The only clue to her identity is a tattered shoulder bag containing papers that refer to people named Shauzia, Nooria, Leila, Asif, Hassan — and Parvana. As she waits for foreign military forces to determine her fate, she remembers the past four years of her life. Reunited with her mother and sisters, she has been living in a village where her mother managed to open a school for girls. But when local men threaten the school, she must draw on every ounce of bravery she possesses to survive the disaster that kills her mother and destroys the school. Ellis’ final novel in the series is harrowing, inspiring, and thought-provoking. The paperback edition includes a new cover and map, and an author’s note. Royalties from the sale of this book go to Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. Parvana’s Fund supports education projects for Afghan women and children.

About this title

About the Author:

Deborah Ellis is the author of over 18 books, many of them bestsellers worldwide. She lives in Simcoe, Ontario.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 6-10-This sequel to the series is not merely an important book about the difficulty of girls' lives in war-torn, U.S.-occupied Afghanistan. It is also an example of vivid storytelling with a visceral sense of place, loss, distrust, and hope. Strong-willed Parvana, now 15, is inexplicably and stoically silent throughout her incarceration and none-too-gentle interrogation by U.S. troops. Alternate chapters take readers back through the past year during which Parvana and her family (and other beloved characters from previous books) defend their girls' school in a town hostile to the notion of female education. Although Ellis relies heavily upon readers' attachment to certain characters formed in earlier books, newcomers still get a strong sense of personality from Parvana's friends and family members. The Americans and minor Afghani figures are tossed about as caricatures, e.g., the overly suspicious commanding officer, the ignorant racist private, the volatile village men who throw rocks at girls whose head coverings have slipped. Why Parvana remains silent in U.S. custody will be difficult for many young readers to understand, but Ellis makes it easy to immerse oneself in this very foreign place, where hope thrives despite explosions and abused child brides and stonings. A must-buy title.-Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DCα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1554982987
• ISBN 13: 9781554982981
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 216