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 Canadian Women for Women
in Afghanistan. Parvana's Fund supports education projects for Afghan
women and children.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text,
including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or
how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of
episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot
moves toward a resolution.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.9
Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories
and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their
approaches to similar themes and topics.
