Parvana's Journey
In Parvana's Journey, the Taliban still control Afghanistan, but Kabul is in ruins. Parvana's father has just died, and her mother, sister, and brother could be anywhere in the country. Parvana knows she must find them. Despite her youth, Parvana sets out alone, masquerading as a boy. She soon meets other children who are victims of war; an infant boy in a bombed-out village, a nine-year-old girl who thinks she has magic powers over landmines, and a boy with one leg. The children travel together, forging a kind of family out of sheer need. The strength of their bond makes it possible to survive the most desperate conditions.
Jane Addams Children's Book Award for Older Children (2003); Ruth Schwarz Award (2003)
About the Parvana (Breadwinner) Series
Books in series order
- 1.Parvana (The Breadwinner)(2000)
- 2.Parvana's Journey(2002)
- 3.Mud City (Shauzia)(2003)
- 4.Parvana's Promise (My Name is Parvana)(2012)
- 5.One More Mountain(2022)
Reading age: 10+ years
This series should be read in order.
Based on the true-life stories of women in Afghan refugee camps, the Parvana series is the inspiring story of Parvana, a young girl growing up in Afghanistan, as she struggles to make a life for herself and her family under the harsh rule of the Taliban.
Imagine living in a country where women and girls are not allowed to leave the house without a man. Imagine having to wear clothes that cover every part of your body, including your face, whenever you go out. This is the life of Parvana, a young girl growing up in Afghanistan under the control of an extreme religious military group.
When soldiers burst into her home and drag her father off to prison, Parvana is forced to take responsibility for her whole family, dressing as a boy to make a living in the marketplace of Kabul, risking her life in the dangerous and volatile city.
By turns exciting and touching, Parvana's story is one of courage in the face of overwhelming fear and repression.
Note: This series is also known as the Breadwinner.