Parvana's Journey (12 page)

GLOSSARY

bolani – A kind of dumpling.

burqa – A long, tent-like garment worn by women. It covers the entire body and has a narrow mesh screen over the eyes.

chador – A piece of cloth worn by women and girls to cover their hair and shoulders.

Dari – One of the two main languages in Afghanistan.

jenazah – A Muslim prayer for the dead.

land mine – A bomb planted in the ground, which explodes if it is stepped on.

mullah – A religious expert and teacher of Islam.

nan – Afghan bread. It can be flat, long or round.

Pashtu – One of the two main languages in Afghanistan.

pilaf – A rice dish that usually contains vegetables, meat and spices.

Ramadan – A month of fasting in the Muslim calendar.

Red Crescent – The Muslim equivalent of the Red Cross, an international organization that provides aid to the sick and wounded in times of disaster and war.

shalwar kameez – Long, loose shirt and trousers, worn by both men and women. A man’s shalwar kameez is one color, with pockets in the side and on the chest. A woman’s shalwar kameez has different colors and patterns and is sometimes elaborately embroidered or beaded.

Soviets – The Soviet Union before its break-up, including Russia and other Communist countries.

Taliban – A militant group that took control of Kabul, Afghanistan, in
1996
and was forced from power in
2001
.

toshak – A narrow mattress used in many Afghan homes instead of chairs or beds.

The Breadwinner

Deborah Ellis

Eleven-year-old Parvana lives in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital city. Her father works from a blanket on the ground in the marketplace, reading letters for people who cannot read or write. One day he is arrested and the family is left without someone who can earn money or even shop for food.

As conditions for the family grow desperate, only one solution emerges. Forbidden to earn money as a girl, Parvana must disguise herself as a boy, and become the breadwinner.

“A great kids’ book
...
a graphic geopolitical brief that’s also a girl-power parable.”
 
—
Newsweek

“...
a book
...
about the hard times
 
—
and the courage
 
—
of Afghan children.”
 
—
Washington Post

Baia delle Favole Literary Award • Hackmatack Award • Middle East Book Award • Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award • Sweden’s Peter Pan Prize • YALSA PPYA

Paperback • 978-1-55498-765-8 • $9.95 CDN / US
epub • 978-1-55498-007-9 • $9.95 CDN / US
mobi • 978-1-55498-581-4 • $9.95 CDN / US

Mud City

Deborah Ellis

Parvana’s best friend, Shauzia, has fled Afghanistan and now has to survive on her own on the streets of Peshawar, Pakistan. With her dog as her only friend, she must scrounge for food, beg for money and look for a safe place to sleep every night.

But could it be worse than a lifetime spent in a refugee camp?

This is a powerful and very human story of a feisty, driven girl who tries to take control of her own life.

✶ “A stunning portrait
...”
 
—
Quill & Quire
, starred review

“… a fine, strong addition to Ellis’ growing list of novels. Highly recommended.” —
Toronto Star

Hackmatack Award • Lamplighter Award • Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices • New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age

Paperback • 978-1-55498-773-3 • $9.95 CDN / US
epub • 978-1-55498-027-7• $9.95 CDN / US
mobi • 978-1-55498-690-3 • $9.95 CDN / US

My Name Is Parvana

Deborah Ellis

In post-Taliban Afghanistan, American soldiers have imprisoned a teenaged girl. But who is she? Why was she found alone in a bombed-out school? Could she be a terrorist?

The girl is held on an American military base and interrogated. She remains silent, even when she is threatened, harassed and mistreated. 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.

✶ “This passionate volume stands on its own … Readers will learn much about the war in Afghanistan even as they cheer on this feisty protagonist.” —
Kirkus
, starred review

✶ “… an example of vivid storytelling with a visceral sense of place, loss, distrust, and hope.” —
School Library Journal
, starred review

Short-listed for the IODE Violet Downey Book Award • Short-listed for the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award • Short-listed for the Rocky Mountain Book Award • Bank Street College of Education’s Best Books of the Year • Capitol Choices Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens • USBBY Outstanding International Books

Paperback • 978-1-55498-298-1 • $9.95 CDN / US
epub • 978-1-55498-299-8 • $9.95 CDN / US
mobi • 978-1-55498-628-6 • $9.95 CDN / US

Kids of Kabul:
Living Bravely Through a Never-ending War

Deborah Ellis

What has happened to Afghanistan’s children since the fall of the Taliban in
2001
? In
2011
, Deborah Ellis went to Kabul to find out. The two dozen or so boys and girls featured in this book range in age from ten to seventeen, and they speak candidly about their lives now. They are still living in a country at war. Yet these kids are weathering their lives with remarkable courage and hope, getting as much education and life experience and fun as they can.

“This nuanced portrayal of adolescence in a struggling nation refrains, refreshingly, from wallowing in tragedy tourism and overwrought handwringing. Necessary.”
 
—
Kirkus

✶ “... compelling and motivating....
A valuable, informative resource.”
 
—
School Library Journal
, starred review

Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction •
Joint winner of the South Asia Book Award • Short-listed for the
TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award • Short-listed for the North Carolina Young Adult Book Award • Bank Street College of Education’s Best Books of the Year • IRA Notable Books for a Global Society • USBBY Outstanding International Books

Hardcover with jacket • 978-1-55498-181-6 • $15.95 CDN / US
epub • 978-1-55498-203-5 • $14.95 CDN / US
mobi • 978-1-55498-613-2 • $14.95 CDN / US

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deborah Ellis
is the celebrated author of almost thirty books for young people. She is best known for her Breadwinner series, which has been published in twenty-five languages and has earned more than $
1
million in royalties to benefit Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan and Street Kids International. She has won the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, the University of California’s Middle East Book Award, the Governor General’s Award, the Ruth Schwartz Award, Sweden’s Peter Pan Prize, and the Vicky Metcalf Award for a Body of Work. She has also received the Ontario Library Association’s President’s Award for Exceptional Achievement, and she has been named to the Order of Ontario.

Deborah lives in Simcoe, Ontario.

deborahellis.com
facebook.com/deborahellisauthor