Bibliograph

The breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis

Type

Label

The breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis

Language

eng

Illustrations

maps

Index

no index present

Intended audience

Pre-adolescent

Literary Form

novels

Main title

The breadwinner

Responsibility statement

by Deborah Ellis

Series statement

Breadwinner, 1

Summary

Eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital city. Parvana's father was a history teacher until his school was bombed and now, his health destroyed, works from a blanket on the ground in the marketplace, reading letters for people who cannot read or write. One day, he is arrested for the crime of having a foreign education, 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 transform herself into a boy, and become the breadwinner. The 15th anniversary edition includes a special foreword by Deborah Ellis as well as a new map, an updated author's note, and a glossary to provide young readers with background and context

Target audience

pre adolescent

Creator