The Breadwinner Series
book 1
The Breadwinner
ages 10 to 14 / grades 5 to 9
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September 2000 | 9781554987658 | Paperback | $11.99
September 2000 | 9781554980079 | Ebook | $9.95
"All girls [should read] The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis." — Malala Yousafzai, New York Times
The first book in Deborah Ellis’s riveting Breadwinner series is an award-winning novel about loyalty, survival, families and friendship under extraordinary circumstances during the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan in the late 1990s.
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 — a history teacher until his school was bombed and 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 fifteenth 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. All royalties from the sale of this book will go to Right to Learn Afghanistan. Parvana’s Fund supports education projects for Afghan women and children.
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Winner, Hackmatack Award, 2003
Short-listed, Trillium Book Award, 2001
Winner, Baia delle Favole Prize for ages 9–12, 2003
Winner, Middle East Book Award, 2002
Short-listed, Rocky Mountain Book Award, 2003
Winner, Swedish Peter Pan Prize, 2003
Long-listed, OLA Golden Oak Award, 2003
Long-listed, OLA Red Maple Award, 2001
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“[The books in the Breadwinner series] are terrifying indictments of what war can bring to children and a powerful testament to the ingenuity and strength of young people in times of terror.” —Book Links
“...an exceptional story that enlightens the reader about circumstances beyond comprehension and helps students understand that all of us in this global community share the same hopes, dreams, and fears.” —Resource Links
“..a book...about the hard times — and the courage — of Afghan children.” —Washington Post
“A great kids’ book...a graphic geopolitical brief that’s also a girl-power parable.” —Newsweek
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Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).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.
book 2
Parvana’s Journey
ages 10 to 14 / grades 5 to 9
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October 2002 | 9781554987702 | Paperback | $10.99
October 2002 | 9781554980307 | Ebook | $9.95
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 Right to Learn Afghanistan. Parvana’s Fund supports education projects for Afghan women and children.
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Commended, Amazon.ca Top Ten, 2002
Commended, CLA Book of the Year for Children Award (Honour Book), 2003
Long-listed, Garden State Teen Book AWards (NJLA), 2005
Long-listed, Governor General's Literary Award: Text, 2002
Winner, Jane Addams Children's Book Award, 2003
Commended, Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Award, 2004
Winner, OLA Golden Oak Award, 2004
Long-listed, OLA Red Maple Award, 2004
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“[The books in the Breadwinner trilogy] are terrifying indictments of what war can bring to children and a powerful testaments to the ingenuity and strength of young people in times of terror.” — Book Links
⭐️ “This sequel to The Breadwinner easily stands alone...An unforgettable read.” — School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Ellis, in focusing on the personal struggle of her young character, leaves readers with a lasting impression of another life and culture where, despite desperate hardship, compassion and courage can still prevail.” — Quill & Quire
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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.
book 3
Mud City
ages 10 to 14 / grades 5 to 9
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September 2003 | 9781554987733 | Paperback | $10.99
September 2003 | 9781554980277 | Ebook | $9.95
The third book in the internationally bestselling series that includes The Breadwinner, Parvana’s Journey and My Name Is Parvana.
Parvana’s best friend, Shauzia, has escaped the misery of her life in Kabul, only to end up in a refugee camp in Pakistan. But she still dreams of seeing the ocean and eventually making a new life in France.This is the dream that has sustained her through the terrible years in Kabul. It is the dream for which she has forsaken family and friends.
But it is hard to imagine herself in a field of purple lavender when she is living in the Widows’ Compound of a muddy, crowded refugee camp outside Peshawar. Even worse, the compound is run by Mrs. Weera, Shauzia’s bossy phys ed teacher from Kabul, who insists that Shauzia be useful and make the best of a dismal situation.
Shauzia finally decides to leave the camp and try her luck on the streets. She is determined to earn money to buy her passage out of the country. Peshawar is dangerous and full of desperately poor and wandering children like herself, but she has Jasper, the dog who followed her down from a shepherds’ camp in the mountains. And she knows how to masquerade as a boy and comb the streets for jobs. She figures she knows how to survive.
But life as a street kid is dangerous and terrifying, and even with the advantages of a strong will, brave spirit and good luck, Shauzia soon discovers that the old choices are not so easy any more. This is a powerful and very human story of a feisty, driven girl who tries to take control of her own life.
The reissue includes a new cover and map, and an updated author’s note and glossary to provide young readers with background and context. Royalties from the sale of this book will go to Street Kids International.
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Commended, CCBC Our Choice, 2004
Commended, Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice, 2004
Winner, Hackmatack Award, 2005
Commended, Lamplighter Award, 2005
Commended, NYPL Books for the Teenage List, 2004
Long-listed, Red Cedar Book Award, 2005
Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, 2004
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⭐️ “...a stunning portrait of a totally devastated world where children are forced to fend for themselves...” — Quill & Quire, STARRED REVIEW
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Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.6
Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.9
Compare and contrast one author's presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person).
book 4
My Name Is Parvana
ages 10 to 14 / grades 5 to 9
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May 2015 | Paperback | 9781554982981 | $10.99
May 2015 | Ebook | 9781554982998 | $10.99
The fourth book in the internationally bestselling series that includes The Breadwinner, Parvana’s Journey and Mud City.
In this stunning sequel, Parvana, now fifteen, is found in a bombed-out school and held as a suspected terrorist by American troops in Afghanistan.
On a military base in Afghanistan, after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, American authorities have just imprisoned a teenaged girl found in a bombed-out school. The army major thinks she may be a terrorist working with the Taliban. 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.
In this long-awaited sequel, Parvana is now fifteen years old. 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 has finally managed to open a school for girls. But even though the Taliban has been driven from the government, the country is still at war, and many continue to view the education and freedom of girls and women with suspicion and fear.
As her family settles into the routine of running the school, Parvana, a bit to her surprise, finds herself restless and bored. She even thinks of running away. But when local men threaten the school and her family, she must draw on every ounce of bravery and resilience she possesses to survive the disaster that kills her mother, destroys the school, and puts her own life in jeopardy.
A riveting page-turner, Deborah Ellis’s final novel in the series is at once harrowing, inspiring and thought-provoking. And, yes, in the end, Parvana is reunited with her childhood friend, Shauzia.
The paperback edition includes a new cover and map, and an author’s note to provide background and context. Royalties from the sale of this book will go to Right to Learn Afghanistan. Parvana’s Fund supports education projects for Afghan women and children.
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Commended, An Indie Next List Selection, 2013
Commended, Bank Street College of Education's Book of the Month, 2013
Commended, Capitol Choices Noteworthy Titles for Children's and Teens List, 2013
Commended, CCBC Choices, 2013
Short-listed, IODE Violet Downey Book Award, 2013
Short-listed, Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award, 2014
Short-listed, Rocky Mountain Book Award, 2014
Commended, The Bankstreet College of Education Best Books of the Year, 2013
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⭐️ “This passionate volume stands on its own, though readers new to the series and to Ellis' overall body of work will want to read every one of her fine, important novels. Readers will learn much about the war in Afghanistan even as they cheer on this feisty protagonist.” — Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW
⭐️ “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.” — School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
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Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).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.
book 5
One More Mountain
ages 10 to 14 / grades 5 to 9
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October 2022 | Hardcover | 9781773068855 | $18.99
October 2022 | Ebook | 9781773068862 | $16.99
It’s 2021, and the Taliban have regained power in Afghanistan. Parvana and Shauzia, the brave protagonists of The Breadwinner, must now flee to escape new dangers from an old enemy.
In Kabul, 15-year-old Damsa runs away to avoid being forced into marriage by her family. She is found by a police officer named Shauzia, who takes her to Green Valley, a shelter and school for women and girls run by Parvana.
It has been 20 years since Parvana and Shauzia had to disguise themselves as boys to support themselves and their families. But when the Taliban were defeated in 2001, it looked as if Afghans could finally rebuild their country. Many things have changed for Parvana since then. She has married Asif, who she met in the desert as she searched for her family when she was a child. She runs a school for girls. She has a son, Rafi, who is about to fly to New York, where he will train to become a dancer.
But Shauzia is still Parvana’s best friend. And Parvana is still headstrong, bringing her in conflict with her spoiled sister Maryam.
While Asif tries to get Maryam and Rafi on one of the last flights out of Kabul, the Taliban come to the school, and Parvana must lead the girls out of Green Valley and into the mountains.
All royalties will be donated to Right to Learn Afghanistan.
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“A book of strength, of hope, and of freedom.” —Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
“This novel is filled with strong female figures such as Parvana and her good friend Shauzia who help so many endangered women and girls. … Readers will see examples of strength and resolve as well as touching scenes of care and love within the refuge.” —CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“The fierce strength of the women of Afghanistan and their visions for a just, democratic society is inspiring. The bravery of small individual acts of kindness and the boldness of grander schemes make this a story to remember.” —Canadian Children's Book News
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dialogue
literary references
multiple POV
alternating narrative -
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
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.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
The Breadwinner: A Graphic Novel
ages 10 and up / grades 5 and up
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January 2018 | Paperback | 9781773061184 | $16.99
June 2004 | Ebook | 9781773061306 | $14.99
Deborah Ellis’s bestselling novel The Breadwinner, now available as a stunningly illustrated graphic novel.
This beautiful graphic-novel adaptation of The Breadwinner animated film tells the story of eleven-year-old Parvana, who must disguise herself as a boy to support her family during the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan in the late 1990s.
Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital city. Parvana’s father — a history teacher until his school was bombed and 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 having forbidden books, 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.
Readers will want to linger over this powerful graphic novel with its striking art and inspiring story.
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“
All girls [should read] The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis.
” —Malala Yousafzai, New York Times
“A great kids’ book … a graphic geopolitical brief that’s also a girl-power parable.” —Newsweek
“… an exceptional story that enlightens the reader about circumstances beyond comprehension and helps students understand that all of us in this global community share the same hopes, dreams, and fears.” —Resource Links
“[The books in the Breadwinner series] are terrifying indictments of what war can bring to children and a powerful testament to the ingenuity and strength of young people in times of terror.” —Book Links
“… a book … about the hard times — and the courage — of Afghan children.” —Washington Post
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speech bubbles
captions
historical note -
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
The Breadwinner: Movie Tie-In Edition
ages 10 to 14 / grades 5 to 9
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August 2017 | Paperback | 9781773060712 | $10.99
A special movie tie-in edition of The Breadwinner, the first book in the best-selling Breadwinner series by Deborah Ellis, featuring an eight-page color insert with stills from the movie.
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 — a history teacher until his school was bombed and 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 book includes a map, author’s note and a glossary to provide young readers with background and context. An eight-page color insert features stills from the movie. All royalties from the sale of this book will go to Right to Learn Afghanistan. Parvana’s Fund supports education projects for Afghan women and children.
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Winner, Middle East Book Award, 2002
Winner, Sweden's Peter Pan Prize, 2003
Winner, Baia delle Favole Prize, 2003
Winner, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Award, 2004
Winner, Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award, 2003
Short-listed, Trillium Book Award, 2001
Long-listed, Young Jury Awards, 2004
Long-listed, SYRCA Diamond Willow Award, 2003
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“A great kids’ book…a graphic geopolitical brief that’s also a girl-power parable.” —Newsweek
“…an exceptional story that enlightens the reader about circumstances beyond comprehension and helps students understand that all of us in this global community share the same hopes, dreams, and fears.” —Resource Links
“[The books in the Breadwinner series] are terrifying indictments of what war can bring to children and a powerful testament to the ingenuity and strength of young people in times of terror.” —Book Links
“…a book…about the hard times — and the courage — of Afghan children.” —Washington Post
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map
author’s note
foreword
glossary -
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).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.
The Breadwinner Trilogy
ages 10 and up / grades 5 and up
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August 2009 | Paperback | 9780888999597 | $19.99
August 2009 | Ebook | 9781554981847 | $10.99
"All girls [should read] The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis." — Malala Yousafzai, New York Times
The three books in Deborah Ellis's Breadwinner trilogy bound into one handsome volume
Deborah Ellis's novels The Breadwinner, Parvana's Journey and Mud City have been a phenomenal success, touching the hearts of readers the world over.
Here are the three books bound into one handsome volume -- for readers new to Deborah Ellis and for those who would like a collector's edition for their libraries.
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Commended
Jane Addams Children's Book Award, 2004
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“...a book...about the hard times - and the courage - of Afghan children.” —Washington Post
“[The books in the Breadwinner trilogy] are terrifying indictments of what war can bring to children and a powerful testaments to the ingenuity and strength of young people in times of terror.” —Book Links
“...an exceptional story that enlightens the reader about circumstances beyond comprehension and helps students understand that all of us in this global community share the same hopes, dreams, and fears.” —Resource Links
“...hands-down, Newberry Medal worthy...This was a fantastic read.” —Washington Times
“A great kids' book...a graphic geopolitical brief that's also a girl-power parable.” —Newsweek
“This is an important and compelling story for young people...” —Today's Librarian
“Deborah Ellis would like to tell kids in war-torn countries that the war is over and they can live through this and that she hopes the world can learn from its previous mistakes” —The Denver Post