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Through My Eyes
Shahana
'Open your eyes. We will not hurt you.'
The boy quietens; his eyes open.
'Where are you from?'
The boy stares at them both; then says, 'Who will you tell?'
Shahana lives alone with her young brother in the shadow of the Line of Control, the border patrolled by Pakistani and Indian soldiers that divides Kashmir in two. Life is hard, but Shahana ekes out a living with her beautiful embroidery. Then she finds a boy lying unconscious near the border. Zahid is from across the Line of Control, and Shahana takes a terrible risk by sheltering him. But how can she give Zahid up to the authorities when she knows he'll be imprisoned - or worse?
The boy quietens; his eyes open.
'Where are you from?'
The boy stares at them both; then says, 'Who will you tell?'
Shahana lives alone with her young brother in the shadow of the Line of Control, the border patrolled by Pakistani and Indian soldiers that divides Kashmir in two. Life is hard, but Shahana ekes out a living with her beautiful embroidery. Then she finds a boy lying unconscious near the border. Zahid is from across the Line of Control, and Shahana takes a terrible risk by sheltering him. But how can she give Zahid up to the authorities when she knows he'll be imprisoned - or worse?
- GenresYoung Adult
205 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
18 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Rosanne Hawke
60 books95 followersWhen little I ran around with a jotter and a pencil, pretending to write a story but not knowing how to spell any words except Dick, Dora and cat. My mother asked me to tell stories. A lot of my stories stayed in my head, as being the youngest and living in the country didn't bring many opportunities for an audience. I was born in Penola, in South Australia. We had a sheep farm until I was six, then we moved to a property in Central Queensland. I went to school at a one-teacher school in Banana, a little country town named after a bullock.
My first short story was published in the Moura State School magazine in 1967 when I was in grade 8. At 14 years, I moved back to South Australia and attended Gawler High School where I won an Arts Scholarship to complete Years 11 & 12. I started a romantic novel when I was 17 but I burnt it later.
It wasn't until I was working in the Middle East and Pakistan, teaching ESL, bringing up kids, when I started to write seriously. My kids loved the story game we played and one night after telling a story, my daughter asked me to write it down.
I have a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide and teach Creative Writing at Tabor Adelaide, South Australia, a Christian accredited tertiary institution. I have researched Cornish identity in Australian children's literature and enjoy writing about culture, faith, relationships, displacement and belonging, music and cats.
My first short story was published in the Moura State School magazine in 1967 when I was in grade 8. At 14 years, I moved back to South Australia and attended Gawler High School where I won an Arts Scholarship to complete Years 11 & 12. I started a romantic novel when I was 17 but I burnt it later.
It wasn't until I was working in the Middle East and Pakistan, teaching ESL, bringing up kids, when I started to write seriously. My kids loved the story game we played and one night after telling a story, my daughter asked me to write it down.
I have a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide and teach Creative Writing at Tabor Adelaide, South Australia, a Christian accredited tertiary institution. I have researched Cornish identity in Australian children's literature and enjoy writing about culture, faith, relationships, displacement and belonging, music and cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 20, 2023
It was such a touching story that reminded me how awful war can be and how, inocent, orphan children are living frightining lives.
Shahana's moving story made me question myself: How many innocent people are dying from war conflicts that started only from the pride and wanting for more territory( and many other reasons) of some people. 😥💔
Shahana's moving story made me question myself: How many innocent people are dying from war conflicts that started only from the pride and wanting for more territory( and many other reasons) of some people. 😥💔
December 24, 2016
High in the mountains of Kashmir, the 'Line of Control' forms the boundary between Azad Kashmir and Jamnu & kashmir. Indian soldiers patrol the electric fence with its high razor wire, deterring the militants from crossing into Jamnu & Kashmir. Pakistani troops eye off the Indian militia and take pot shots across the border when they can.
The villages of Azad Kashmir are regularly bombed and terrorised by militants. Shahana lost her mother and older brother during an artillery barrage which hit the village bazaar. Her father found her and her little brother Tanveer and took them to shelter with her grandfather. Not long after, her father is found dead and her grandfather does not survive the long, harsh winter. But before he died, her grandfather taught her embroidery - and now it is a skill that provides her with a scant income from a local merchant. Mr Nadir doesn't pay her as much as he did for her grandfather's work when he was still alive - sewing which was not as fine or as intricately patterned as hers. He makes it clear Shahana will soon run out of choices - she's of marriageable age but lives alone with her little brother. He offers to provide for them both - to give Tanveer a job in his carpet shop and arrange an advantageous marriage for Shahana.
She is terrified.
She knows her brother will end up a bond-slave, if she agrees. And that she'll be sold to the highest bidder.
One morning while down net-fishing near the steep-sided river that forms part of the 'Line of Control' border, she sees a half-drowned body. With Tanveer's help, she drags the unconscious boy back to their hut on the net.
Zahid turns out to be just a little older than she is. That's a big problem. Having an unrelated male in the home could bring trouble from the religious authorities. But it's also a benefit having a protector around to hunt and help gather food. But for all the advantages of having Zahid around, the dangers are many. He's keeping secrets from her - secrets about how he crossed the 'Line of Control', about his fear of the young militant Amaan who comes to buy milk from Shahana, about his intentions of staying or leaving.
A moving story about the adult choices children are forced to make, simply because they live in distressed circumstances in a conflict zone.
The villages of Azad Kashmir are regularly bombed and terrorised by militants. Shahana lost her mother and older brother during an artillery barrage which hit the village bazaar. Her father found her and her little brother Tanveer and took them to shelter with her grandfather. Not long after, her father is found dead and her grandfather does not survive the long, harsh winter. But before he died, her grandfather taught her embroidery - and now it is a skill that provides her with a scant income from a local merchant. Mr Nadir doesn't pay her as much as he did for her grandfather's work when he was still alive - sewing which was not as fine or as intricately patterned as hers. He makes it clear Shahana will soon run out of choices - she's of marriageable age but lives alone with her little brother. He offers to provide for them both - to give Tanveer a job in his carpet shop and arrange an advantageous marriage for Shahana.
She is terrified.
She knows her brother will end up a bond-slave, if she agrees. And that she'll be sold to the highest bidder.
One morning while down net-fishing near the steep-sided river that forms part of the 'Line of Control' border, she sees a half-drowned body. With Tanveer's help, she drags the unconscious boy back to their hut on the net.
Zahid turns out to be just a little older than she is. That's a big problem. Having an unrelated male in the home could bring trouble from the religious authorities. But it's also a benefit having a protector around to hunt and help gather food. But for all the advantages of having Zahid around, the dangers are many. He's keeping secrets from her - secrets about how he crossed the 'Line of Control', about his fear of the young militant Amaan who comes to buy milk from Shahana, about his intentions of staying or leaving.
A moving story about the adult choices children are forced to make, simply because they live in distressed circumstances in a conflict zone.
February 14, 2021
Shahana, a thirteen-year-old, along with her nine-year-old brother Tanveer are the only surviving members of her family. They live in their ancestral village in the now dead grandparent’s house. A single room in the forest away from the local village.
They live in a war zone, territory claimed as occupied by both India and Pakistan. The Kashmiri’s are captives of both countries, without a voice in this ongoing struggle.
Living even a short distance from the village means that children live on the pathway used by migrants, the army, and militants. Shahana and Taveer find an unconscious teenager near the river and rescue him. In her village unknown males cannot share a house with a young girl. What dangers does this expose both Shahana and Taveer too and what ugly choices does Shahana have to make in order to survive?
I loved this real-life drama. War through children’s eyes asks the questions many adults and leaders do not.
Recommended for Tweens, YA and Adults
They live in a war zone, territory claimed as occupied by both India and Pakistan. The Kashmiri’s are captives of both countries, without a voice in this ongoing struggle.
Living even a short distance from the village means that children live on the pathway used by migrants, the army, and militants. Shahana and Taveer find an unconscious teenager near the river and rescue him. In her village unknown males cannot share a house with a young girl. What dangers does this expose both Shahana and Taveer too and what ugly choices does Shahana have to make in order to survive?
I loved this real-life drama. War through children’s eyes asks the questions many adults and leaders do not.
Recommended for Tweens, YA and Adults
August 14, 2024
Took over 6 months to read this 😂
November 14, 2014
A really great book about the effects of war on children. I recommend this and the rest of the 'Through my eyes' books.
February 22, 2017
Through My Eyes: Shahana by Rosanne Hawke and edited by Lyn White, published in 2013. Published by Allen and Unwin - www.allenandunwin.com - First wide reading written response.
The book Shahana is part of the ‘Through My Eyes’ series. These books are set in real conflict zones and the characters are based off the lives of people living in these countries. This book is set in Kashmir, Pakistan. In this book the main character is a girl called Shahana who lives with her little brother Tanveer. She lost her mother and older brother to militants and has looked after Tanveer herself since then. Her family’s house was burnt down in the fighting and so she lived with her grandfather, Nana-ji until he was also taken as a victim of the conflict. Now she embroiders to buy food for her and Tanveer. Shahana wishes for a world free from violence and conflict but as an eleven-year-old girl, she has no power to stop the fighting. Shahana lives in Azad Kashmir, before the conflict Kashmir was one unified area but because of the fighting, it was separated into Indian-controlled Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, Azad Kashmir. These two parts of Kashmir are separated by an electrified fence called the Line of Control (LoC) guarded by Pakistan and Indian soldiers.
Nana-Ji’s house is very close to the LoC and is only separated by the dangerous and fast flowing Neelum River. They have to source whatever they can from the land around them, so every day they collect firewood, grass to keep warm, milk from their tame goat and Shahana embroiders. Between Shahana’s embroidering, fishing, and Rani, their tame goat, they only just have enough to get by. They buy what vegetables and rice they can afford from the market. Their only source of income is Shahana’s embroidering but Mr. Nadir, the local carpet mill owner pays very unfairly. As she has taken the roll of a mother at eleven-years-of-age Shahana is always worried that Tanveer will end up like the other little boys working as bonded labor for Mr. Nadir.
Reading this book really interested me and made me think deeply and understand how hard it is living in these developing countries. Overall, I liked the book Shahana because of the themes of bravery, perseverance and the main character Shahana.
Shahana is a character that always pushed through and never gave up even in depressing times. She is an eleven-year-old girl and already is faced with having to look after her little brother surrounded by fighting. Shahana has to make right when everyone around her is doing wrong. She faced people like Mr. Nadir who tried to get the better of her but yet she was always calm and never gave up despite everything she has gone through. Shahana had to make tough decisions that an eleven-year-old should never have to make and she shows admirable qualities. I really liked the themes of bravery and perseverance that Shahana has showed. The quote "Once you have faced the impossible, there is only the possible left" shows these themes of bravery and determination. In other words, after you make it through the hardest, impossible problems in your life it can only get easier. This shows how Shahana has faced really hard things in her life, like surviving through family deaths, the surrounding conflict and having to act as a mother for Tanveer, but she has got through and this is how she portrays bravery and perseverance.
Children who are brought up in conflict zones like Shahana know nothing other than fighting and grieving. The quote “Abu, Abu-ji, don’t leave us, she cried, not knowing if he could hear her above the roar of the river. Tanveer cried too. When their father realised they were there, he stretched out a hand and touched each on their heads; then his hand dropped.” page 25 shows how hard it is for kids who lose their parents at a young age but it must be harder for children that on top of this have to care for themselves and are surrounded by war like Shahana.
Reading this book made me think a lot about how difficult it is for people living in countries with conflict and war. Especially kids who will never have a proper upbringing and often lose their family and parents to fighting. It shows how lucky we are to live in a country not separated by ethnicity, sexism, religion or war. This book made me think about how people who live in these countries often have no rights and are forced to do whatever they can just to feed their family. Kids in these countries often don’t get an education either which makes it harder for them to make the right choices. They show the survival instinct of humans, doing anything just to live another day.
I enjoyed reading and really liked the book Through My Eyes: Shahana because of the qualities that Shahana possesses and how she shows the themes of bravery and perseverance. Reading this book also made me think more deeply about children like Shahana.
The book Shahana is part of the ‘Through My Eyes’ series. These books are set in real conflict zones and the characters are based off the lives of people living in these countries. This book is set in Kashmir, Pakistan. In this book the main character is a girl called Shahana who lives with her little brother Tanveer. She lost her mother and older brother to militants and has looked after Tanveer herself since then. Her family’s house was burnt down in the fighting and so she lived with her grandfather, Nana-ji until he was also taken as a victim of the conflict. Now she embroiders to buy food for her and Tanveer. Shahana wishes for a world free from violence and conflict but as an eleven-year-old girl, she has no power to stop the fighting. Shahana lives in Azad Kashmir, before the conflict Kashmir was one unified area but because of the fighting, it was separated into Indian-controlled Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, Azad Kashmir. These two parts of Kashmir are separated by an electrified fence called the Line of Control (LoC) guarded by Pakistan and Indian soldiers.
Nana-Ji’s house is very close to the LoC and is only separated by the dangerous and fast flowing Neelum River. They have to source whatever they can from the land around them, so every day they collect firewood, grass to keep warm, milk from their tame goat and Shahana embroiders. Between Shahana’s embroidering, fishing, and Rani, their tame goat, they only just have enough to get by. They buy what vegetables and rice they can afford from the market. Their only source of income is Shahana’s embroidering but Mr. Nadir, the local carpet mill owner pays very unfairly. As she has taken the roll of a mother at eleven-years-of-age Shahana is always worried that Tanveer will end up like the other little boys working as bonded labor for Mr. Nadir.
Reading this book really interested me and made me think deeply and understand how hard it is living in these developing countries. Overall, I liked the book Shahana because of the themes of bravery, perseverance and the main character Shahana.
Shahana is a character that always pushed through and never gave up even in depressing times. She is an eleven-year-old girl and already is faced with having to look after her little brother surrounded by fighting. Shahana has to make right when everyone around her is doing wrong. She faced people like Mr. Nadir who tried to get the better of her but yet she was always calm and never gave up despite everything she has gone through. Shahana had to make tough decisions that an eleven-year-old should never have to make and she shows admirable qualities. I really liked the themes of bravery and perseverance that Shahana has showed. The quote "Once you have faced the impossible, there is only the possible left" shows these themes of bravery and determination. In other words, after you make it through the hardest, impossible problems in your life it can only get easier. This shows how Shahana has faced really hard things in her life, like surviving through family deaths, the surrounding conflict and having to act as a mother for Tanveer, but she has got through and this is how she portrays bravery and perseverance.
Children who are brought up in conflict zones like Shahana know nothing other than fighting and grieving. The quote “Abu, Abu-ji, don’t leave us, she cried, not knowing if he could hear her above the roar of the river. Tanveer cried too. When their father realised they were there, he stretched out a hand and touched each on their heads; then his hand dropped.” page 25 shows how hard it is for kids who lose their parents at a young age but it must be harder for children that on top of this have to care for themselves and are surrounded by war like Shahana.
Reading this book made me think a lot about how difficult it is for people living in countries with conflict and war. Especially kids who will never have a proper upbringing and often lose their family and parents to fighting. It shows how lucky we are to live in a country not separated by ethnicity, sexism, religion or war. This book made me think about how people who live in these countries often have no rights and are forced to do whatever they can just to feed their family. Kids in these countries often don’t get an education either which makes it harder for them to make the right choices. They show the survival instinct of humans, doing anything just to live another day.
I enjoyed reading and really liked the book Through My Eyes: Shahana because of the qualities that Shahana possesses and how she shows the themes of bravery and perseverance. Reading this book also made me think more deeply about children like Shahana.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2019
Another great read for young Australians, who may have little understanding of the way conflict impacts children around the world. Shahana demonstrates the sad reality that many children face; having to grow up before their time in order to deal with the harrowing circumstances of their lives.
June 3, 2023
⭐️1.25 stars⭐️
Upon reflection this book was terrible. Changing review to one star.
⭐2 stars⭐
Could be heaps better but could be worse.
This book was definitely one of if not THE most boring book I have ever read. Nothing was engaging, it just kept dragging on and on. However, it did cover some fairly intriguing and highly important topics regarding the trouble of children and people in general living in third world countries, especially during war.
My favourite character was Rani and everyone else was annoying hahaha. I mean Tanveer's kinda wholesome but I just didn't like this book.
However, as I explained, it was extremely boring, and I don't recommend if you're looking for something engaging and a good book.
Upon reflection this book was terrible. Changing review to one star.
⭐2 stars⭐
Could be heaps better but could be worse.
This book was definitely one of if not THE most boring book I have ever read. Nothing was engaging, it just kept dragging on and on. However, it did cover some fairly intriguing and highly important topics regarding the trouble of children and people in general living in third world countries, especially during war.
My favourite character was Rani and everyone else was annoying hahaha. I mean Tanveer's kinda wholesome but I just didn't like this book.
However, as I explained, it was extremely boring, and I don't recommend if you're looking for something engaging and a good book.
March 18, 2024
Rosanne Hawke's writing doesn't disappoint, and I enjoyed this book which was my first introduction to Kashmir. Hawke worked near Azad Kashmir as an aid worker, lending authenticity to this fictional account. I did find the ending a bit abrupt.
January 30, 2020
Lumayan
May 6, 2021
Another good book in the 'Through My Eyes' series, this book tells the story of a girl named Shahana who lives in Kashmir near the LoC = Line Of Control that separates India and Pakistan.
May 14, 2022
I think it was good! I got stuck in it, I like the way it's written it's not too hard too read :)
August 15, 2024
Really amazing book. It teaches kids how life is around the world and teaches about diversity and conflict and what it's like living in a war zone
November 17, 2015
Review on Shahana Written by Rosanne Hawke. Series editor Lyn White.
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
Age Range: Upper Primary – Lower Secondary
Themes: war, conflict, grief, family, hope, adversity, Rights of Children, culture, survival
Shahana is book written by Rosanne Hawke. Rosanne Hawke wrote a life story of main character Shahana. Shahana is 13 years old girl story. Shahana lived alone with her young brother in the shadow of the Line of control, the border patrolled by Pakistani and Indian soldiers that divides Kashmir in two. The girl had very hard life, but she ekes out a living her beautiful embroidery. These young children have only ever known war, danger and grief.
This is an outstanding first entry that catches to my eye for readers aged 11-14 years old. This story book aims to tell the effects of the war on children. This book seeks to provide young readers with an insight into the lives of children who are living in conflict zones of through the world. This author of the book has great knowledge about the region and extensively related her knowledge to the story of Shahana. The author has drawn a range of believable characters caught in a dangerous, life-threatening situation.
The subject matter is confronting but eye appropriate. This story is one of resilience, strength and hope above all else. This story provides challenge to readers but can also inspire. It will open their eyes to the lives of children around the global world.
In my opinion, their journey is emotionally powerful one, capturing the hardship that all the characters of the story face in a war zone. Writer of the book does not shy to live and grow up in a place where existence is fragile and exploitation is rife. I also think, this book is excellent choice for book club in school libraries as it talks about life experiences that children can learn from it. The language used in the book simple and understandable by children above the age 11 years old.
At last this is the first book in series called’ Through My Eyes’. This is a fast moving, exciting, page –turning book with many twists in the plot.
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
Age Range: Upper Primary – Lower Secondary
Themes: war, conflict, grief, family, hope, adversity, Rights of Children, culture, survival
Shahana is book written by Rosanne Hawke. Rosanne Hawke wrote a life story of main character Shahana. Shahana is 13 years old girl story. Shahana lived alone with her young brother in the shadow of the Line of control, the border patrolled by Pakistani and Indian soldiers that divides Kashmir in two. The girl had very hard life, but she ekes out a living her beautiful embroidery. These young children have only ever known war, danger and grief.
This is an outstanding first entry that catches to my eye for readers aged 11-14 years old. This story book aims to tell the effects of the war on children. This book seeks to provide young readers with an insight into the lives of children who are living in conflict zones of through the world. This author of the book has great knowledge about the region and extensively related her knowledge to the story of Shahana. The author has drawn a range of believable characters caught in a dangerous, life-threatening situation.
The subject matter is confronting but eye appropriate. This story is one of resilience, strength and hope above all else. This story provides challenge to readers but can also inspire. It will open their eyes to the lives of children around the global world.
In my opinion, their journey is emotionally powerful one, capturing the hardship that all the characters of the story face in a war zone. Writer of the book does not shy to live and grow up in a place where existence is fragile and exploitation is rife. I also think, this book is excellent choice for book club in school libraries as it talks about life experiences that children can learn from it. The language used in the book simple and understandable by children above the age 11 years old.
At last this is the first book in series called’ Through My Eyes’. This is a fast moving, exciting, page –turning book with many twists in the plot.
August 21, 2013
This book is a real winner for readers who are interested in reading about children who live dramatically different lives to their own. Shahara lives in Azad Kashmir, in the shadow of the Line of Control. Her mother, father and older brother have all been killed, her Grandfather is dead, and she lives with her younger brother, all alone in the forest outside of a village.
Shahana is only 15 years old, but she works hard to keep her small family together. Then along comes a strange boy who needs their help, but helping him puts her and her brother’s lives in danger.
Fans of Parvana by Deborah Ellis will really enjoy this book, as Shahana is another strong female character. While it may sound like a depressing story, and there are depressing moments, it is at it heart, a story of hope, because we see how the rest of the world is beginning to become aware of what is going on in this war torn part of the world.
There is information in the back of the book, giving historical background to the story as well as a timeline. The war over Kashmir is the longest running conflict in the world today, and probably the least well known.
This is the first book in a new series called Through My Eyes, each book will be written by a different author, and each story will be about a child living in a conflict zone. Amina by JL Powers will be set in Somalia and is out in September 2013.
Shahana is only 15 years old, but she works hard to keep her small family together. Then along comes a strange boy who needs their help, but helping him puts her and her brother’s lives in danger.
Fans of Parvana by Deborah Ellis will really enjoy this book, as Shahana is another strong female character. While it may sound like a depressing story, and there are depressing moments, it is at it heart, a story of hope, because we see how the rest of the world is beginning to become aware of what is going on in this war torn part of the world.
There is information in the back of the book, giving historical background to the story as well as a timeline. The war over Kashmir is the longest running conflict in the world today, and probably the least well known.
This is the first book in a new series called Through My Eyes, each book will be written by a different author, and each story will be about a child living in a conflict zone. Amina by JL Powers will be set in Somalia and is out in September 2013.
May 19, 2018
For the Category “Different Voices” I read Shahana (Through my Eyes) by Rosanne Hawke. This book was about this young girl called Shahana, and the problems she faced during the war and when she takes care of a boy from across the “Line of Control”. This book captured me from the start, and was a page turner. It showed me the life of a girl living in Kashmir whilst it was at war, and it opened my eyes to how different people lived. The plot was not difficult to follow, occasionally was long winded and slow, however it was a page-turner and I couldn’t stop reading.
The characters were not predictable or uninteresting, and each were complex in different ways. I was able to put myself in their shoes and see what was happening around them. I felt empathy for the hard times that they faced, and the characters developed during the course of the book.
The setting the author described was done so in detail, and it wasn’t too lengthy, and I was able to imagine the setting of the story, which was a small hut up in the snowy mountains.
The conclusion left me satisfied, and didn’t leave any loose ends and was quite interesting.
In conclusion, Shahana was a fantastic book which let me put on the shoes of a girl in Kashmir and the struggles she was facing, and I would highly recommend it.
The characters were not predictable or uninteresting, and each were complex in different ways. I was able to put myself in their shoes and see what was happening around them. I felt empathy for the hard times that they faced, and the characters developed during the course of the book.
The setting the author described was done so in detail, and it wasn’t too lengthy, and I was able to imagine the setting of the story, which was a small hut up in the snowy mountains.
The conclusion left me satisfied, and didn’t leave any loose ends and was quite interesting.
In conclusion, Shahana was a fantastic book which let me put on the shoes of a girl in Kashmir and the struggles she was facing, and I would highly recommend it.
June 29, 2013
Up a mountain slope, in a little house set away from her village on the other side of the world, lives Shahana, a resilient young girl who will steal your heart.
Rosanne Hawke uses the ten years she spent in the Middle East, many of them in Pakistan, to overlay her thorough research for this novel. There's an authority to the details of everyday life, customs and taboos which make us believe that Shahana's is a true story. Even the cover photographs of a Kashmiri girl of Shahana's age and a Pakistani village add to this.
But what shines through most is Shahana's big heart and her courage in the face of adversity. She bears a resilience borne of hardship, giving herself up to an unthinkable future to save her little brother.
Although this novel deals with issues such as child slavery, forced child marriages, child soldiers and war, in dealing with these issues in a less graphic way than 'Mountain wolf', it is more suitable for middle school age readers.
Rosanne Hawke uses the ten years she spent in the Middle East, many of them in Pakistan, to overlay her thorough research for this novel. There's an authority to the details of everyday life, customs and taboos which make us believe that Shahana's is a true story. Even the cover photographs of a Kashmiri girl of Shahana's age and a Pakistani village add to this.
But what shines through most is Shahana's big heart and her courage in the face of adversity. She bears a resilience borne of hardship, giving herself up to an unthinkable future to save her little brother.
Although this novel deals with issues such as child slavery, forced child marriages, child soldiers and war, in dealing with these issues in a less graphic way than 'Mountain wolf', it is more suitable for middle school age readers.
January 19, 2021
Rosanne's writing just gets better and better. This lovely, thought-provoking and moving story about a young girl in Pakistani Kashmir eloquently reveals some of the risks, the beauty, the hopes, the fears, and the political and social context of this region. I knew nothing about the struggles of Kashmir - now I have some memorable images and a concern for the people whom Shahana represents in their real life struggles. As usual, Rosanne is both bold and sensitive in handling tensions that are much more complex than simply right or wrong, and while her readers get hints of some of the terrible things that might and do occur, none of it is graphically shown, making it suitable for young and sensitive readers who nevertheless have the courage to learn about uncomfortable realities. While all of that makes it sound like an 'issues' story, Rosanne has the deft touch of the true storyteller. Learning and being moved with compassion are byproducts of enjoying a compelling story.
December 13, 2013
I purchased this at our primary school’s book fair as wondered if it might be a good book to read for my 7 year old but I think the content would be too confronting for this age. I do like the idea of making historical events and tragedies accessible by telling people’s stories (fact or in fiction) but will seek out, other topics less confronting (14 year old Shahana lost both her parents and has been caring for her younger brother for several years) for my children until they are a little older. I think the Through My Eyes series are a great idea and will come back to them in the future.
March 12, 2014
Hmmm.... I don't know. It just kind of lacked something. Have read other books by this author that I've really loved. Not sure what went wrong here. It's a good story, but it just lacks some teeth. maybe it's because she is trying to write for a younger audience and feels she needed to reign it in a bit. Just not sure.
Would be interesting to look at other titles in the series and see how they compare...
Would be interesting to look at other titles in the series and see how they compare...
July 9, 2013
Shahana is an orphan caught up in conflict near the Line of Control in the Kashmir region. She must face hunger, deal with an avalanche and rescue her brother from slavery whilst resisting being blackmailed into an early marriage.
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September 24, 2013A fictional novel that shows how the Kashmiri conflict affects children. The author was an aid worker in the region. Troubling content indeed, but these stories must be heard and shared with other children.
February 16, 2014
The account of the realities of life in strife stricken Kashmir has made me realize what sheltered lives we reach. I may have to hold this book back for my daughter to read when she is a bit older. Too much reality for her little life. Very well written.
April 12, 2015
I love this book! I really like the way it's written because I'm Indian, therefore I can understand the type of language their speaking. I would recommend this book to all of you guys because it's a book that you must read once in your lifetime.
July 15, 2013
Horribly fascinating insight into life in contemporary Kashmir. A page turner at times, but overall a good read.
Read
May 21, 2015It's a great book
December 26, 2015
Reading eldest's school-set novel. A window into conflict, culture and experiences of children in the Kashmiri region.
January 1, 2016
A story the world must know!
3.6 stars
3.6 stars
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