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The Breadwinner #1-4
The Breadwinner Series Boxed Set
For the first time, the books in the bestselling Breadwinner series — The Breadwinner, Parvana’s Journey, Mud City and My Name Is Parvana — are brought together in a beautiful boxed set. These gripping novels, inspired by stories Deborah Ellis heard in Afghan refugee camps, are loved by children the world over.
These fifteenth anniversary editions have new covers and maps, and updated author’s notes. The Breadwinner includes a special foreword by Deborah Ellis.
The Breadwinner
Eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital city. When her father is arrested for the crime of having a foreign education, 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.
Parvana’s Journey
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. Parvana doesn’t know where they are. She just knows she has to find them.
Mud City
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.
My Name Is Parvana
Parvana, now fifteen, is found in a bombed-out school and held as a suspected terrorist by American troops in Afghanistan. As she waits for foreign military forces to determine her fate, she remembers the past four years of her life.
These fifteenth anniversary editions have new covers and maps, and updated author’s notes. The Breadwinner includes a special foreword by Deborah Ellis.
The Breadwinner
Eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital city. When her father is arrested for the crime of having a foreign education, 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.
Parvana’s Journey
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. Parvana doesn’t know where they are. She just knows she has to find them.
Mud City
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.
My Name Is Parvana
Parvana, now fifteen, is found in a bombed-out school and held as a suspected terrorist by American troops in Afghanistan. As she waits for foreign military forces to determine her fate, she remembers the past four years of her life.
- GenresSchool
752 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2015
15 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Ellis
56 books601 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Deborah Ellis has achieved international acclaim with her courageous and dramatic books that give Western readers a glimpse into the plight of children in developing countries.
She has won the Governor General's Award, Sweden's Peter Pan Prize, the Ruth Schwartz Award, the University of California's Middle East Book Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award.
A long-time feminist and anti-war activist, she is best known for The Breadwinner Trilogy, which has been published around the world in seventeen languages, with more than a million dollars in royalties donated to Street Kids International and to Women for Women, an organization that supports health and education projects in Afghanistan. In 2006, Deb was named to the Order of Ontario.
Deborah Ellis has achieved international acclaim with her courageous and dramatic books that give Western readers a glimpse into the plight of children in developing countries.
She has won the Governor General's Award, Sweden's Peter Pan Prize, the Ruth Schwartz Award, the University of California's Middle East Book Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award.
A long-time feminist and anti-war activist, she is best known for The Breadwinner Trilogy, which has been published around the world in seventeen languages, with more than a million dollars in royalties donated to Street Kids International and to Women for Women, an organization that supports health and education projects in Afghanistan. In 2006, Deb was named to the Order of Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 22, 2024
Book 1:The Breadwinner introduces us to Parvana, a gutsy 13 year old living with her family under Talib-controlled Afghanistan. After her father is arrested without any reason, she decides to dress up as a boy in order to fend for her family. In the course of time, she discovers an ex-school friend, Shauzia, who has resorted to the same method to support her dreams of going to France and sitting in lavender fields. The book narrates the story of both these little girls and their bravery and struggle to be the breadwinner. - 4 stars.
Book 2: Parvana's Journey focuses on Parvana's quest for her mother and the various children she meets on the way. This book is the most hard-hitting in terms of impact and some scenes can cause you bitter anguish. - 3.75 stars.
Book 3: Mud City changes the narrative to Shauzia and talks of her life after Book 1. Do her dreams of going to France come true? Does her life become easier with the decisions she makes? - 3.25 stars.
The Breadwinner series was originally intended as a trilogy. But with popular demand to know what happens to Parvana, Deborah Ellis wrote the 4th book: My Name Is Parvana. This last book talks of both Parvana and Shauzia and their lives in the post-Talib Afghanistan. Do their lives change for the better when the Americans take over? - 4 stars.
Though the books don't use the term "Bacha posh" anywhere, they still give us a glimpse into this common Afghan practice where girls dressed as boys so that they could provide for their families. At the same time, the books show us the deteriorated quality of life and thinking in that unfortunate country. No matter who is at the helm, it is the common citizens who suffer.
Deborah Ellis gives readers a detailed glimpse into the plight of children in war-torn and terrorist-governed countries. As she's writing for children, she does try to provide a reasonably positive ending in all the books, though at times, the endings seem a bit abrupt. But how would you define positive when circumstances are so dreary? As the very last sentence of Book 4 states, "This is Afghanistan. What do you want: a happy ending?"
All the four books are very quick reads, between 170-200 pages long. Because of the simple words and short chapters, they can be easily completed within a couple of hours. But the after-effect of reading them will last much longer.
Book 3 is the weakest book in the series. But overall, all four books are still pretty good. If you are apprehensive about reading an entire series, just go for Book 1. I'd not recommend this series to children below 12.
For those interested in movies, Book 1 has been adapted into a 90 minute long animated movie in 2017. It primarily focuses on Book 1, but changes the story quite drastically to make it a bit more child-friendly. It's a good movie, but it's not the same story as the book.
(Read and reviewed on FB in September 2020. Posting review on Goodreads as I am beginning with Book 5: One More Mountain tomorrow.)
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Book 2: Parvana's Journey focuses on Parvana's quest for her mother and the various children she meets on the way. This book is the most hard-hitting in terms of impact and some scenes can cause you bitter anguish. - 3.75 stars.
Book 3: Mud City changes the narrative to Shauzia and talks of her life after Book 1. Do her dreams of going to France come true? Does her life become easier with the decisions she makes? - 3.25 stars.
The Breadwinner series was originally intended as a trilogy. But with popular demand to know what happens to Parvana, Deborah Ellis wrote the 4th book: My Name Is Parvana. This last book talks of both Parvana and Shauzia and their lives in the post-Talib Afghanistan. Do their lives change for the better when the Americans take over? - 4 stars.
Though the books don't use the term "Bacha posh" anywhere, they still give us a glimpse into this common Afghan practice where girls dressed as boys so that they could provide for their families. At the same time, the books show us the deteriorated quality of life and thinking in that unfortunate country. No matter who is at the helm, it is the common citizens who suffer.
Deborah Ellis gives readers a detailed glimpse into the plight of children in war-torn and terrorist-governed countries. As she's writing for children, she does try to provide a reasonably positive ending in all the books, though at times, the endings seem a bit abrupt. But how would you define positive when circumstances are so dreary? As the very last sentence of Book 4 states, "This is Afghanistan. What do you want: a happy ending?"
All the four books are very quick reads, between 170-200 pages long. Because of the simple words and short chapters, they can be easily completed within a couple of hours. But the after-effect of reading them will last much longer.
Book 3 is the weakest book in the series. But overall, all four books are still pretty good. If you are apprehensive about reading an entire series, just go for Book 1. I'd not recommend this series to children below 12.
For those interested in movies, Book 1 has been adapted into a 90 minute long animated movie in 2017. It primarily focuses on Book 1, but changes the story quite drastically to make it a bit more child-friendly. It's a good movie, but it's not the same story as the book.
(Read and reviewed on FB in September 2020. Posting review on Goodreads as I am beginning with Book 5: One More Mountain tomorrow.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
November 11, 2019
AMAZING!!! I think that this book is absolutely amazing for all sorts of people; young and old, this book teaches those who don't pay attention to to the world, to pay attention!! An amazing story of an amazing girl just like you and me, but in a whole new world. (I can't say the world she lives in is a good one though) For those out there like me who like historical fiction, this is especially for you!!
June 10, 2020
I usually prefer historic, cultural and fictional book to read. This is the perfect combination of all I want. It's describes strength of a girl to survive and live a life. I believe, so many women has been went from the similar situation in past. I salute them for their strength, power and kindness. A must read book!
April 26, 2021
Everyone should read these books. Tell anyone to be braver and try to think wisely in any situations. And then, go forward.
So adventurous to a little kid like Parvana to know all about world of war. Very tragically for her lifetime.
So adventurous to a little kid like Parvana to know all about world of war. Very tragically for her lifetime.
March 25, 2022
A must-read series for helping kids understand some of the situations in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Although most of these were written 15-20 years ago, with the future of Afghanistan uncertain, these books are just as important now as when they were written.
October 14, 2024
Everyone should read this series once in their lifes (:
February 24, 2025
These books supported me with understanding other people’s lives.
This book set got me into reading when I was 18 years old. So thank you Deborah Ellis
This book set got me into reading when I was 18 years old. So thank you Deborah Ellis
July 9, 2018
Guided reading level V. Read this entire series in the span of less than a week. Deborah Ellis draws you in to Parvana and Shauzia's lives, making this an easy read!
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December 11, 2018Good book!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews