Review by Kelley Crawford

On a Journey to save herself, Parvana finds a world that needs just as much saving in Deborah Ellis’s The Breadwinner Trilogy.

 In The Breadwinner Trilogy, Parvana has never known the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan to be a friendly place. The Taliban and their rules about what girls wear, where girls go, and when girls should to be seen and heard have always been a part of her life. But, when her father is arrested, Parvana takes it on herself to be the “man” of the house. She cuts her hair, dresses as a boy, and starts selling goods just as the men do. Her new life as a boy takes her on a journey that allows her to discover what she’s made of and who she can become.

 Ellis has done a praise-worthy job of documenting the lives of girls in Afghanistan. She has her reader follow Parvana through the tumultuous obstacles that stand in her way, and her writing style makes the reader understand that these aren’t just Parvana’s difficulties. They are everyone’s problems to acknowledge and hopefully solve.

 Bottom Line: A worthy read that opens eyes to an often unseen world.  

Audience: If you like Night (Eli Wiesel) or Habibi (Naomi Shihab Nye), your interest will be peaked by Ellis's The Breadwinner Trilogy.