Parvana's Journey [Paperback]

Deborah Ellis (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

In Parvana’s Journey, the Taliban still control Afghanistan, but Kabul is in ruins. Parvana’s father has just died, and her mother, sister, and brother could be anywhere in the country. Parvana knows she must find them. Despite her youth, Parvana sets out alone, masquerading as a boy. She soon meets other children who are victims of war — an infant boy in a bombed-out village, a nine-year-old girl who thinks she has magic powers over landmines, and a boy with one leg. The children travel together, forging a kind of family out of sheer need. The strength of their bond makes it possible to survive the most desperate conditions. Royalties from this book will go toward an education fund for Afghan girls in Pakistani refugee camps.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sequel to The Breadwinner, Parvana's Journey by Deborah Ellis follows the eponymous 12-year-old girl who, disguised as a boy, sets off from Kabul in search of her missing mother and siblings in Taliban-era Afghanistan. When war breaks out, she bands together with other displaced children. Royalties from the sale of the book go to Women for Women, a relief organization benefiting women in Afghanistan. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-This sequel to The Breadwinner (Groundwood, 2001) easily stands alone. After her father's death, 13-year-old Parvana, disguised as a boy, wanders alone through war-torn Afghanistan looking for her mother and siblings who had disappeared in the tumult of the Taliban takeover of Mazar-e-Sharif. Early in her journey, Parvana comes across a baby, the only survivor in a bombed village. She takes him along, as both a burden and comforting company. Taking shelter in a small cave, she discovers an angry one-legged boy who is starved for both food and human companionship. Imagining treasure in their cave, they dig, only to find a cache of bullets-a scene that epitomizes what childhood has become for these young people. The three continue Parvana's search, stopping for a time in an apparent safe haven on the edge of a minefield where an eight-year-old lives with a near-comatose grandmother. When their refuge is destroyed, the four children join a long line of refugees, arriving finally at a camp. A bittersweet ending offers some hope for Parvana and her family, but readers are left with a horrifyingly realistic picture of the effect of war on children. While the reading is not difficult, the grim content cries out for discussion. An unforgettable read.
Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Groundwood Books (July 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888995199
• ISBN-13: 978-0888995193
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #298,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A portrait of a desperate life., December 2, 2002

By 

Traci D. Haley (Prineville, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parvana's Journey (Jane Addams Award Book (Awards)) (Hardcover)

I read "Parvana's Journey" over Thanksgiving break. This book, the sequel to Ellis' "The Breadwinner", continues the story of Parvana, a young Afghan girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to help her family survive. In this one, Parvana's been separated from her mom and siblings, and her father has just died. She travels across Afghanistan, picking up refugees as she goes along (including an infant boy, a boy missing a leg, and a girl who believes she is magically protected against mine fields). This installment was even more heartwrenching than the last and it is truly the perfect novel to read at Thanksgiving time - it makes you remember what you should be thankful for.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Golden Rule in Afghanistan, January 27, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Parvana's Journey (Paperback)

When Parvana sets out on her long journey to find her mother, sisters and brother, she is a new person. For the journey she cut her hair and put on boys clothes. The Taliban is ruling Afghanistan and Parvana cannot be wandering around, alone as a girl. In the beginning of her journey, Parvana stops at a village, left in ruins after a bomb. While she is wandering around the village, she hears a noise. Not an animal noise, but a human noise. She looks inside the hut with the noise and finds a thin, crying baby. In front of the baby is the body of a woman, with the flap of her burqa (a long garment covering the whole body) flipped up. Parvana decides to bring the baby with her on her journey. She names the baby Hassan and treats him as if he is her son. Along the way Parvana meets two more people. Asif is a one-legged, selfish and angry boy and Leila is a curious, caring and young girl. Parvana does not get along easily with Asif and Asif tends to throw rocks at her and insult her when he is mad. Hassan can sometimes drive Parvana crazy with all of his crying and Leila wanders off into mine fields and goes into villages when they are being bombed even when Parvana tells her not to. The most interesting thing about the story is that even though she can get very frustrated with them and their not always nice to her, Parvana always shares her food with them (even when theres only a little bowl of rice for their food), shares her blankets with them and treats them as though they were never ever mean, frustrating or annoying to her. Parvana is a perfect example of the Golden Rule. She treats Asif, Leila and Hassan the way she would want to be treated.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Story of Hope, November 4, 2002

By 

kristen (Simcoe, ON Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parvana's Journey (Jane Addams Award Book (Awards)) (Hardcover)

I am a fan of Deborah Ellis' work, especially since I read Parvana's Journey, and The Breadwinner. Parvana is a young girl who must disguise herself as a boy to support her family in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan (The Breadwinner), and then must try to find them again (Parvana's Journey).
Parvana is a wonderful character: she is smart, brave and resourceful. She lives in a terrible place and time, but she never admits defeat. ALthough the things that Parvana goes through are horrible, her story is really one of hope. And gives real insight into the situation in Afghanistan, and what people have to face there. Very readable, very relevant -- I highly reccomend this book.