Groundwood Books
The Breadwinner
Written by Deborah Ellis
For students in grades
5
-
9
|
Published May 01, 2015 |
ISBN 9781554987658
JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / Middle East

About this book
The Breadwinner
Breadwinner Series: Book 1
Deborah Ellis
"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.
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 Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. Parvana’s Fund supports education projects for Afghan women and children.
About the Author
Deborah Ellis
Deborah Ellis is a member of the Order of Canada. She has won the University of California’s Middle East Book Award, Sweden’s Peter Pan Prize, the Governor General’s Award, and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award. She is best known for her Breadwinner series, which has been published in twenty-five languages, with $2 million in royalties donated to Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan and Street Kids International. deborahellis.com
Awards and Praise
- Short-listed Rocky Mountain Book Award, 2003
- Winner Swedish Peter Pan Prize, 2003
- Long-listed OLA Red Maple Award, 2001
- Long-listed SYRCA Diamond Willow Award, 2003
- Commended YALSA PPYA, 2003
- Winner Baia delle Favole Prize for ages 9–12, 2003
- Short-listed Trillium Book Award, 2001
- Winner Middle East Book Award, 2002
- Long-listed OLA Golden Oak Award, 2003
- Winner Hackmatack Award, 2003