The Breadwinner
CBC Books | Posted: February 28, 2017 4:53 PM | Last Updated: October 17, 2018
Deborah Ellis
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When the Taliban take away 11-year-old Parvana's father, she realizes she needs to become the breadwinner of the family to care for her mother and siblings. Even though she hasn't really left their apartment since the Taliban took power, Parvana must disguise herself as a boy in order to get work. Inspired by true events, The Breadwinner is a powerful book.
The Breadwinner is for readers ages 12 and up.
An animated film adaptation of The Breadwinner was co-produced by Angelina Jolie.
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From the book
She wasn't supposed to be outside at all. The Taliban had ordered all the girls and women in Afghanistan to stay inside their homes. They even forbade girls to go to school. Parvana had had to leave her sixth grade class and her sister Nooria was not allowed to go to her high school. Their mother had been kicked out of her job as a writer for a Kabul radio station.
From The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis ©2000. Published by Groundwood Books.