If a reader is looking for a more unique setting for a novel this is it.  It contains all the basic issues of an older child growing up such as not always wanting to obey, sibling fighting and rivalry, and helping in the family.  Parvana complains about having to get the water, envy’s her sister’s hair, and doesn't want to give up some of her clothes.  But the setting of war torn Afghanistan raises all the normal issues of life to a new level.  After Father is arrested, getting food is an issue since women are not allowed in the marketplace alone.  Eventually, running out of food and hope, eleven year old Parvana dresses as a boy, cuts her hair, and does  whatever is necessary to keep the family alive--from reading letters for the illiterate to digging up and selling the bones of her ancestors. She assumes the position of “Breadwinner.”  The story shows how people in war do the impossible.  A family friend, Mrs. Weera, moves in to help and gets Parvana’s mother to write again.  They get the pieces smuggled to Pakistan and publish a magazine.  Publishers Weekly says, “. . . the topical issues introduced, coupled with this strong heroine, will make this novel of interest to many. . .”

Ms. Ellis’ writing is an authentic story.  She spent several months talking with women and girls in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan and Russia. This suspenseful, timely novel is the result of those encounters. Royalties from the sale of The Breadwinner will go toward educating Afghan girls in Pakistani refugee camps.

Parvana’s determination to survive is the force that drives this novel set against the backdrop of an intolerable situation brought about by war and religious fanaticism. Booklist calls this book, “A potent portrait of life in contemporary Afghanistan, showing that powerful heroines can survive even in the most oppressive ... conditions.”