Parvana’s Journey is a brilliant sequel to The Breadwinner, which is suitable for children between the ages of 9 to 15. The book is about a girl called Parvana who is searching for her family. At the start of the book Parvana’s dad died and they had a funeral. After that Parvana started her journey and along the way she found a mud hut village with a barn, chickens and a goat.
When she walked into a damaged house, she found a baby boy with his deceased mother next to him. Parvarna wanted to keep the baby, and after a couple of days she finally came up with a name for him, she called him Hassan. After another couple of days walking, they found a cave with a boy called Asif inside it. Parvana told him a story about treasure and they tried digging but they only found a very rusty old box of bullets.
Asif had only one leg because it got blown off by a land mine. A few days later, they found a mud hut village like the one Parvana had found before, but this time people were living there. After one day of living there and doing chores, they decided to leave and stole one of their chickens for food. After weeks and WEEKS of walking and sleeping they sat down and threw rocks. When Parvana threw a rock and it hit the ground the earth rose above them… Oh yes, they were in a minefield.
I think the title really suits the book’s storyline very well because it is about Parvana’s search to find her family and also the events that happen along the way. I think what Parvana is doing is very dangerous and she is very brave which makes the storyline interesting.
The description of where the story takes place is very detailed so it is easy to get a picture in your mind about the setting. The story is very detailed so it’s easy to understand the events taking place. The book is interesting, as it helps you find out about what life is like in Afghanistan under the Taliban and what it’s like to live a dangerous part of the world.
There are a few areas in the book where I don’t understand the local language and if you have not read The Breadwinner, you will find it hard to understand the background to this book.
I really enjoyed this book and wanted it to be longer because I found the storyline really interesting. It also made me appreciate my life in Australia and how safe and lucky I am.
The rating I am giving this book is 5 out of 5
- This review by Mitchell Dowling, a member of the St Mary's Catholic Primary School Kalgoorlie Book Club.
KBR Note: The Breadwinner was published in Australia by Allen & Unwin with the title Parvana.
Title: Parvana's Journey
Author: Deborah Ellis
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $15.95 RRP
Publication Date: November 2002
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781865089997
For ages: 11-14
Type: Middle Fiction
