In Afghanistan, women and girls cannot leave the house without the company of a male. They also must hide their entire bodies and faces, wrapped in shapeless garments and concealed behind veils. What do these human rights restrictions mean for the mothers, sisters and young girls who live under the oppressive regime of the Taliban? For Parvana, it means that her family cannot get enough to eat. After soldiers arrest her father, a history teacher reduced to reading letters for the illiterate in the marketplace, Parvana's family has no choice but to starve in silence - unless they can find a male, a breadwinner. In Deborah Ellis' powerful novel for teens, the resourceful Parvana finds a way to help her family by disguising herself as a boy. Experiencing for the first time the freedom of being male in her culture, Parvana also learns more about the terrible violations occurring every day in Kabul. The Breadwinner reveals the reality of life in a war-torn country, while also showing that children can make an incredible difference through small acts of courage.

Over two million copies of The Breadwinner Trilogy sold worldwide 

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 wihtout 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 Breadwinner is a novel about loyalty, survival, families and friendship under extraordinary circumstances. A map, glossary and author's note provide young readers with background and context. All royalties from the sale of this book will go to Women for Women, an organization that supports health and education projects in Afghanistan.