Hi guys!

Welcome to Zen’s Pick! Every so often, my BFF Zen will write a book review for my blog!
Let’s start with today’s!

Book: My Name is Parvana
Author: Deborah Ellis
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Summary (Off of GoodReads.com):
On a military base in post-Taliban Afghanistan, American authorities have just imprisoned a teenaged girl found in a bombed-out school. The army major thinks she may be a terrorist working with the Taliban. The girl does not respond to questions in any language and remains silent, even when she is threatened, harassed and mistreated over several days. The only clue to her identity is a tattered shoulder bag containing papers that refer to people named Shauzia, Nooria, Leila, Asif, Hassan — and Parvana.

In this long-awaited sequel to The Breadwinner Trilogy, Parvana is now fifteen years old. As she waits for foreign military forces to determine her fate, she remembers the past four years of her life. Reunited with her mother and sisters, she has been living in a village where her mother has finally managed to open a school for girls. But even though the Taliban has been driven from the government, the country is still at war, and many continue to view the education and freedom of girls and women with suspicion and fear.

As her family settles into the routine of running the school, Parvana, a bit to her surprise, finds herself restless and bored. She even thinks of running away. But when local men threaten the school and her family, she must draw on every ounce of bravery and resilience she possesses to survive the disaster that kills her mother, destroys the school, and puts her own life in jeopardy.

A riveting page-turner, Deborah Ellis’s new novel is at once harrowing, inspiring and thought-provoking. And, yes, in the end, Parvana is reunited with her childhood friend, Shauzia.

Review:

Characters:

Parvana- Very strong girl, Holds up to expectations of Taliban, she’s getting help but refuses to take it (Stubborn)
Noria- Older Sister, deep down cares about Parvana
Maryam- Loves Parvana
Ali- Baby of the family
Hassan- Small Boy that Parvana found

Overall Rating:
4/5 Stars
It’s a very interesting novel, about what has happened in Afghanistan. It is also quite the page turner, believe me! Although, I didn’t like what happened to Afghanistan, and it worrys me that it may happen in North America. This book made me feel lucky to have what I have and to appreciate more of the things I get, as not everyone is so lucky/privileged. That would be the one thing I wish readers would take away/learn from this book.

Thanks so much to Zen for reviewing this book for us! We’ll see her very soon!
Good Night Book Lions!