The lives of children and teens in Kabul, Afghanistan, are illuminated in eye-opening ways through personal stories that expand understanding of things readers may have heard about in news stories of life under the Taliban and in the war. The voices of the youth in this book are honest, real, and memorable, and so very child- or teen-like. The result is numerous moments of striking poignancy. Deborah Ellis provides an impassioned introduction to the book as a whole and to the individuals who speak in these pages. Her perspective is overtly political—she offers her opinions openly and transparently—while providing information about some of the issues, events, or activities the young speakers reference in the individual profiles. While it’s unfortunate that Ellis does not provide readers with any information about the questions that she asked her interview subjects, that oversight can’t detract from the book’s strength, which is providing insight into the lives of these young people. (Age 11 and older)

Since its publication in 2000, hundreds of thousands of children all over the world have read and loved The Breadwinner, the fictional story of eleven-year-old Parvana living in Kabul under the terror of the Taliban. But what happened to Afghanistan’s children after the fall of the Taliban in 2001? In 2011, Deborah Ellis went to Kabul to find out.

The twenty-six boys and girls featured in this book range in age from ten to seventeen, and they speak candidly about their lives now. They are still living in a country at war. Violence and oppression exist all around them. The situation for girls has improved, but it is still difficult and dangerous. And many children — boys and girls — are still supporting their families by selling items like pencils and matches on the street.

Yet these kids are weathering their lives with remarkable courage and hope, getting as much education and life experience and fun as they can.

All royalties from the sale of Kids of Kabul will go to Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (www.cw4wafghan.ca), which administers Parvana’s Fund, supporting schools, libraries and literacy programs for Afghan women and children.

Key Text Features
photographs
maps
glossary
introduction
historical context
additional information

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.6
Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.9
Compare and contrast one author's presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person).