--- product_id: 17158410 title: "The Breadwinner (Breadwinner Series, 1)" price: "AED 49" currency: AED in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ae/products/17158410-the-breadwinner-breadwinner-series-1 store_origin: AE region: United Arab Emirates --- # The Breadwinner (Breadwinner Series, 1) **Price:** AED 49 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Breadwinner (Breadwinner Series, 1) - **How much does it cost?** AED 49 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ae](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/17158410-the-breadwinner-breadwinner-series-1) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description "All girls [should read] The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis." ― Malala Yousafzai, New York Times Over one million copies sold! The first book in Deborah Ellis’s riveting Breadwinner series is an award-winning novel about loyalty, survival, families and friendship under extraordinary circumstances during the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan in the late 1990s. 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 without 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 fifteenth anniversary edition includes a special foreword by Deborah Ellis as well as a new map, an updated author’s note and a glossary to provide young readers with background and context. All royalties from the sale of this book will go to Right to Learn Afghanistan. Parvana’s Fund supports education projects for Afghan women and children. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3 Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. Review: A Strong Heroine! - Eleven-year-old Parvana lives in Kabul, Afghanistan, under the Taliban, and this multicultural middle school book shows us what life is like when they're in power. She and her sisters can't go to school. They're not even supposed to go outside, and neither is their mother, unless accompanied by a man. Women and teenage girls must wear a burqa, which covers their entire body and face, except for the eyes. Parvana and her family used to live in a big house, but the daily bombing, which has gone on for years, has destroyed almost everything they owned. Now they live in one room. Her father supports them by reading and writing letters for uneducated people. Even this existence is threatened when the Taliban break in and arrest her father for the crime of having gone to school in England. "Afghanistan doesn't need your foreign ideas," they tell him as they drag him off to prison. Soon the family runs out of money and food, a desperate situation since Parvana, her mother, and her sisters can't be outside unless they're with a man. A neighbor woman comes up with an idea: Parvana can dress as a boy, because boys can come and go freely. She agrees, and wears the clothing of an older brother who died. Since she knows how to read, she earns money the same way her father did and becomes the family breadwinner. Then the family gets exciting news--Parvana's older sister receives a proposal of marriage from the son of old family friends. They live in north Afghanistan, where there are no Taliban. A journey is quickly planned, but Parvana can't go because the friends know she is a girl. Her family can't let her secret get back to Kabul. Parvana stays with the neighbor woman, but then bad news arrives: the Taliban have invaded the very city where Parvana's family went for the wedding. Now what will she do? This book was a fast and absorbing read. The writing style is simple but the story is so powerful I could hardly put it down, and the spirit and resilience of Parvana and her family were inspirational. Author Deborah Ellis visited Afghan refugee camps and talked with many girls like Parvana. She is donating the royalties from this book to Women for Women in Afghanistan, dedicated to improving the lives of women there. Read about current conditions in Afghanistan in this article. Reading level: 10 and up. Parvana, her mother, and her father receive beatings, but the description is minimal. The girl witnesses a public punishment where men convicted as thieves each have one hand chopped off. No gory details, but it is a shocking moment. Review: Awe-Inspiring Story About Women in Afganistan - Thoughts: I honestly can't walk two feet without being stopped and having this book recommended to me. This went on for about three years before I finally had enough of this and purchased the Breadwinner. And boy, am I glad I did. No one is more up for female rights than I am (I've probably written about a thousand female empowerment stories), and so this book instantly appealed to me. I loved I Am Malala, so hearing that this was in the same vein was immensely exciting. The Breadwinner is the kind of book that really anyone can read. Your age doesn't necessarily matter, since this book is written in a way that can transcend from eight to sixty year olds. But the writing wasn't what made this book impressive; the sheer character of Parvana herself, and the story she takes us along, is completely mindblowing. Sometimes, I had to stop myself and reread a section because it thrust me into disbelief. The things women had to go through under the rule of the Taliban - and STILL have to go through -.... it's just heartbreaking. This book serves not only to make us, as kids, aware of this difficult topic, but also spurs us to want to get involved. I was completely gripped the entire time while reading this book, and by the end of it, I was speechless. While, at some points, this is not the most engaging book per se, it is still a fascinating story that kids of all ages will enjoy. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #3,157 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in Children's Middle East Books #32 in Children's Books on Girls' & Women's Issues #60 in Children's Self-Esteem Books | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,820 Reviews | ## Images ![The Breadwinner (Breadwinner Series, 1) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81f2D-UFJ+L.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Strong Heroine! *by W***W on October 1, 2010* Eleven-year-old Parvana lives in Kabul, Afghanistan, under the Taliban, and this multicultural middle school book shows us what life is like when they're in power. She and her sisters can't go to school. They're not even supposed to go outside, and neither is their mother, unless accompanied by a man. Women and teenage girls must wear a burqa, which covers their entire body and face, except for the eyes. Parvana and her family used to live in a big house, but the daily bombing, which has gone on for years, has destroyed almost everything they owned. Now they live in one room. Her father supports them by reading and writing letters for uneducated people. Even this existence is threatened when the Taliban break in and arrest her father for the crime of having gone to school in England. "Afghanistan doesn't need your foreign ideas," they tell him as they drag him off to prison. Soon the family runs out of money and food, a desperate situation since Parvana, her mother, and her sisters can't be outside unless they're with a man. A neighbor woman comes up with an idea: Parvana can dress as a boy, because boys can come and go freely. She agrees, and wears the clothing of an older brother who died. Since she knows how to read, she earns money the same way her father did and becomes the family breadwinner. Then the family gets exciting news--Parvana's older sister receives a proposal of marriage from the son of old family friends. They live in north Afghanistan, where there are no Taliban. A journey is quickly planned, but Parvana can't go because the friends know she is a girl. Her family can't let her secret get back to Kabul. Parvana stays with the neighbor woman, but then bad news arrives: the Taliban have invaded the very city where Parvana's family went for the wedding. Now what will she do? This book was a fast and absorbing read. The writing style is simple but the story is so powerful I could hardly put it down, and the spirit and resilience of Parvana and her family were inspirational. Author Deborah Ellis visited Afghan refugee camps and talked with many girls like Parvana. She is donating the royalties from this book to Women for Women in Afghanistan, dedicated to improving the lives of women there. Read about current conditions in Afghanistan in this article. Reading level: 10 and up. Parvana, her mother, and her father receive beatings, but the description is minimal. The girl witnesses a public punishment where men convicted as thieves each have one hand chopped off. No gory details, but it is a shocking moment. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Awe-Inspiring Story About Women in Afganistan *by D***S on August 28, 2016* Thoughts: I honestly can't walk two feet without being stopped and having this book recommended to me. This went on for about three years before I finally had enough of this and purchased the Breadwinner. And boy, am I glad I did. No one is more up for female rights than I am (I've probably written about a thousand female empowerment stories), and so this book instantly appealed to me. I loved I Am Malala, so hearing that this was in the same vein was immensely exciting. The Breadwinner is the kind of book that really anyone can read. Your age doesn't necessarily matter, since this book is written in a way that can transcend from eight to sixty year olds. But the writing wasn't what made this book impressive; the sheer character of Parvana herself, and the story she takes us along, is completely mindblowing. Sometimes, I had to stop myself and reread a section because it thrust me into disbelief. The things women had to go through under the rule of the Taliban - and STILL have to go through -.... it's just heartbreaking. This book serves not only to make us, as kids, aware of this difficult topic, but also spurs us to want to get involved. I was completely gripped the entire time while reading this book, and by the end of it, I was speechless. While, at some points, this is not the most engaging book per se, it is still a fascinating story that kids of all ages will enjoy. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Speedy delivery, arrived in perfect condition.. *by A***R on October 20, 2020* This was a must read for our sixth grader... Who decided to tell us a week AFTER her first 5 chapter review was due.. thanks Amazon for super quick delivery.. she did alot of reading that weekend. She was not real impressed with the story said it felt... Unfinished and struggled with the actual point of the story. Yet for a child used to comfort it gave her a glimpse of the life other children live... ## Frequently Bought Together - The Breadwinner (Breadwinner Series, 1) - Parvana’s Journey (Breadwinner Series, 2) - Mud City (Breadwinner Series, 3) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ae/products/17158410-the-breadwinner-breadwinner-series-1](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/17158410-the-breadwinner-breadwinner-series-1) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Arab Emirates* *Store origin: AE* *Last updated: 2026-09-16*