The Breadwinner, Grades 4-6
The themes of friendship, hardship and oppression in this novel will challenge your students while the activities in our Link Link guide their learning. Chapter-by-Chapter questions and additional activities in vocabulary, word study, and personal development are designed according to research-based education principles to improve literacy skills in communication, critical thinking, emotional development and more. About the novel: Based on the true-life stories of women in Afghan refugee camps, The Breadwinner is an engrossing novel that delves into the harsh realities of life for girls and women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Eleven-year-old Parvana and her family have rarely been outdoors for a year and a half. No longer can she or her siblings attend school, or play outdoors. The family's situation becomes perilous when Parvana's father is taken away to jail. It is then that Parvana is forced to take on the responsibility of being the "breadwinner" for her small family. Disguised as a boy, Parvana goes out to the marketplace each day to offer her skills as a reader. Here Parvana realizes a freedom that she has not known in a long time. But will she be safe?

Grade Level: 4, 5, 6