📚Cultural Fiction Suitable For Middle Grade Or Older Pre-Teen Readers. Rosie’s #Bookreview Of One More Mountain (Breadwinner Series Book 5) by Deborah Ellis #TuesdayBookBlog #BookTwitter

One More Mountain by Deborah Ellis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One More Mountain is the fifth book in the Breadwinner series of cultural fiction suitable for middle grade or older pre-teen readers. The series is set in Afghanistan and this particular story happens around 2021 when the Taliban have re-taken the country.

In the story, characters from previous books continue their lives, but this book can be read without knowledge of the story so far. It begins with Maryam, a female singer, and her nephew Rafi trying to leave the country for a better life in America; alas, the airport has been shut as thousands try to flee the country.

Rafi’s mother is staying in Afghanistan, where she runs a refuge for women and young girls. With news of the rebels’ advance, the refuge must close for the safety of all. They then set out on a long journey to find a better place to live.

I have not read any other books in this series, however, I think these books are important as they highlight the plight of people in different parts of the world.

There is a map showing where Afghanistan is at the front of the book and a glossary of native words at the back with a short history of the country which is suitable for young readers to understand. There are no illustrations, but the descriptive passages drew their own pictures in my mind.

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Book description

It’s 2021, and the Taliban have regained power in Afghanistan. Parvana and Shauzia, the brave protagonists of The Breadwinner, must now flee to escape new dangers from an old enemy.

In Kabul, 15-year-old Damsa runs away to avoid being forced into marriage by her family. She is found by a police officer named Shauzia, who takes her to Green Valley, a shelter and school for women and girls run by Parvana.

It has been 20 years since Parvana and Shauzia had to disguise themselves as boys to support themselves and their families. But when the Taliban were defeated in 2001, it looked as if Afghans could finally rebuild their country. Many things have changed for Parvana since then. She has married Asif, who she met in the desert as she searched for her family when she was a child. She runs a school for girls. She has a son, Rafi, who is about to fly to New York, where he will train to become a dancer.

But Shauzia is still Parvana’s best friend. And Parvana is still headstrong, bringing her in conflict with her spoiled sister Maryam.

While Asif tries to get Maryam and Rafi on one of the last flights out of Kabul, the Taliban come to the school, and Parvana must lead the girls out of Green Valley and into the mountains.

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