Mud City (Breadwinner Series, 3) - Hardcover

Ellis, Deborah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0888995180 ISBN 13: 9780888995186

Publisher: Groundwood Books, 2003

Synopsis

Fourteen-year-old Shauzia dreams of seeing the ocean and eventually making a new life in France, but it is hard to reconcile that dream with the terrible conditions of the Afghan refugee camp where she lives. Making things worse is the camp’s leader, Mrs. Weera, whose demands on Shauzia make her need to escape all the more urgent. Her decision to leave necessitates Shauzia dress like a boy, as her friend Parvana did, to earn money to buy passage out. But her journey becomes a struggle to survive as she's forced to beg and pick through garbage, eventually landing in jail. An apparent rescue by a well-meaning American family gives her hope again, but will it last? And where will she end up? Mud City is the final book in the acclaimed trilogy that includes The Breadwinner (a best-seller) and Parvana's Journey. It paints a devastating portrait of life in refugee camps, where so many children around the world are trapped, some for their whole lives. But it also tells movingly of these kids' resourcefulness and strength, which help them survive these unimaginable circumstances.

About this title

About the Author

Deborah Ellis has achieved international acclaim with her courageous and dramatic books that give Western readers a glimpse into the plight of children in developing countries. She has won the Governor General's Award, Sweden's Peter Pan Prize, the Ruth Schwartz Award, the University of California's Middle East Book Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award. A long-time feminist and anti-war activist, she is best known for the Parvana series, which has been published around the world in seventeen languages, with more than a million dollars in royalties donated to Street Kids International and to Women for Women, an organization that supports health and education projects in Afghanistan. In 2006, Deb was named to the Order of Ontario.

From AudioFile

The final book in Ellis's BREADWINNER trilogy is the story of Shauzia, a young Afghani refugee in Pakistan who dreams of freedom. Meera Simhan's narration brings to life the harshness of existence for refugees. She gives 13-year-old Shauzia a believable voice, filled with the self-centeredness of a young person who is trying to exert her independence and cling to her dreams of a better life. Simhan's narration reflects Shauzia's growth as she develops into a young heroine who learns the importance of community. An author's note gives historical context to the story and provides the listener with sources through which to lend aid to Afghani refugees. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0888995180
• ISBN 13: 9780888995186
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 176