The Breadwinner Books in Order

After Taliban soldiers imprison her father, Parvana’s family faces starvation because women cannot leave home alone. Disguising herself as a boy, she ventures into Kabul to earn money, risking discovery while encountering the dangers that surround ordinary Afghan life.

Parvana crosses war-torn Afghanistan disguised as a boy, searching for her missing family. Other displaced children join her, forming an improvised family whose survival depends on cooperation, imagination, and luck as bombs fall and the countryside becomes increasingly dangerous.

Shauzia escapes Afghanistan but finds herself trapped in a crowded Pakistani refugee camp. Dreaming of France, she leaves to earn money on Peshawar’s streets, discovering that determination and disguise offer only limited protection against the dangers facing homeless children.

American troops detain fifteen-year-old Parvana after finding her in a bombed school. Refusing to speak, she recalls her family’s efforts to educate girls and the threats they faced, while her captors try to decide whether she is a terrorist.

When the Taliban return to power in Afghanistan, Parvana and Shauzia face renewed danger. A runaway girl finds refuge at Parvana’s school, but its students must flee into the mountains as their hopes for safety unravel.