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ONE MORE MOUNTAIN

Deborah Ellis

Following the tragic recent events in Afghanistan, Deborah Ellis was inspired to revisit her bestselling Breadwinner series with a timely fifth installment entitled ONE MORE MOUNTAIN.

The story opens in 2021 as the Taliban regain power in Afghanistan. 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. In this timely new installment in the Breadwinner series, our brave protagonists Parvana and Shauzia must now flee to escape new dangers from an old enemy.

While it's incredibly sad that the present circumstances prompted Deb to return to the series, I think readers and book buyers are looking to understand the contemporary experiences of children in Afghanistan, and this new installment will find an eager audience. To date the Breadwinner series and Deb's generosity have generated over $2 million in donations to organizations such as Women for Women in Afghanistan, UNICEF, and Street Kids International. Deb will again be donating her royalties from ONE MORE MOUNTAIN but I believe she's still deciding on which organization.

Edited ms available end of April 2022.
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Published 2022-10-01 by Groundwood Books

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