One More Mountain

by Deborah Ellis Narrated by Meera Simhan

Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

NOVEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

Meera Simhan, narrator of the majority of Ellis’s Breadwinner series, delivers the fifth installment. It takes place in 2021, twenty years after the initial book, when Parvana and Shauzia became heroines. Simhan’s slight accent gives a sense of the Afghan setting. She infuses emotions into her otherwise neutral reading to show the terror of those who are experiencing the Taliban’s resumption of power. The main part of the story involves 15-year-old Damsa, who has left a luxurious life to escape a forced marriage and ends up at a school run by Parvana. Other elements include the kindness of Parvana’s loving husband and the fear and pluck of her son. Simhan reflects Parvana’s continued courage, hope, and determination to help those around her who are suffering from the repressive regime. An apt update on the series and current conditions. S.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Canadian Children's Book News

The fierce strength of the women of Afghanistan and their visions for a just, democratic society is inspiring. The bravery of small individual acts of kindness and the boldness of grander schemes make this a story to remember.

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database

A book of strength, of hope, and of freedom.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

This novel is filled with strong female figures such as Parvana and her good friend Shauzia who help so many endangered women and girls. … Readers will see examples of strength and resolve as well as touching scenes of care and love within the refuge.

The International Educator Blog

Books about war torn countries are not easy reading. And they certainly are difficult to write. But these books can serve as a window on the world for people in other countries. They can also serve as an anchor for those who might have lived through circumstances similar to the characters in the book, especially if the book is as well researched and powerfully written as books by Deborah Ellis. … These strong women protect and inspire a new generation of Afghan women. 

Canadian Review of Materials

This novel is filled with strong female figures such as Parvana and her good friend Shauzia who help so many endangered women and girls. … Readers will see examples of strength and resolve as well as touching scenes of care and love within the refuge.

NOVEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

Meera Simhan, narrator of the majority of Ellis’s Breadwinner series, delivers the fifth installment. It takes place in 2021, twenty years after the initial book, when Parvana and Shauzia became heroines. Simhan’s slight accent gives a sense of the Afghan setting. She infuses emotions into her otherwise neutral reading to show the terror of those who are experiencing the Taliban’s resumption of power. The main part of the story involves 15-year-old Damsa, who has left a luxurious life to escape a forced marriage and ends up at a school run by Parvana. Other elements include the kindness of Parvana’s loving husband and the fear and pluck of her son. Simhan reflects Parvana’s continued courage, hope, and determination to help those around her who are suffering from the repressive regime. An apt update on the series and current conditions. S.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175560276
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Series:	The Breadwinner , #5
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

Read an Excerpt

“Rafi!” said his father.

Rafi looked at Asif.

“You and Maryam go on up there. We will say goodbye now.”

He grabbed Rafi in a tight embrace.

“Call us from New York,” he said. “Become a great dancer. You are already a great man.”

Asif pushed him away.

“Go!”

The crowd gave Rafi no chance to argue. It pushed him and Maryam closer to the gate, away from his father, away from the man who loved him more than any other man ever would, and there was nothing Rafi could do but keep going forward.

The gate was within reach now. All they would have to do was crawl up the bank of the gully, out of the sewer water, and up to the soldiers.

Rafi stuck his hand under his collar, ready to pull up the pouch that contained their papers, their passports to a better, safer life. His other hand was so completely fused to his Aunt Maryam’s hand, it was like they were welded together.

Two more steps, and they were at the edge of the water. 

Three big steps, and they were out of the gully. 

A dozen more steps on dry land, and they would be at the gate, and then through it.

And that’s when the explosion happened.

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