The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis****

Realistic Fiction
　
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis is an interesting novel that helped me realize how families must really feel about war in Afghanistan. Parvana, the main character, is a young girl who must dress up as a boy after her father is arrested by the Taliban to make money for her family. In Afghanistan at the time, the Taliban did not allow women to go outside without wearing clothes that cover their entire body and face. Women could also not go out if they were not with a man. However, since Parvana’s father was arrested, her older brother had passed away, and her youngest brother, Ali, was just a toddler, she, her mother, and her sister could not go outside. This was a big problem, since the family now had no source of income. Her mother became depressed and the children began to starve. Luckily, a friendly neighbor Mrs. Weera came over to help the family along. She helped Parvana’s mother get out of her depression and coached the family, treating them like a team. Paravana now had to be the one to make money, no matter what it would take.
One day, Parvana’s sister Nooria was asked for her hand in marriage. The
family needed to move to get to the suitor’s home, but Parvana decided not to go. She stayed with Mrs. Weera. Unfortunately, Parvana soon met an upset girl who had run from the same town her family had just left to meet Nooria’s suitor. The Taliban had destroyed it, and Parvana had no idea if her mother, sister, baby brother, and baby sister were okay. A knock arrived on her door one night, and she was surprised to see it was her father. Two men had helped him get home since he was weak, but the fact that he was home and out of prison cheered Parvana up a lot. She was unsure of her future and family, but by being strong, she was a big help to everyone. Her bravery and curiosity definitely made this novel special.
Alana F.
Period 3

*How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt*****

*Realistic Fiction*

How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt is an excellent novel about Harper Evans, a girl who was troubled by her parents’ divorce. She felt trapped in her home of Los Angeles, living only with her dad and occasionally her little brother, Cole. The divorce not only separated her mother from her father, but her stepsister, Tess, from her. Tess had been her best friend growing up. Now, they were almost enemies, blaming each other’s parent for the divorce. Harper felt that she needed to escape the chaos at home and decided to join a teen volunteer program. The program was designed to help a family rebuild their home due to a tornado in Tennessee. Even though Harper didn’t know anything about construction, she knew she could relate to the family. Both of their homes seemed to be ripped away from them in a matter of seconds. She worked with other teens that came from San Francisco, New York City, and Salt Lake City to name a few. The family she helped was very kind, especially their son, Teddy. Harper and Teddy ended up having a summer romance, and Harper didn’t want to leave Tennessee. She occasionally called her dad, knowing he missed her. He in turn said to call Tess. Harper tried, but she couldn’t manage to dial the last number of Tess’ phone, fearing the conversation wouldn’t make anything better. One night, she heard a knock on the door. Harper answered it and was surprised to find Tess standing there in front of her. They talked for a while, and eventually they forgave one another for what happened, realizing it wasn’t either of their faults. Over the next few days, the teens finished up the house while Tess and Harper caught up on everything they had missed out on with each other. When the time came for Harper to leave, she and Teddy promised to keep in touch. Harper felt better about leaving Tennessee, because after all, both she and Teddy now had a good place to call home.
　
Alana F. Period 3