Mud City

The third book in Deborah Ellis's much-heralded Breadwinner Trilogy, Mud City follows the story of fourteen-year-old Shauzia, whose friend Parvana's story is featured in The Breadwinner and Parvana's Journey. Restless and unhappy in the women's compound of an Afghani refugee camp, Shauzia disguises herself as boy and seeks employment in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. But after a brief incarceration and an unsuccessful sojourn with an American family, she finds herself back where she started, slowly realizing that for a refugee, there is no easy escape...

Although it offered some welcome insights into the difficulties faced by refugees, as well as the cultural misunderstandings that frequently occur between westerners and the people of show more Afghanistan/Pakistan, I did not find Mud City as powerful a reading experience as the previous two in the series. I am unsure whether this is owing to the slightly less traumatic nature of the events chronicled, to the high expectations generated by the excellence of the first two titles, or to the fact that Shauzia makes a less likable heroine than Parvana. However that may be, although I would not rate this as highly as the others, it is still a worthwhile read, particularly given the dearth of good reading material for young readers about that part of the world. show less

I really like this book, I feel that I have a better understanding of Middle Eastern culture with reading this story. The suffering of the young girl really connected with me throughout the novel. When Shauzia was attempting to collect money, she was caught in a scam and this really broke my heart. I also really liked the author’s voice throughout the novel, I would read any of her work. The overall message is that hard work and determination will get you through any tough situation, such as the main characters in this story.

The third book in a tale of Afghan children attempting to survive the horrors of war and the resulting poverty, I confess that I did not enjoy this book as much as The Breadwinner and Parvana's Journey, perhaps because I did not find Shauzia as sympathetic a character as Parvana. The book is still well-written and artfully demonstrates the way in which war in one country can have dramatic effects on the surrounding nations. It may also cause children in more priviliged countries to rethink their own views on true poverty and desperation.

This book really gives the other side of what we see in Iraq, Baghdad, etc. We only see the war, but here a preteen girl (who pretends to be a boy) shows us what her dreams are, and how she plans to get to them. In the end, she walks in a circle, but has learned something along the way.

Mud City is the third book chronicling the life a young girl struggling to survive on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the late 1990s/early 2000s. The main character, Shauzia, is full of fight. A vibrant spirit, that isn't going to let her dire situation destroy her. She continues to fight to survive and over comes many difficult situations. Shauzia is introduced in the the first book of this series The Breadwinner. Deborah Ellis continues the story of Shauzia in Mud City. The plot of the third book is just as quick as the first, and she even leaves space for a possible fourth book. Mud City is a fast paced book with danger on every page turn!

So heart wrenching sad that kids grow up like this but Shauzia restores some of my faith in humanity.

I really loved this book - highly recommended.

Companion to Parvana and Parvana's Journey. The story of a young girl's fight to make a life for herself outside the refugee camps on the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan – her dream to travel to France; where there are no buildings with bullet holes or bomb damage. She makes it to a nearby city disguised as a boy - where she faces many difficulties -with only her dog Jasper for protection.p.55 –59when S, disguised as a boy, meets the junkyard pack and raids the kitchen bins of a hotel.