UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

by | Feb 27, 2026

Talk with students about how few adults there are in the novel, and how the children had to play adult roles even when there were adults present. Ask students for examples from the novel. Then introduce the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. See Convention on...

Themes

by | Feb 27, 2026

Ask students to identify what they think are the important themes in Parvana’s Journey and create a collage or a diagram (such as a web or tree) to show those themes. Students might identify these themes: children having to act as adults; missing parents; definitions...

Pick a Song

by | Feb 27, 2026

Have students select a sentence, paragraph or whole chapter from the novel that they found particularly moving or striking. Ask them to select a song (with or without lyrics) that they think expresses the same emotion or feeling as that selection. Have them share and...

Relationship Study

by | Feb 27, 2026

Ask students to choose two of the characters and study their relationship (i.e., Parvana and Asif, Parvana and Hassan, Parvana and Leila, or Asif and Hassan). Students can consider how the characters interact; how the relationship benefits the characters; what...

Not Acting Their Age

by | Feb 27, 2026

Read aloud the author’s dedication on page 5 and this ironic description of Parvana from page 7: “She was ashamed of herself for getting caught up in a stupid dream, as though she were still a child.” Talk with students about the novel’s theme of children having to...