I am currently getting prepared for a literature study focusing on Children around the World. I want to expose my students to life outside of our small town in Ontario. To that end, I am reading several books for our up-coming literature circles.
Thunder over Kandahar is an amazing, powerful book about life in Afghanistan. The story centers around two girls of very different backgrounds. Yasmine, who spent most of her life in England and has returned to Afghanistan with her parents to help restore the country. Tamanna is a girl who has been raised in Afghanistan. At first Tamanna has a hard time being comfortable with Yasmine because their childhood was so different. For Yasmine, she was raised by highly educated parents who instilled in her the passion for learning and education. Tamanna, however grew up under Taliban law and was treated as a second class citizen and was not allowed to go to school. Slowly the girls overcome their differences and become best friends. They find their friendship put to the test when they must flee their village or face certain death.
I was absolutely fascinated with this book. McKay has created characters that are so real and believable that I was racing to finish the book to find out what happens. Life in Afghanistan is so hard to grasp. It is my hope that children who read this book realize how lucky they are to live in Canada and to have some compassion and understanding for what is happening in another part of the world.
cool! it's sitting by my bedside waiting for the right moment. steven
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