'Parvana' Theme: Hardship by Hayden Radford

Here in Australia many teenage children find various aspects of life difficult. "I've got too much homework", "Why has nobody liked my new Facebook post?". Parvana must endure hardships unimaginable to most first world children. It is these hardships that create the tension throughout the story. Living in a place where almost everything is trying to make life as difficult as possible for Parvana, whether it's blacking out your windows so nobody can see inside or wearing a Burqa when outdoors so nobody can see your face, all odds are seemingly stacked against Parvana. Sadly this is not just a fictional place but a real part of our Earth where real people are forced to live in these harsh conditions. This is what gives the novel an extra layer of depth with its daunting reality.

This depicts an Afghan child receiving food aid. Within days of an earthquake that hit Afghanistan