`Diego had never been in the jungle before. He`d lived with his family high in the hills, and then he was a prison kid, a city kid. His nights were bare lightbulbs burning, women and children crying, guards yelling and keys clanging. He hated it, but it was what he was used to . . .`A simple error of judgement hurls Diego into a nightmare. He's been living in prison with his mother and sister, looking after them and earning money whenever he can. Until the day he accidentally breaks the rules. Suddenly the family are in trouble, and Diego needs money to save them.So when one of his friends tells Diego that he knows a job that will make them both rich, Diego gives into temptation. But the job is far different from the one he`d imagined, and Diego soon finds himself in the heart of the Bolivian jungle and the clutches of men who produce drugs for a living . ..

Deborah Ellis is the internationally acclaimed author of more than twenty books for children, including The Breadwinner Trilogy; The Heaven Shop; Lunch With Lenin; Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees; and Our Stories, Our Songs: African Children Talk About AIDS. She has won many national and international awards for her books, including the Governor General’s Award, the Vicky Metcalf Award, Sweden’s Peter Pan Prize, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and the Children’s Africana Book Award Honor Book for Older Readers.Deborah knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of 11 or 12. Growing up in Paris, Ontario, she loved reading about big cities like New York. In high school, Deborah joined the Peace Movement, playing anti-Nuclear War movies at her school. Since then Deborah has become a peace activist, humanitarian and philanthropist, donating almost all of the royalties from her books to communities in need in Asia and Africa. Heavily involved with Women for Women in Afghanistan, Deborah has helped build women’s centers and schools, giving children education and finding work for women.In 2006, Deborah was named to the Order of Ontario. She now lives in Simcoe, Ontario.

Deborah Ellis' profile page

`A moving story, with a deeply satisfying ending, the novel convincingly portrays the story of the real children behind the headlines about landmines and refugee camps.`Best Books Guide 2003

`[Parvana's Journey]:`A book all children should read`The Teacher

`. . . a harrowing, true-to-life story . . . meticulously researched and sensitively written, but not for the faint-hearted.`Northern Echo

`a book all young teens should read . . . It is impossible not to be moved`Birmingham Post

`a powerful and gruesome depiction of life under the Taliban regime, told honestly by children.`Entertainment News

`[The Breadwinner]:`deserves to become a bestseller.`The Daily Telegraph

`[The Breadwinner]: `deserves to become a bestseller.`The Daily Telegraph

`[Parvana's Journey]: `A book all children should read`The Teacher

`A moving story, with a deeply satisfying ending, the novel convincingly portrays the story of the real children behind the headlines about landmines and refugee camps.`Best Books Guide 2003

`[Parvana's Journey]:`A book all children should read`The Teacher

`. . . a harrowing, true-to-life story . . . meticulously researched and sensitively written, but not for the faint-hearted.`Northern Echo

`a book all young teens should read . . . It is impossible not to be moved`Birmingham Post

`a powerful and gruesome depiction of life under the Taliban regime, told honestly by children.`Entertainment News

`[The Breadwinner]:`deserves to become a bestseller.`The Daily Telegraph

`[The Breadwinner]: `deserves to become a bestseller.`The Daily Telegraph

`[Parvana's Journey]: `A book all children should read`The Teacher