Author(s): Nadia Hashimi

Adventure and Real Life Stories

The first novel for young readers by internationally bestselling author Hashimi ("The Pearl That Broke Its Shell") is a coming-of-age journey set in modern-day Afghanistan that explores life as a "bacha posh"--a preteen girl dressed as a boy.

Kathleen's review - If there's a boy in the family, the woman is more likely to conceive a new boychild - or such is the theory - so if you haven't actually got one then you turn one of your daughters into a boy. 

I found this book an excellent read. The voice is true and quite serious issues are tackled. It also tells well of a child's feelings. The girl is 10, and her father lost a leg in a bomb blast so they had to move back to the village he was born in and live under the charity of his family. So life is difficult for the whole family ...