Thunder Over Kandahar

Gr 7—10—The lives of two teenage Afghan girls intersect in this gripping story (Annick Press, 2010) by Sharon E. McKay. Yasmine, 14, a very British girl, is dismayed when her Afghan parents choose to return to their homeland with the hope of rebuilding the country. When her family becomes a target of the Taliban for being tainted by the West, they move to a small village where Yasmine meets Tamanna. The girls become fast friends and are overjoyed when a school is opened in the village. Their hopes are quickly dashed by a Taliban attack. Yasmine's parents are shot and Yasmine and Tamanna must escape through the Taliban-controlled mountains to Pakistan. The story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Yasmine and Tamanna, and narrator Mozhan Marno moves seamlessly from characters with British, Afghan, American, and French accents. McKay spent time in Afghanistan researching the novel, and she puts a human face on this fictionalized account of a complex political situation. Listeners will be horrified by the violence against women and will root for the success of Yasmine and Tamanna. A worthwhile addition to all audio collections.—Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK