On Thursday, March 30, the Grade 5 and 6 classes were visited by internationally acclaimed Canadian author Deborah Ellis. Deborah wrote the international bestseller The Breadwinner, which was inspired by the true story of a young girl who cut off her hair and pretended to be a boy so she could earn money to support her family in war-torn Taliban-era Afghanistan, as well as many other challenging and beautiful works of fiction and non-fiction about children all over the world.
We learned about her travels to Afghanistan that inspired her to write The Breadwinnerseries, and to Bolivia where she learned about how poor children are used in illegal drug production, which inspired her to write I am a Taxi.
Deborah Ellis has received several awards for her books, including the Governor General’s Award and the Order of Ontario. She donates most of her royalty income to worthy causes such as Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, Street Kids International and UNICEF. She has donated more than one million dollars in royalties from her Breadwinner books alone.
Please ask your children about this author visit as they have thoroughly enjoyed her books and are eager to read more!
-Teacher/Librarian Lara Bafaro
