This is a great book in which the characters develop significantly. A young Afghani child and his sister have dreams to move to Australia to pursue a life of football. They accomplish their dream but with great difficulty.

This book is all right. This is a good intoduction to the world-wide issue of people smuggling for kids. A great book ( )

Jamal, his younger sister Bibi, and his parents have to flee Afghanistan when their small home based school for boys and girls is discovered. Their home is blown up and all they have left is what they can carry and money made from selling their taxi. This is what they use to buy a way out of the country to a refugee camp in Australia. Available on tape

Jamal and his sister Bibi love playing soccer. But there is a little problem - women aren't allowed to play soccer in Afghanistan. When they are forced to leave their country by the Taliban, they make their way to Australia. However, the journey isn't all smooth.

Jamal and his little sister Bibi live with their Mum and Dad in Afghanistan, where Jamal's Dad drives a taxi and his Mum runs an illegal school. Both children love playing soccer, but they live in a country where girls are forbidden to play soccer and the place where they play has many landmines nearby.
They dream of living in a place where the government allows them to play soccer and have a soccer team. Problems arise when officials discover that Jamal's mother is running a school and the family makes preparations to flee their home and country, and make their way to Australia.
They manage to find enough money to pay smugglers to bring them to Australia where they hope to begin a new, and freer life.
The events which happen in the book are based on the Tampa issue, telling the story from a refugees point of view. ( )