For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai's Story

by Jennifer Muirhead (follow)

Children's Books (93)      Non-Fiction (83)      Feminist (29)      Education (7)      Human Rights (1)     

Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Capstone Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world." ~ Malala Yousafzai, speaking before the United Nations, 2013.

In 2008 when the Taliban announced that girls in Pakistan would no longer be allowed to attend school, eleven year old Malala was angry and defiant. With the help of a BBC reporter she published an anonymous blog to tell the world how she felt about being denied an education.

After the Taliban were driven away from her home she was able to attend school once again, but people had guessed the blogger's identity and she became famous. Soon she received death threats over the internet. When she refused to be silenced she was attacked on the school bus and shot in the head. Miraculously she survived, and went right back to speaking publicly about the importance of education for both girls and boys, even speaking before the United Nations in July 2013.

Malala Yousafzai is my hero, and her story still makes me tear up a little. Rebecca Langston-George has presented a simplified version of Malala's story for children, complete with a brief glossary explaining some of the words. It is accompanied by beautiful illustrations by Janna Bock, and perfectly captures the courage and determination of this amazing young women. The violence is implied rather than graphically depicted.

For the Right to Learn would be suitable to read to a younger child of about five, or read alone by a more confident reader of eight or older. Older readers may enjoy Malala's autobiography, I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (with Christina Lamb).

Rating:5/5
Published:September 2014

#Non-Fiction
#Children's Books
#Feminist
#Education
#Human Rights

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