YALSA releases companion titles for "The Kite Runner"

Contact: Stephanie Kuenn

Communications Specialist

312-280-2128

skuenn@ala.org



For Immediate Release

December 11, 2007

YALSA releases companion titles for "The Kite Runner"

CHICAGO -To coincide with the release of "The Kite Runner," the film adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association (ALA), created a list of companion titles. The film version of "The Kite Runner" opens Dec. 14.



"The Kite Runner" details the friendship between two Afghani boys against the backdrop of the extraordinary events that have taken place in Afghanistan in the past twenty years. "The Kite Runner" was named one of YALSA's 2004 Alex Award winners, which honor adult books with specific teen appeal.



Given the book's popularity among young adults, YALSA's Booklist Taskforce created this list of ten similar books to recommend to teens.

  1. Ali, Sharifah Enayat. Afghanistan.
  2. Armstrong, Jennifer, ed. Shattered: Stories of Children and War.
  3. Ellis, Deborah. The Breadwinner.
  4. Ellis, Deborah. Jackal in the Garden: An Encounter with Bihzad.
  5. Ellis, Deborah. Parvana's Journey.
  6. Latifa. My Forbidden Face: Growing Up Under the Taliban: A Young Woman's Story.
  7. Rall, Ted. To Afghanistan and Back: A Graphic Travelogue.
  8. Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Under the Persimmon Tree.
  9. Stine, Catherine. Refugees.
  10. Zoya. Zoya's Story: An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom.

The fully annotated booklist, including ISBN and publisher information, is available on the YALSA Wiki at http://wikis.ala.org/yalsa/index.php/Read-alikes_for_The_Kite_Runner.



For 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audio books for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390 or e-mail, yalsa@ala.org.