Parents' Guide to

The Kite Runner

By Barbara Schultz, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Brilliant, violent Afghanistan novel will enlighten teens.

Book Khaled Hosseini Contemporary Fiction 2003
The Kite Runner Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 13 parent reviews

eden R.
eden R. Parent of 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18-year-old
May 26, 2023
age 14+

Every high school should read this.

I loved how The Kite Runner showed the realities of living in Afghanistan, and how hard it was for the citizens to be exposed to that kind of violence. It has so much educational value and teaches kids what it's like to live the way they did, and the value of speaking up.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
angelrockport
angelrockport Parent of 14-year-old
November 29, 2022
age 14+

Not for the overly sensitive, but it’s a must read.

My twin sons read this novel in English 9 honors. It has one bad word in it, “sweet, sugary, cun#” about a woman to her son. The woman had died so it was disrespect to her young son. That same child is raped by a boy four years older who was a sociopath and later became a child molester. The one yelling the story is the boy who was raped, his best friend. One was rich and one was poor. The rich one had a chance to stop the rape when he ran into it happening in an alley. He was afraid of being beaten up. There’s lots of layers to this book. But it’s all about guilt and how it can motivate people to right their wrongs. My boys helped each other understand it. I told them to imagine if they were the two boys what would they do. They are gifted though, so they tend to be understanding. More than me sometimes. lol

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
See all 13 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In Khaled Hosseini's debut novel THE KITE RUNNER, Amir comes of age in 1970s Afghanistan. The son of a wealthy businessman, he grows up alongside Hassan, the son of his father's servant. Whereas Amir receives every advantage -- a fine house, extravagant gifts on his birthday, and a good education -- servile Hassan's illiterate and lives in a hut on the property of Amir's father, Baba. Amir's family members are Pashtuns, considered in their culture superior to Hazaras like Hassan and his father, Ali. Baba gives Hassan a lot of attention, which makes Amir competitive for his father's affection; when other Pashtun boys are around, Amir sets himself above Hassan, teasing him and shunning him. However, when it's just the two of them, they play together often, frequently running kites -- a sport where kite fighters try to cut each other's string, and boys run to catch the loose kites. When Amir wins a kite fight, Hassan runs to catch the last kite that Amir beat. After Hassan finds the second-place kite, some cruel boys find Hassan, and Amir witnesses something that affects his self-worth and his life path from that moment on.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13):
Kids say (48):

This riveting book will certainly encourage teens to look at their world and "goodness" in new ways. Khaled Hosseini's debut created controversy among Afghan readers; the novel portrays Pashtuns as prejudiced toward Hazara people and treating them with degradation. The racial and religious extremism in the novel's certainly upsetting; the violence is horrifying. But the characters in The Kite Runner are beautifully realized, and their story's unforgettable.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Familes can talk about how Afghan people are portrayed in The Kite Runner. Is it different from the way you see them in the media? Did your perception of them change from reading the book?

  • What role does religion play in Amir's life? How does this compare with your life and your friends'?

  • Does this story make you want to learn more about Afghanistan's recent history? Khaled Hosseini's other novels, A Thousand Splendid Suns and And the Mountains Echoed, are a great place to start.

Book Details

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