The Kite Runner

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

Landays Collection from Poetry Foundation

• a collection of landays, a traditional Afghan poetry form made of a single couplet
• These poems examine the experience of Afghan women. While The Kite Runner is about a man’s experience, it discusses issues of sexism and women’s rights under Taliban rule.

Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini

• This short book is written in a prose similar to a children’s book or poetry.
• Like The Kite Runner, Sea Prayer depicts the hazardous journey of many immigrants and refugees searching for a better life.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

• This novel by the same author is a collection of several short stories centering around two siblings.
• explores character development and moral dilemmas, like The Kite Runner
• And the Mountains Echoed on SuperSummary

Other Student Resources

New York Times article on Kite Fighting

• This article explains how kite fighting is an important part of Afghani culture.