I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of "The Day of the Pelican." For a short novel, it packs a punch. It's the story of Meli, an 11-year-old Albanian living in Kosovo at the time of the ethnic cleansing. Meli and her family are forced to flee for their own survival, living with family members and then in the wilderness to try to escape. Meli's brother, Mehmet, is awed by the Kosovo Liberation Army and wants nothing more than to join and fight the Serbs. The family must decide if they can somehow make a life in Kosovo after the conflict ends, or start over elsewhere.

Meli's father, Baba, consistently delivers the message that "hate doesn't make sense." Meli struggles with her own feelings of hatred toward the Serbs, and the family must grapple with being the recipient of hatred based on ethnic and religious prejudices. The novel gives a vivid glimpse into the realities of a Kosovar refugee, and the true impact of NATO's response to the conflict. It also accurately captures the way a regular teenager would respond to horrifying circumstances. Readers will easily relate to Meli's character.

This is a timely, thought-provoking novel that presents both the awful impact of hate and the heartwarming power of the human spirit to overcome. Interspersed in the story is accurate and important knowledge about the conflict in Kosovo. Highly recommended.

Good information; more reportage than good story. ( )

I chose this book to review because I'm a big fan of Paterson (Bridge of Teribithia). This book was good -- but I wouldn't say great. It's about an Albanian girl in Kosovo during the late 1990's who has to leave her home because of the Serbs who are killing Albanians. She ends up in a camp in Macedonia and eventually comes to the US. The book was well-written but I just never really got attached to the character and the story just didn't seem to go deep enough for me -- I guess because it's geared to younger and maybe this is as much detail as they could handle. I also was confused as to why Mehmet was picked up and beaten. I think since this is a subject not really well known -- especially by kids, it would have been nice to have a bit of explanation of what the problem was between the Serbs and the Albanians. I do this is a good book for 4-6 graders to see what other kids go through in times of war. ( )

This masterful tale of one girl's journey from childhood across a war-torn landscape easily stands with Paterson's body of work. Meli and her family are forced to flee their home- first to the mountains, then to a refugee camp in Macedonia, and finally to a small town in Vermont- in order to survive as Kosovo goes up in flames. Though the harsh realities of war are muted in the narrative, there are veiled references to rape, torture, and genocide that will be picked up by older readers. The strength of this story lies in its focus on what these larger world events mean to one girl already struggling to chart her path into adulthood. When Meli leaves Kosovo, she leaves her childhood behind as well.

I've lived in the region, and believe that Paterson captured the flavor of terror of the time. Not many books have been written that cover the genocides that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia; this wonderful tale will serve as an excellent entry into the time period for teen readers. Highly recommended! ( )