The Day of the Pelican

by Katherine Paterson

Meli Lleshi is positive that her drawing of her teacher with his pelican nose started it all. The Lleshis are Albanians living in Kosovo, a country trying to fight off Serbian oppressors, and suddenly they are homeless refugees. Old and young alike, they find their courage tested by hunger, illness, the long, arduous journey, and danger on every side. Then, unexpectedly, they are brought to America by a church group and begin a new life in a small Vermont town. The events of 9/11 bring more challenges for this Muslim family--but this country is their home now and there can be no turning back.A compassionate, powerful novel by a master storyteller.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, War, Historical, Middle Grade, Childrens

145 pages, Hardcover

First published October 19, 2009

About the author

Katherine Womeldorf Paterson is an American writer best known for children's novels, including Bridge to Terabithia. For four different books published 1975–1980, she won two Newbery Medals and two National Book Awards. She is one of four people to win the two major international awards; for "lasting contribution to children's literature" she won the biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing in 1998 and for her career contribution to "children's and young adult literature in the broadest sense" she won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award from the Swedish Arts Council in 2006, the biggest monetary prize in children's literature. Also for her body of work she was awarded the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature in 2007 and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the American Library Association in 2013. She was the second US National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, serving 2010 and 2011.

Reviews

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
----
Picked this up, hoping to get through a couple of the shorter things I had.. not sure what to expect. Didn't realize this was also the author of "Bridge to Terabithia" (love the movie but haven't gotten around to reading the book yet) so that was a nice surprise.

This wasn't easy get into at first (though that could have been me not sleeping well and having trouble focusing too) but after a certain two events happened I began to sink into the story more and got swept along with the family's troubles and their journey to be safe.

It was easy to root for these people and get angry with them when things happened... a simple line said by Baba is powerful

"Hate makes no sense."

It is all too easy to get caught up in it and in certain cases rationalize it unfortunately. It is simple yet complicated (right word?) too... it would be a better world if hate didn't exist... what to say here that hasn't been said better by others Hmm?





One included in the timeline 9/11 some powerful moments in there... both good and not-so-good but one in particular had me proud of everyone in the family and put a smile on my face.

I never felt completely immersed with Meli and her family but it felt as if they were keeping the reader at arms length to protect themselves while sharing their story. It is from Meli's point-of-view but everyone feels alive in this book, even if the role is small.

Would recommend, if you are in the right mood to read it .

[The Dusty Jacket · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrible things should never happen in springtime, and it was almost spring.

Meli Lleshi and her family lived a comfortable life in Dukagjin. Her father came from a farm village so although her classmates didn’t look down on her like the Gypsies or hated her like the Serbs, she was still treated differently. She didn’t understand why the Serbs hated the Albanians so much…although most Albanians hated the Serbs equally. Baba, Meli’s father, had always taught his family to respect and not to hate, and so Meli did as she was told until the day her brother, Mehmet, disappeared. Now, with her country no longer safe, Meli will need to hold on tight to her family as they fight to survive and look for a way to escape their beloved Kosovo.

The Day of the Pelican is based on an actual Kosovar refugee family who was sponsored by Katherine Paterson’s own church in 1999. This is a harrowing, gritty, and brutal account of the war in Kosovo, which was the direct result of Slobodan Milošević’s decade-long oppression of the ethnic Albanian people. The book is recommended for ages 12 and above and its subject matter of ethnic cleansing and racial prejudice is worthy of in-depth discussions, making it an ideal book for a middle or high school social studies class. As far as it being an independent read, I—as an adult—found it to be a bit dry and often struggled to maintain interest in the story, so a younger reader with far less tenacity may give up on this book entirely. I think the primary reason for my detachment is that it’s written in the third person. Had Paterson chosen to use alternating, first-person points of view between Meli and Mehmet, I would have felt Meli’s fear for her brother, as well as better understand the reason behind Mehmet’s slow and painful separation from his father and family. As it is, the story lies just above the surface and never fully allows the reader to connect with this amazing family.

I appreciate any book that teaches history to young readers and especially love a book that shows the strength of the human spirit and the power of hope. The Day of the Pelican accomplishes both, while being deeply rooted in faith, courage, and family.

Throughout the book, Baba was always counting heads to make sure everyone in his family was accounted for. He kept repeating to Meli the importance of staying together: We must hold onto each other. Even in the chaos of fleeing their burning homeland, Meli kept reminding herself that they were all together and that was the important thing. Throughout his family’s struggles, Baba knew that villages may crumble, governments may fall, and possessions may be lost forever, but if you have family, you have everything you’ll ever need: Inshallah. God willing.

[Megan Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Combining Paterson's gift of writing and the tragic truth of the Serbian "cleansing" of Kosovo makes this book a must read. I highly recommend social studies teachers to incorporate this book into their curriculum for Eastern Europe studies. Of course, I always thought that history and geography would be more entertaining with narrative fiction. Anyway, it might take the low level readings a minute to get use to the names, but the story is action pack making it a quick read. I also that it was important for Paterson to highlight the prejudice that still happens in America towards Muslims. The theme throughout the book "hate makes no sense" is the reasonable side war, but the raw emotions of Mehmet shows the anger and rage that is easy to fall into. The balance is Meli, the main character, as she tries to follow Baba's example of peace while exploring her anger and hatred. Although this could be considered historical fiction, it boarders with realistic and is a must read for all.

[Jacopo · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I EVER READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE

[Ansley Faivre · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was good, but it was a little more shallow and fast paced than i typically go for. id recommend this to someone who wants a quick, easy historical fiction book.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Determined to stick together when war came to Kosovo in 1998, 11-year-old Meli Lleshi's family left their apartment over the store first to camp in the mountains, then to crowd into the family farmhouse before fleeing to the Macedonian refugee camp which they left for a new life in Vermont.
As she has done so often, Paterson creates such a sympathetic and realistic main character you can't hep but wanting to know her story. From the opening scene, when Meli's uncle arrives to tell the family the bad news about the massacre of an Armenian family, readers will be caught up in worrying about the family's fate, understanding the events as an 11-year-old might and aching for a proper home for them all. There is a nice contrast between her brother Mehmet's enthusiasm for the Kosovar soldiers, which turns to hatred and thoughts of revenge on the Serbs, and her father's pacifism -- Meli herself struggles to follow her father's lead and squashes her own feelings of hate, for for the Serbs, and later for her American classmates who revile her after 9/11. This is a revision and expansion of her breakfast serial "A Long Road Home," read as an arc.

[Roxanne Hsu Feldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to put it on the shelf of "Historical Fiction" and then realized that, hmm... it is really a book of more or less current events in the world that the young readers are still living. 9/11 happened when the current 5th graders were 2 or 3. So, the "historical" part is recent, so recent that I wonder how we can best discuss the story with young readers.

Paterson did a fabulous job turning such complex political and national picture into something easy to understand and identify with for its intended audience: 10-12-year-olds. I admire the main character Meli's tenacity and her struggle to remain a decent human being and yet acknowledging the existence of hatred in her heart. Her brother is another amazingly realized character -- although seemingly not a main character, this is really HIS story. Even the title refers to the day that brought all the changes upon him. The more I think about it, the more I marvel at the hardship he had to endure and survive and at the final positive change within.

This is an important book of our time and I wish many children will read it with their adults.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Paula Hickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reading level and length of this novel lends itself to middle school, yet the plot narrates the tragedy of an Albanian Kosovar family who survive the ethnic cleansing of 1998-1999. Its value as historical fiction extends well beyond middle school.
One branch of the family immigrates to Vermont a year ahead of 9/11. The novel ends after showing how the family perseveres through the scrutiny they receive as Muslims after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
The novel's strengths are its historical treatment of the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and the insights into the culture of these people.

[Sheila Decosse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Known as a superb storyteller, Katherine Patterson tells here the experience of Meli, thirteen years old and her family and extended family's experiences in war devastated Kosovo and their later journeys.
Beginning with the rushed visit of a family member to the Lleshis's home, warning of Serbian violence and the necessity to leave, the story details a little incident in the classroom of Meli and her older brother, Mehmet, which somehow propels Mehmet into a violent beating from the Serbian police. After a meeting of only the male members of the family, Baba, the father of Meli, agrees that they must leave their apartment for ever. Meli is crushed. She must leave her best friend and all she cherishes. And so they start out. A harrowing tale describes their journey through countryside over mountains, crowded off trails by hordes of fellow emigrees, loaded into freight cars until finally a refugee camp. Through all this danger, Baba, the father, holds all the family together, even as he wears down and cannot learn new languages and his son Mehmet rages against Serbs and all who persecute his Albanian people. Even though Baba is able to get papers to emigrate to America, the family there suffers religious persecution. In school in America, the children find in sports a pathway to happiness and acceptance, but still in time endure bullying because they are Muslims. The parents struggle with spoken English and low job opportunities. Eventually, the Lleshi family finds some acceptance and integration into their new life. But it is not easy.
The author's detailed narration of especially the refugee journey is horrifying but her true grasp of the characters' lives creep into the reader's heart and keep the reader very involved.
Certainly, this book is a departure from the well know and more leisurely if serious,prize winning novels of the author. But the book as an essential read for a story on refugee experience for young contemporary readers.

[Renata · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Harrison · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst book ive ever read. From the confusing impossible to pronounce names to the bad storyline. There are way to many charcter to remember them all. The story is not interesting and is boring and i dont want to keep reading. I would never recommend this book to anyone as I dont want to cause them the pain of reading this trash

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book about a Kosovar family caught up in the war with the Serbs. They have to flee their home, end up in a refugee camp and finally emigrate to America, where they face a whole new set of challenges. It was tough reading about what refugees go through and absolutely gut-wrenching watching the family have to split apart, knowing they might never see each other again. While I had no issues with the Kosovo part of the story, I was a little disappointed that by the time they got to the U.S. it all rushed through to the end of the book. Within a handful of pages it was Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and summer vacation and back to school, and I would've liked to have seen more time given to the adjustments the whole family had to make. The parents, especially, seemed to have been shortchanged here. Even the tragedies of 9/11 and how angry and fearful Americans treated their Muslim neighbors was treated fairly lightly. This could've been a longer book or two books and would've been better but still a good read and a good introduction to modern world history for younger readers.

[Cassie Dornan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was pretty good. Yes there were some boring parts, and that didn’t interest me, the book was overall good. Some parts made me not want to put the book down. I would read this book if you are looking for a book to read! Pretty good!

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loath to admit how little I know about this war that took place while I was an adult. Katherine Paterson writes of a family of Albanians caught up in the war in Kosovo. Life changes for Meli, a thirteen year old girl, and her family the day she draws a picture of her teacher, resembling a pelican, at school. Rather than waiting to walk her home, Meli's older brother goes home alone and is captured, thrown in jail and not released until several weeks later. Upon her brother's arrival home, Meli's family realizes they are no longer safe and must leave their home and business. They live in the mountains for several months, with an uncle and his family and finally in a refuge camp. When the war ends, Meli's family decides they will go to America. The remainder of the book tells of their journey to their new home in Vermont and their adjustment to life in a new country.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. First, I learned so much from reading it, both about the war and its impact on the people living through it. I felt this was a well written story that told a horrible tale, but still brought forth an element ofhope.Strong family ties were evident in this book as the family and extended family strove to stay together. A strong message against hatred and war also came through. Meli's older brother was an example of what can happen to one consumed by anger. Meli on the other hand, felt the anger rise in herself, but always worked to put it aside. She felt it was dangerous and did not want that anger in her life.
Students learning about this time in history could learn what it was like for others their age from this book. I also think the book sends a strong message about how we treat those who are new to our country. Young readers can learn how it feels to be new to a place, how it feels to learn a new language and culture. This may even be an important book for recent immigrants to read (or hear read) so they can know others understand the changes they are experiencing.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book inspired by the true story of a refugee family from Kosovo that came to Paterson’s Vermont town. This family inspired her to write a touching and informative novel based on their experiences fleeing to safety.
This book’s title is very inspiring as that it demonstrates how quickly in life things change and how one small mistake can take you down an unexpected journey. This story begins as the main character, Meli draws a silly picture of her teacher and gets in trouble for giggling thus can not walk her little brother Mehmet home. Unfortunately that night Mehmet never makes it home as he is had been taken by the Serbs, put in jail, beaten, and then thrown into a field to die only to be saved by the KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) which he then longs to become a member of.
When Mehmet returns but the relief is short-lived as the family is warned of further horrors of the Serbs and has to flee their home.
This story is at the heart a tale of the strength of family. It is also a great depiction of the tragic events in Kosovo under President Milosevic and the struggles of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
This story brings to life the tragic events of the late 90s in Kosovo but also sheds much needed light on the struggle of Muslims in current American society.
I would recommend this book highly to any of my students especially as we are studying ethnic conflict in the Balkans.

[Erin Forson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Day of the Pelican
by Katherine Paterson
After the Holocaust the world said, “never again will people be slaughtered because they are different.” That's never happened since, right? I wish that was a fact, but it's not. Every decade it's revealed that human beings kill other human beings because of their race, religion, tribal membership, who knows why? We still do this. In fact, thousands of Albanian Muslims fled Kosovo as recently as 1998 (you were alive then!) because Serbian Christians were murdering entire families and destroying their homes simply because they hated their race and religion. This is the story of Meli and her family on the run after her brother is kidnapped, beaten, and left for dead. It's heartbreaking, violent, and based on a true story. The book is sometimes challenging to read because of the names and occasional use of Serbian or Albanian words, but once the reader gets to the part where Mehmet, Meli's brother is kidnapped, it's very difficult to put down. It's a different kind of survival story—there are the elements and there is the environment to survive, yes, but these people are being hunted. I highly recommend that you read this book. If you struggle with it, read it in audio. Audio helps bring the characters to life and makes the foreign words easier to understand.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I was in high school/college and studying European history during the conflicts in Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, and Kosovo in the 1990s, I knew very little of what happened there beyond the facts of a genocide (mass killing of people based on their race or ethnicity) and the U.S. and NATO airstrikes. This book brought a sad episode in history to life. There is no better way to learn history than a first person account, fictional or real, yet the book feels like the story of Meli and her family rather than a history lesson. If you have read any novels about the Holocaust, you will immediately see the connections between that desperate time and this one. The themes of war, survival, grace, and religious tolerance are all there. What I really love about this novel is that despite being slim in size, it is actually two books in one. I can't say much more than that without giving away a major plot point, but the turn of events in the book leads the family on a new adventure that is an important story to tell about a different topic altogether. This book is amazingly rich in detail for being so brief in length. Definitely recommend it!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was on display in the kids' section at the library and it was written by a very well-known and award-winning author of children's and young adult lit, so I gave it a whirl. The first half of the novel was pretty engaging--an iinteresting story of an Albanian/Kosavar family and its struggles as political refugees during the late 1990's. I like historical fiction. I never met an Albanian I didn't like. So I was into it. Then about half way thru the book the family gets sponsored to come to America and from there on the book took a nosedive as far as "interesting" goes. For one thing, the author decides to go into super warp speed and plows through two years of time just so she can get to her big climax, the now overly trite "9/11 Happens and Innocent U.S. Muslims Get Blamed" storyline. The protagonist and her teenage brother get beat up/picked on at school because they are Muslim. Insert here the "trying-to-teach-kids-a-positive-moral-lesson-trick" that just feels preachy and overwrought. In the end, a nice effort at creating positive social and political awareness in teenagers that just gets boring in the end. Paterson gets an "A" for trying.

[Nancy Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meli Lleshi is 12 years old when political unrest is stirred in Kosovo Albania. The Muslims are no longer safe. While in school, she draws a pelican that resembles her teacher and is told to stay after class. She figured that her brother, Mehmet, would walk home and spread the news but he ends up going missing for two weeks. He returns bruised and battered and with a hatred for the enemy. Meli’s parents escape to the mountains. When Father deems it safe to go back home, they are shot at and leave with very few possessions and crammed on a train. They make it to a refugee camp depart for America. Once there, they have to deal with a new form of racism and blending into the community in a “melting pot” while later being blamed for 9/11.
I liked this book because it gave me a new perspective of living in a country where laws and order are not upheld. Being harassed for my religion is not something I have had to deal with. Meli’s family lost everything for it and had to start life all over. I thought the author was very good at making me feel like I was truly experiencing their lives.

[Caitlin Litz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unexpectedly great book! It's about the Lleshi family living in war-torn Kosovo. The story starts with the main character's, Meli, brother getting kidnapped by some Serbs. Meli blames herself but it's really not her fault. He is reclaimed by the lovable character, Baba, the patriarch of the family. They all become refugees because it's way too dangerous to stay home. Meli has to be strong and brave and help her family move to their family member's cottage, then to a refugee camp and finally to America. Mehmet, her brother, is all the while disgruntled and she is trying to find the light inside of him that she knows is there. The novel passes over a lot of time, including 9/11 where then the family is bullied and ridiculed for being Muslim. What a great lesson to my kids. You never judge someone based on how they look and that's what many people do and did to Muslim Americans after 9/11.... including Donald Trump and his supporters (but I didn't say that, but one girl definitely knew it). It was dramatic and real and we learned a lot. Lots of sighs from the kids: "Wow... that was a great book".

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book to read because of a friend/co-workers blog. He had written that an author had gotten in touch with him about his work and experience living in Kosovo. We were both missionaries, he in Kosovo and I in Macedonia. The author then dedicated the book to him. Needless to say when I found out it was Katherine Paterson I couldn't wait to read it. I love her other books; Jacob Have I Loved, Lyddie, and Bridge to Terabithia.

I like how the book paints both the Serbs hatered for the Albanians as well as the Albanians hatered for the Serbs. I also liked how she showed the family needing to flee from the Serbs, to save their lives, and the Kosovo Liberation Army, to keep the family together and whole. I loved Baba; he did everything he could to protect this family and do the right thing.

Very good story, gives you a good idea of the culture of the Albanians and many of their feelings during and after the Kosovo war. Having worked in Macedonia with some Albanians I could relate to many of the cultural references and situations in the book.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine Paterson's THE DAY OF THE PELICAN lends a human face to the 1998-1999 unrest in the former Yugoslavia. Meli and her family are Albanians persecuted by the Serbs under the reign of Milosevic and forced to flee for their lives, leaving everything they've known except for one another. Their journey is a perilous one with twists, turns, and hardships that will have young readers holding their breath. Even when the family seems to be starting a new life in a safer place, new challenges arise, and Meli and her brother are forced to draw on their courage and strength to make a new home. As I read this book, I couldn't help being reminded of Karen Hesse's brilliant LETTERS FROM RIFKA - historical fiction about another young girl facing persecution in another time and place. The two books would work well paired together in a classroom, as a study of immigration and the factors that bring families from other lands to America. (ARC)

[Handd51 · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a whole genre of books like Ann Frank - this joins them, except it is fiction - and Katherine Paterson has done it again. Meli is an Albanian living in Kosovo as the civil war of 1998-1999 overtook her comfortable life. She and her family escaped to a mountain camp, living in tents even as the snow fell and trying to keep her brother from joining the KLA. The book is appropriate for middle school readers, even tho they'll have no memory of the war itself. Paterson writes from her experiences as a pastor's wife in Vermont, in a church that took in Serbian refugees. This is definitely worth the time to read it - there are so many wars like this sprouting all over the planet these days - our young readers need to come as close as fiction will take them to understanding the horrors of such bloodshed in emotional terms rather than the grim nearly abstract photos on the nightly news, or more likely the snippets they don't read on the internet.

[Rosalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a family Albanians living in Kosovo who have are being persecuted by the Serbians and forced brutally from their home in 1999. Suddenly they become homeless refuges forced to live in a tent in the mountains. They survive the ethnic cleansing attempts that the Serbs submit to these people. Finally a church sponsors this family and they end up in Vermont. But their persecution doesn't stop there. This book really opened my eyes up to the plight of the refuges living in this world. It would be a great read aloud for classes of children grade 4 and up especially those schools that have children who have been displaced from their homelands. Katherine Patterson is a wonderful author who tackles today issues in a format that children can understand.

[Shaeley Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meli's family (Albanian) lives in Kosovo during the late 1990's when unrest leads to war. After moving around a bit, they go to a Macedonian refugee camp where they apply to immigrate to the U.S.

There are sections of the book I would use for a read-aloud in my class including the description of high school classes for Meli and her brother, Mehmet, who are still learning English when they arrive in Vermont. Another great section to read aloud would be where the younger children explain about fall holidays to their parents ("Hell-o-ween" Thanksgiving & Christmas).

[Aryssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is compelling and you don't read a lot of YA/MG about refugees, but the pacing of this book was really wonky and hard to follow.

[Tenchoe Tsering · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Day of the Pelican Book Review
By: Tenchoe Tsering 702

The book "The Day of the Pelican," by Katherine Paterson, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on October 19, 2009. This book goes under the genre of historical fiction for people 12 years of age and up. The book is about the Kosovo war, the 9/11 terrorist attack, families fleeing to safety from war, and many more tragic stories. "Day of the Pelican" is 145 pages long, which isn't very long, but it is very interesting. It's about a family who is Albanian living in Kosovo, during the middle of a war. Then, one day the oldest brother, Mehmet, was kidnapped by the terrorists and left to die. Due to this, they had to flee to safety with their whole family to America. Not only was it a long journey but, the family also endured many hard challenges. When they got to America, they thought everything would get better, which some stuff did. Although not all things got better, like their money issue and bullying in school for having Muslim heritage, after the 9/11 terrorist attack occurred. So, the book went like that.
I really fancied how the book was not too specific or too vague. This is very important because many books are a bit too detailed which makes it very unentertaining. Although this story didn't leave me bored, it wasn't too broad. I also enjoyed how the story was very emotional to me. I really enjoy emotional stories, because they seize my attention and keep me interested. My favorite emotional part was on page 129 when Mehmet was bullied," They were all swearing against the terrorists. Then they said all Muslims are terrorists, and Americans must kill them all before they destroy America. And then… I said what if I was Muslim. Will you kill me? So, they tried. " This part was very upsetting to me because both Meli and Mehmet got bullied for just being Muslim and they had already endured many other harsh things in their lives. Therefore, I enjoyed these elements of the book.
Even though the book was structured out very well, I didn't really enjoy some parts. For example, I didn't like how the story was in third person point of view. When the story is in 3rd person view, the sensory details may not be as specific and well understood, as if it was in first person view. With someone in the story's perspective, the readers will be able to know more about how the characters were feeling. I also didn’t really like how the story mainly talked about only Mehmet’s and Meli’s experience in America, instead of also Baba and Mama. For example, it states on page 133, “ Police! They are going to arrest us for being Muslim,” which shows that this is what Meli thought about the late visitor. Although, the story would have been a lot more interesting if the story had more of what BaBa thought.
To conclude, I really enjoyed this book because it was very emotional. For example, when Mehmet and Meli were bullied, and when the family lost Mehmet since he was left stranded by the Serbs. I would also recommend this book because it's very enjoyable. This not only talks about war and their family's hardships but, it also talks about Meli's and Mehmet's school life in America Experiences. Also, throughout the whole story, the family always had at least one issue to deal with, which made it hard for them to survive and get to freedom. Therefore, I would recommend this book especially to people 12 years and up.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

11 year old meli lleshi had a pretty normal life until one day she drew a picture of her teacher with a pelican nose. Her teacher saw the picture and made Meli and her best friend Zana go to detention. Every day after school Meli, her older brother Mehmet and Zana would walk home together even if one of them got in trouble and had to stay after school. Unfortunately that day Mehmet wasn’t their, so Meli went home thinking about how mad her baba would to know Mehmet went home without her. When Meli got home no one knew where Mehmet was and after a month or so he came into their parents store which was right below their apartment and he had explained to them that he was kidnapped and beaten but the kla saved him.

After everything claimed down, one day auntie Burbuqe and uncle fadil came to tell their family to come live in their farm because of the war going on. After weeks they finally left their home but instead of going to the farm the went to a spot where they knew they were safe from the war. After staying at the camp for weeks they moved to uncle fadil’s farm. Unfortunately not long after two men came in with masks and told the to give them all of their goods and then to leave. Once they were out of the house the men set the farm on fire. Then they walked away from the war to nowhere, until one day they were stopped by police men and were sent on a train to a refugee camp. After a few weeks the men walked all the way back to their store to check if it were still their and when they came back they took everyone except Meli and her small family. Then The family wanted for a month or so and then got accepted to go to America but had to wait longer to be able to go on the planes. After they got to America the kids went to school and Meli and Mehmet got on the soccer teams. Sadly a little while later 9/11 happened and Meli and Mehmet got bullied because they were Muslim, and the coaches came to their apartment and apologized to Melis and Mehmets parents because of what happened and then they went back to school and now America is their home.

In general the book had a lot of action and excitement. Each chapter had its own fun kick to it. The chapters went from sad to happy to dangerous and kept changing emotions. The book also had a lot of visual details that really made you see the book.

Sadly the book also had some down parts to it. The book in general felt really rushed and felt in some parts was missing a detail or two. I would recommend this book to people who like short books and people that like books with lots of action because the book has a lot of action and excitement. I would also recommend this book to people who don’t always like to sit down and just read because each chapter doesn’t always add on to the last one.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book “The Day of the Pelican” the author Katherine Paterson talks about refugees and their experience with escaping Civil Wars, along with their lives when they leave the country and/or when the war ends. The book talks about a serious topic like war, but it is followed by the simple mind of an 11-year-old girl. This creates a wonderful experience for middle school age readers or above. It has some harsh parts, but the experience of the characters make it so the reader finishes the book with more empathy for refugees and people of different races and backgrounds. The book takes place in Kosovo during its war against the Serbians. In this war, the Serbians were trying to take over. The war was fought between the NATO (Serbian side) and the KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army). This war lasted from Mar 5, 1998 – Jun 11, 1999

The book starts off with Meli getting a visit from her uncle Fadil, and his wife, Auntie Burbuqe. This immediately worries Meli (the main character) because her aunt is usually taking care of Meli’s grandmother. Meli is asked to take her younger siblings to the kitchen and make coffee for the rest of them, but Meli’s older brother Mehmet is asked to stay and talk with the adults. “Why was Mehmet a grown up all of a sudden?” Meli asked herself. “It wasn’t fair. She was nearly as tall as he was and every bit as responsible.” Here we are shown with a simple 11-year-old girl’s struggle because she is not yet an adult but no longer a small child. We also see how Meli thinks her and her brother should be treated as equal suggesting that to her maturity is what mattered, not age and gender. Uncle and Auntie bring news that the Serbs (Serbians) have killed a family friend and that it is no longer safe for Meli Lleshi’s family to stay in their apartment and suggest that they go back to the family farm. Meli’s dad, however, dismisses the idea and tells uncle that they have to take care of the shop.

The next day Meli is daydreaming in school and ends up drawing a picture of a pelican that looks surprisingly like her teacher. When he sees this Meli is asked to stay after school. Throughout the rest of the day, Meli can only think about how Mehmet and Baba (Meli’s dad) are not going to be happy with her. Meli stays after school and nothing too bad happens though the real trouble is at home, where Mehmet surly ran off to tattle tale on Mile because he was nowhere in the school. But when Meli got home she was faced with Baba on the front door who said, “‘Meli’...’praise the God you’re home. But where is Mehmet?’”

Meli is obviously worried because even though she is sometimes annoyed by her brother she does love him. Baba goes looking for Mehmet but comes back empty-handed. Then he and Meli go looking for Mehmet in the police station, where they are told to come back the next day. They do this but get similar results. Mehmet goes missing for several weeks until one day he comes back all beat up. He says that he was kidnapped, the Serbs had beaten him up and then dumped him in the countryside probably thinking he was dead. That is where some members of the KLA found him and made it so he was able to return home.

After this Baba does not hesitate on leaving. He calls someone to take care of the shop and tells uncle to pick them up. They drive for hours until finally they show up on uncle Fadil’s farm and start unloading until auntie Burbuqe comes out to tell the adults - including Mehmet - something and then they start loading again and start driving. They finally arrive at their destination - the KLA camp, where they also offer tents for people to stay in. Mehmet is the only one that knows what is actually going on and is happy about it. They were going to stay there.
The family stayed there for months. It wasn’t the most comfortable of situations but it was safe. But Mehmet started becoming too violent. He was becoming bloodthirsty. Mama and Baba tried making it better by giving Mehmet jobs like becoming the school teacher for the younger kids in the camp, but it was not helping much. After a while, The family had to move to Uncle Fadil’s, it was the only way for them to not lose Mehmet. On the farm the family is tight but they are together. Mehmet continues to teach the younger children, but he is also now involved with the conversations with the men. Until one night a visitor comes and tells uncle that the family has to leave, but uncle doesn’t want to. When the bombs start to get close to the farm (thanks to the wonderful help of Bill Clinton) the family starts to get ready to go to the neighboring country of Macedonia. But before they get to do this they are encountered with a group of Serbs who ask for all the food they have packed and tell them to leave the house. The Lleshi’s do so and the Serbs burn the house.

They start the long journey and are encountered once again by people telling them to board a train. They do so. The train has horrible conditions but the smell to Meli is probably the worst. When they are told to get off they are at a refugee shelter. They stay there for a while. Conditions are the best they have had for a long time. One day they get news that the Serbs have surrendered. After they hear this Baba, uncle and Mehmet go check on the farm and the shop. In less then two weeks they come back and say that there is no going back to the farm but the shop is still there - damaged, but still there. Baba says that Uncle Fadil and his family will go back to the shop and Meli’s family will stay in the camp until they are called to go to America.

After a while, they are finally called. When they get to America they are faced with cultural challenges like having to deal with not knowing holidays, not speaking the language, and not being used to the equality of both boys and girls. For example, Meli is offered to join the girl's soccer team, and when she asks her dad for permission he is shocked by the fact that the girls have their OWN soccer team. Meli is finally getting used to her life in America until 9/11 happens. This causes both Meli and Mehmet bullying. Meli even quits the soccer team and Mehmet says that he hates America. But this is unfortunately quickly solved by the coaches. And ten pages later the book ends with Meli saying, ”America was home now.”

This was disappointing for me because it felt like the book was very detailed until this point. It felt like Paterson rushed things maybe because of a due date, or because she thought there was going to be too many pages. But I would have rather the book be a couple extra pages longer then it has a rushed ending.

The book also presents worries that Meli has during her journey. When they were going to the camp Meli thinks, “Where will we sleep tonight? On the ground? How will we cook or bathe or go to the toilet?” These thoughts show how sometimes however mature a child may be, they still wonder about simple things that are going to happen to them, they don’t always worry about the big things which in this case is the war.
Once again this book is great for tweens. It does have some violence, but when it comes to talking about war, some violence is necessary.