Search - The Day of the Pelican

Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com

What if you suddenly found yourself homeless and not wanted in your country of birth? What if you had to leave all that you know and love and flee with just the clothes on your back?

This is what happens to Meli, who lived in Kosovo during the 1990's. The Serbians in Kosovo wanted all of the Albanians living there to be gone. First Meli and her family flee to a mountain camp, and finally to a refugee camp.

This is a very sad story but it does have a happy ending. When I was reading this, I kind of remembered what happened during that time period but had to Google it to really discover what had occurred. (I was raising children during that time and had forgotten.) It makes me sad that even to this day we still have people who hate others and want to extinguish their race.

I picked up THE DAY OF THE PELICAN because I love all of Katherine Paterson's books. Thank you, Ms. Paterson, for another fine story. I challenge you to read about this subject and not want to do something about it, even if it is only to be aware of other cultures and give them your respect.