 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Day of the Pelican
- By Katherine Paterson
- Genre: Historical Fiction
Common Sense Media says
Harrowing fictionalization of the war in Kosovo.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this book doesn't hide the violence and horrors of war at a very human scale. The story is about a fictional family called the Lleshis, but the multiple descriptions of violent acts and the family's fear and many ordeals make the book feel quite realistic. Paterson does not shy away from depicting the brutality. Readers ready for the material will benefit from discussion with parents about the role the U.S. did play.
What's the story?
Meli Lleshi is an Albanian girl growing up in Kosovo, going to school and helping her family. Her dad owns a grocery store. When her 13-year-old brother is abducted by the Servbian police and beaten, Meli is afraid it is her fault. When he returns to them, the family must flee. The Serbs are killing whole families just for being Albanian. Meli's parents, her siblings, grandmother, cousins, and aunt and uncle survive with little food and water. Life in the hills is like camping at first, but the danger grows, and winter cold sets in. Meli's brother now wants to join the Albanian freedom fighters and kill Serbs, and his parents know that to save him, they will have to take him far away.
Is it any good?
This historical drama from the author of Bridge to Terabithia is too harrowing for younger readers. This time the author's tale of loss centers on war and all the violence of war as it affects a very real-seeming family and others they know who are slaughtered and threatened. Meli makes a strong and resilient heroine who does her best to help hold her family together, but there's no "happily ever after" feeling when they reach the United States; The family loses everything and is still very poor and adjusting to American life.
One bright spot is that despite all that this family has seen and experienced, Meli's father still holds firm to the belief that hate is never right, and keeping his family together is worth all kinds of sacrifices. His resolve seems to have a positive impact on his son who was close to becoming a freedom fighter. An important book, but overall it's not an easy or enjoyable read.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the role of religion and ethnicity in this story. The Lleshi family is not religious, and yet they are persecuted along with the other Albanians. Was religion really the cause?
What role did the United States and NATO play in this war?
Meli's family came to the United States to be safe. They had to be "sponsored" by American citizens before they could come. What does that mean?
Meli's family finds American holidays very new. Were any Albanian holidays described? What are some Muslim holidays?
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AGE
Books makes little know "war" personal
I've always heard of Serbs and Albanians not getting along but in this short story we learn of the hate they each had and reasons for it. The Serbs did terrible things in this book. Also a look at how American intervention was received.
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AGE
This is an excellent read-aloud book for teachers or parents to share with 5th graders. It provides a springboard for discussing real-world conflicts and recent history. When reading it aloud to students, the reader can edit on the fly, omitting any language that is objectionable, without sacrificing content. 5th graders find Meli a sympathetic character, and are rightfully outraged by the atrocities visited upon the Lleshi's and other Kosovar Albanians by the Serbs. They independently connected this ethnic violence to what they had learned as 4th graders about the Holocaust.
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AGE
the greatful family
it is one one my best emotional book i have ever read in my life and it very sad the leshi family were very poor . they were in the war and in america people judged them by where they live and speaking skills
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| Author: | Katherine Paterson |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Historical Fiction |
| Publisher: | Clarion Books |
| Publication date: | October 19, 2009 |
| Number of pages: | 160 |
| Hardcover price: | $16.00 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 10 - 14 |
| Read aloud: | 11 |
| Read alone: | 13 |
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