The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson

The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson is about Meli, an Albanian girl from Kosovo, and her family and their escape to the United States. Meli, her mother and father, and her four siblings were forced out of the only home she had ever known by Serbians who were invading her country. First, the family went into the mountains and camped in tents near the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Eventually, they were forced to flee this area, and went to live on the family farm. Serbian soldiers arrived shortly, looted everything they wanted and burned the farm, forcing the entire 14 member family (including four babies under 4 years old and their elderly grandmother) to walk to Macedonia! Through all of this, bombs were exploding in the distance and planes were flying overhead, terrifying everyone. Soldiers caught up with them, and the other fleeing families, on the road, forced them into train cars and then buses for the long trip to the border - they were transporting them out of their own country! When they got to the border, soldiers from Macedonia formed a barricade preventing them from entering their country! Eventually, Meli's grandmother, aunt and uncle, and their children went back to Kosovo to run the store Meli's family left behind. Meli's baba had different plans for his family - a trip to America. All they had to do was wait it out in the refugee camp until word came that their application was accepted. Everyone was excited to receive the news, but America wasn't as welcoming a change as they expected. In some ways, it was even harder than what they faced in their homeland.

This was a really interesting book. I never knew much about the warring happening between Serbia and Kosovo and NATO's involvement there. I can't believe how strong the children were in the story - still maintaining their innocence through the worst of times. The teens were not so lucky, but still strong enough to survive. I feel truly lucky to live in the USA where I can enjoy my freedom and live in safety with my family.