The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson Ages 10-14 160 pages Clarion Books October 2009 Hardcover     This is the story of Meli Lleshi, a young girl growing up in a country filled with hate and undercurrents of war. Meli lives with her family in a small apartment in Kosovo. Her family is Albanian and consists of her parents and her siblings - older brother, Mehmet; younger brothers, Isuf and Adil; and her younger sister, Vlora. Meli’s older brother wishes to fight for his country and is restless to be involved in the politics and fight for his nation. Mehmet’s father is a quiet man who tries to protect his family from the dangers that lurk just outside their door. When young Mehmet is kidnapped following an episode at school that results in Meli’s detention, Meli is sure that she has caused her brother’s disappearance. When Mehmet reappears and tells his story, the family determines that it is time to leave their beloved country and move to a safer place, but where will that be? As in the book Lyddie, the author presents a window on a specific time in history and allows the reader to travel with her to that time. This story shows what happened during the Serbian war and provides a new perspective into a more familiar time in the United States. As always, Paterson has captured the characters of Meli and her family in a way that makes them real to the reader and makes their problems our problems. Award-winning author Katherine Paterson has written many adolescent novels that continue to be favorites, such as Jacob Have I Loved, Bridge To Teribithia and The Great Gilly Hopkins.     web reviews   Joyce Rice/2010 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)