(2) 4-6 Meli and her family are minority Albanians living in Serbian-controlled Kosovo in 1998. After her brother is beaten by Serbian police, the family flees then immigrates to America. Paterson conveys their struggles first to survive, then to fit in. The theme of what people do with the hatred they feel toward those who have mistreated them is the novel's great strength.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(3) 4-6 In the spring of 1998, the life of eleven-year-old Zana, an Albanian Kosovar, is shattered when Serb militiamen murder her father and brothers. Injured herself, Zana learns to follow her father's wish: that she not let the Serb military "fill [her] heart with hate." Mead writes lucidly and honestly about a child of war. An introduction provides historical context.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt

(3) 4-6 Headliners series. A straightforward text discusses the age-old conflicts in the Balkans that have torn the region apart. Past and present are thoroughly explained in simple, clear language with informative boxed text on key people, places, events, and terms. Maps, black-and-white and color photos, and a time line round out the book. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Sara Pearce

(2) 4-6 Photographs by Cindy Karp. Edi Fejzullahu, a twelve-year-old Albanian boy, and his family are forced to leave their Kosovo home in the spring of 1999 to live in a Macedonian refugee camp. An introduction provides historical and political context; the rest of the photo-essay is devoted to Edi's experience in the camp. The professionally framed color photos maintain the intimacy of snapshots; the understated text allows the facts of Edi's life to speak for themselves.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2000