Discussion Questions

What is the difference between a refugee and an immigrant?


• What are the different reasons one might become a refugee?

• If you were forced to leave your home on a day’s notice and could bring only what you could carry on your back, what would you bring? What is the difference between what you need and what you want?

• What do you think human rights are? What are examples of how the Lleshi family’s rights were violated?

• Both Meli and Mehmet are forced to take on adult responsibilities early on in the book. What are examples of that? What are the effects on Meli? On Mehmet?

• What role does soccer play in the book and in the lives of Mehnet and Meli? How do they respond to the sport in similar— and in different—ways?

• What is the narrative perspective in Pelican? How might the story be different if it were told by another character?

• What do you think ethnic cleansing means? What are other examples from history that you might have heard about? How are they the same? How are they different?

• Have you ever been in a situation, similar to either Meli or Mehmet, in which you felt different from everyone else? What was the situation? What did that feel like? How did you respond?

• What do you think Katherine Paterson’s views are of family and its importance? What specifically from the book leads you to think that?

• Referring to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which fundamental rights of the Leshi family were violated?
www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

• The events of September 11 happened more than eight years ago. Do you remember the day? Do you remember how you felt? Do you know how your parents or older bothers and sisters felt? What do you know about 9/11 today?

• What do you know about Muslim religion and culture? Like Chrisianity and Judaism, there are many different expressions of the religion and different degrees of practice and belief. Do you think the Leshis were religious or observant? How were they the same as—or different from—your own family?

• Do you think the Lleshi family felt relief upon escaping from Kosovo? Upon arriving at refugee camp? Upon arriving in America? Upon hearing about the 9/11 events? How would you describe their emotions at each step of their journey?

• What is the significance of the little scrap of burned photograph that Baba returns to Mama on p. 87? Why do you think the author included that detail?

• What are the differences between how Baba and Mama relate to Mehmet and Meli and how your family and your friends’ families relate? What challenges did the family face adapting to life in America?