One Boy from Kosovo

by Trish Marx, Cindy Karp (Illustrator)

When war drove twelve-year-old Edi and his family from their home in Kosovo, they fled across the Macedonian border to the Brazda refugee camp, a tent city that housed almost thirty thousand people. There the family shared a tent with more than twenty other people, with no kitchen, no running water, and no school for Edi to attend. Instead he helped out with the younger kids, played soccer with the other boys, and ran errands, such as waiting in the long lines for food and fresh water. Everybody was waiting in Brazda -- for news about relatives, for the war to end, for the day when they could finally go home again. Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2001, National Council for SS & Child. Book Council

Genres: History

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[April Helms · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author and photographer spent time in a Macedonia refugee camp looking for a willing interviewee. They found one in Edi, one of the nearly one million ethnic Albanians driven out of their homes in Kosovo. Here, Edi talks about his fears and experiences as he and his family abandon their home to flee to Macedonia and their lives at the camp, where he tries to meet friends and keep an ear out for news on friends and family back in Kosovo. A nice way to teach present-day history to older grade-schoolers and middle-schoolers, using a more personal touch.

[(NS) Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edi Fejzullahu, a 12 year-old boy, and his family were among many refugees who were forced to leave their homes in Kosovo. This family lived a comfortable life until the father's co-worker was killed by Serbian soldiers. After this they packed their belongs and left to save their lives. This story is about the terrifying journey they faced including joining a refugee camp and Edi's scary experiences.

[Chris Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve year old Edi and his family are forced to leave their home in Kossovo when Serbs start their program of ethnic cleansing. Trish Marx invokes the terror of fleeing one's home under threat of death as well as the stress and boredom of life in a refugee camp, and Cindy Karp's photographs compliment the text. The introductory description of the cause of the conflict might leave some young readers confused.