GIRL OF KOSOVO

Without exaggeration, Alice Mead has written a touching story of life and death, love and hate, kindness and cruelty. Julie Dretzin offers a remarkable portrayal of young Zana, an 11-year-old Albanian girl living a simple life in Kosovo. Dretzin's delivery is youthful without being childlike and successfully brings to life Zana's personal drama when the Serbians attack, wounding her and killing her father and two brothers. Yet her best friend is a Serb, and when a Serbian doctor saves her life, she remembers the words of her father, "Don't let them fill your heart with hate." This is a compelling story of recent events for ages 10 and up. F.L.F. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 03]