Aram's Choice (New Beginnings (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)) [Hardcover]

Marsha Skrypuch (Author), Muriel Wood (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Series: New Beginnings (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)

Silver Birch Express shortlist 2007

Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice, 2007

Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children shortlist, 2007

Golden Oak nominee, 2008

Embark on this gripping adventure!

Aram is like all the boys exiled in Greece. He has survived the Armenian genocide in Turkey and now lives in an orphanage. He can never return home. One day Aram learns that he will be one of fifty boys who will start a new life in a country called Canada. What does he know of this distant land? There is snow, lots to eat, and no war. But most important of all, Aram has heard that the trees are covered in gold. All he will have to do is pluck the gold off the branches and he will have enough money to bring his grandmother out to join him. But first he must get there.

Aram is about to embark on a long adventure. Will he find a land of endless riches, or a place he can finally call home?

• A great adventure story for boys
• Illustrations are historically accurate
• Third title in the New Beginnings series (see below)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4–This easy chapter book tells the story of a group of Armenian refugee boys who made the journey from Corfu, Greece, to Georgetown, Canada, after the Armenian genocide in the early 1900s. The story, based on the experiences of one of these boys, describes a trip of sadness, anxiety, and hope from a childs point of view. The actual genocide is briefly and gently explained in a historical note at the end. Realistic color illustrations on most pages, some of them spreads, add authenticity to the narrative. Covering an incident little known in the United States, this work would be of particular interest in areas where Armenian immigrants live, but it could also underline a general discussion of humanitarianism.–Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. Twelve-year-old Aram lives in an orphanage in Greece. His grandmother, who is too poor to keep him, brought him out of Turkey during the Armenian genocide, which claimed the lives of other family members. Along with other boys chosen to emigrate to Canada, Aram travels by cargo ship, ocean liner, and train to his new home, a farm in rural Ontario. Though missing his grandmother, Aram tries to keep the younger boys out of trouble and enjoys many new experiences, such as eating his first banana. Skrypuch based her story on the life of an Armenian orphan brought to Canada in 1923. With at least one small color illustration on nearly every double-page spread, this nicely designed chapter book from the publisher's New Beginnings series offers a bit of information woven seamlessly into the fiction. A glossary, a historical note, and lists of recommended books, films, and Internet sites round out the book. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Fitzhenry and Whiteside; 1 edition (May 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155041352X
• ISBN-13: 978-1550413526
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,896,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marsha Skrypuch is the author of many books for children and young adults. She has written more novels about the Armenian genocide than any other author in the English speaking world, yet she is not Armenian. "I write about people who must give up everything that is dear to them and travel to a new country. To me, these people are heroic."

Marsha tricked her teachers into thinking she knew how to read until it all caught up with her in grade 4 when she failed the provincial reading exam. Adding insult to injury, they made her repeat the year. As the tallest and oldest kid in the class, she didn't want to be seen learning to read with little skinny books and she was too proud to ask for help, so she taught herself how to read by taking out the fattest book in the children's section of the Brantford Public Library -- Oliver Twist. She kept on renewing it for a whole year. Reading that book was a turning point in her life. She decided that she loved reading, and wanted to write too.

Marsha loves speaking with students of all ages, especially those who are struggling academically or who feel "different".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant New Beginning, September 22, 2006

By 

Rosemarie Riechel (Whitestone, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aram's Choice (New Beginnings (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)) (Hardcover)

Aram's story is based on the life of an Armenian orphan brought to Canada in 1923. Aram's journey out of Turkey (with his grandmother) during the Armenian Genocide, to an orphanage in Greece, and on to a farm in rural Ontario is one of new discoveries and experiences--unforgettable are his nighttime swim around the skeleton of a sunken ship, arriving at the Port of Quebec, and eating his first banana.

Historical information is smoothly woven into the story, as golden threads enrich silk fabric. Backmatter includes maps tracing Aram's journey, a glossary, bibliography of novels about the Armenian Genocide, including two gems by Marsha Skrypuch, Internet sites and films, an index, biographical information on the author and illustrator, and a historicl note. Color illustrations enrich the pages of this historically accurate, thoroughly researched, and well-designed book. A memorable chapter book in the New Beginnings series, ARAM'S CHOICE is a must-read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Through the Eyes of a Child, September 19, 2006

By 

Linda Gerber "author" (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aram's Choice (New Beginnings (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)) (Hardcover)

ARAM'S CHOICE takes readers on a journey into the unknown with a group of young Armenian orphans who must leave their homeland or face extermination. Such a heavy theme, written differently, could have weighed the book down but, told through the eyes of a child, blends hardship with courage, fear with wonder and discouragement with hope. Both text and illustrations are beautifully and authentically crafted, bringing alive the experience of Canada's Georgetown Boys.

Highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tender, Well-told Tale, September 16, 2006

By 

K. Coombs (Utah, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aram's Choice (New Beginnings (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)) (Hardcover)

I'll admit, historical fiction is not usually my first choice of genre, but this small treasure of a story was enough to change my tastes! I wasn't even aware of the Armenian genocide--another painful chapter in mankind's history. This account picks up with the rescue of some young boys who are sent to an orphanage in Corfu and then to Canada to start new lives. Aram is such a likable character, such a boyish boy in the midst of all these historical events! I once asked my mother, a history major, how she thinks children should study history. She replied that they should study the lives of intriguing people in the context of history. Aram reminded me that one young life, of such value in and of itself, could paint a vivid picture of a forgotten time in history--one that deserves to be acknowledged and remembered.