Call Me Aram

Georgetown Boys #2

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, Muriel Wood (Illustrator)

Ontario Library Association's Golden Oak Award nominee 2010 OLA's Silver Birch Express nominee 2010 Aram Davidian is one of a group of Armenian refugee orphans who made the trip from Corfu, Greece to a new home in Canada, at a farm in Georgetown, Ontario. And like the others, Aram is delighted with the beauty of his new home and the kindness of the people taking care of them. But adjusting to a new home isn't easy. None of the Canadians speak Armenian, and the boys are left to puzzle out their hosts' bewildering language and customs. While Aram can't really understand why they must eat the steamy mess called porridge every day, he and the other boys are delighted by the strange candies and fruits they have never experienced before. Slowly they must learn that it isn't necessary to horde their food; more comes every day. There is so much to confuse and delight. They cannot understand why their Canadian host wants them to stand under water coming out of a wall when they can just jump in the pond to get clean. But the ice box and stove are wonders of modern life. Despite the many pleasant distractions, Aram misses his young friend, Mgerdich. Injured on the long journey to Canada, Mgerdich is alone in a hospital in France. And what is more disturbing is that Aram and the other boys have been given new names, English names, to go by. If they are forced to discard their Armenian names, how will their extended families find them again one day? Even the final arrival of Mgerdich does not cheer up Aram, who cannot explain to his young friend why he must have a new name. As much as they want to forget the hardships and tragedies of their past lives, the boys can't understand why they must give up their identities. With a little help from an Armenian translator, Aram at last has the chance to thank his kind hosts for all their care and explain why he and the others must always keep their names. Call Me Aram is the sequel to My Name is Aram , which was nominated for the Silver Birch Award and the CLA's Children's Book of the Year Award. New Beginnings is a series of historical chapter books for newly independent readers between the ages of eight and eleven. Each novel concerns a boy or girl facing the challenges of adapting to life in a new culture in North America. Every New Beginnings title is well researched, illustrated in full color throughout, and accompanied by an index and glossary.

Genres: Fiction

86 pages, Hardcover

First published November 8, 2008

About the author

Marsha Skrypuch is an internationally bestselling children’s author whose books span a century of wars from a kid’s view, concentrating on those stories that have been erased by oppressive regimes. Her best-known book is Making Bombs for Hitler. Her most recent is the Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy. She has received death threats and honors for her writing. Marsha lives in Brantford, Ontario, Canada and you can visit her online at calla.com

Reviews

[Canadian Children's Book Centre]

Call Me Aram is the sequel to Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch’s Aram’s Choice. The first book was shortlisted in 2007 for the Canadian Library Association’s Book of the Year for Children Award, the Silver Birch Express Award and the Golden Oak Award. In Aram’s Choice, readers were introduced to Aram Davidian who struggled with a life-changing decision: stay with his grandmother in Corfu, Greece or immigrate to Canada in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide. Aram chose to make Georgetown, Ontario his new home. Call Me Aram chronicles the journey of Aram and his friends as they adapt to the Canadian way of life. Daily Canadian customs are foreign to them and made even more difficult to understand by the Armenian/English language barrier. For Aram, the appearance of a camera is akin to a weapon and its flash synonymous with a “trigger being pulled.” Even more disheartening is the prospect of Aram having to accept a Canadian name. He and his fellow refugees must gather the courage to voice their desire to keep what is left of their Armenian heritage. Teachers and librarians can use Call Me Aram to demonstrate the obstacles faced by new immigrants as well as Canada’s first international relief efforts. Muriel Wood’s simple illustrations do not attempt to overshadow the story, but instead echo the tone and highlight pivotal moments in Aram’s journey. Though the pacing leaves the reader weary at certain times, Aram’s struggle to do what he believes is right will resonate with readers of all ages.

Reviewed by Inderjit Deogun in Canadian Children's Book News
Spring 2009 VOL.32 NO.2

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1923 4000 Armenian children fled to the Greek Island of Corfu. They escaped from Turkey where 1.5 million of their people had been killed. Some of these orphans were brought to Canada to live at the Georgetown Boy’s Farm.

In this beautifully illustrated book, Aram, a young orphan has just arrived in Canada. He and his grandmother are both refugees from the Armenian genocide. She cannot support or care for him, so he must leave her behind on Corfu and go to Canada. Upon arrival Aram and the other boys experience something of a culture shock. They cannot understand their English caregivers, and everything is very different from anything they have experienced before.

Bit by bit the boys settle into the routine on the farm of caring for animals, school, chores and play. An lovely Armenian family come to stay at the farm to help care for the boys and interpret for them.

Although they do not wish to seem ungrateful, when they realize the Canadians have changed their names to the English names of various benefactors who funded their journey to Canada they are unhappy. They must find a way to explain to their kind caregivers that their Armenian names are the only thing they could bring with them when they fled. There parents and siblings were killed, they have no mementos, only the names their families chose for them, which represent their family heritage.

At the back of the book there are photos of the real boys at the Georgetown Boy’s Farm. There is also a historical note and thorough glossary.

[Irina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call me Aram is a chapter book that focuses on a group of Turkish orphan boys who immigrate to Ontario, Canada from a refugee camp in Greece. They move to a farm in Ontario where they have to face many cultural differences. As they are experiencing so many changes, they are unexpectedly surprised when their names are changed to new Canadian names. They are able to make a point about the importance of their names and the history that each of their names’ contain. As a result, their wish of keeping their Armenian names is respected and fulfilled. This is a great book on immigration and respecting culture for older kids.

[Stacey Socholotuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible read for many ages (read aloud g3 and up) that pulls at your heartstrings and forces you to pause and reflect on the privileges you've had in your life. A must-read for all Canadians who are uneducated about their own country's history and an emotional read for anyone who has experienced the struggles of conflict and immigration. Thank you, Marsha, for opening our eyes to so many people's and peoples's stories.

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skrypuch is getting some press these days for a new book for young people taking on the Holodomor, and how brave she is for that, but I actually wanted to see this book for the gentle illustrations by Muriel Wood. Both the text and the illustrations smooth a difficult, sad topic. I liked the details that bring life to these historical children, such as wondering why the Canadians talked so loudly to them. And though I'm not a big fan of paintings that copy a photograph, I found these to work unusually well in conveying emotions and moving the storyline along.

[Wendelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is based on the real-life story of the Armenian orphans who came for refuge in Canada in the wake of the Armenian Genocide. It relates their story of arrival in a farm run by a kindly reverend and his wife, and their routines of adapting to their new country. Aram is grateful to his benefactors but he is distressed when a misunderstanding occurs and he is asked to change his name.