CALL ME ARAM: New Beginnings

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch / Illustrations by Muriel Wood

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.

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. There is so much to confuse and delight

Despite the many pleasant distractions, 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?. 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.

 Fitzhenry & Whiteside