Salma the Syrian Chef
Salma the Syrian Chef By Danny Ramadan Illustrated by Anna Bron Published by Annick Press, Limited ISBN-13: 9781773213750 Age Range: 4+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…Syrian-Canadian activist Ramadan writes with poetic immediacy about displacement, home, and family.” —Publishers Weekly Description All Salma wants is to make her mama smile again. Between English classes, job interviews, and missing Papa back in Syria, Mama always seems busy or sad. A homemade Syrian meal might cheer her up, but Salma doesn’t know the recipe, or what to call the...
Read MoreTeam Fugee
Team Fugee By Dirk McLean Published by Lorimer & Company, Ltd. ISBN-13: 9781459412057 Age Range: 9+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “The exceptional new series “Soccer United” explores the lives of soccer players who are refugees from around the world.” —School Library Journal Description Two years after his birth parents disappeared from their home in Nigeria, newly adopted Ozzie moves to Canada. At his new school, Ozzie and the other Nigerian kids compete for time on the soccer field with a team of Syrian refugees—led by Victor. But then...
Read MoreTournament Fugee
Tournament Fugee By Dirk McLean Published by James Lorimer & Company, Ltd., Publishers ISBN-13: 9781459412279 Age Range: 7+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “The exceptional new series “Soccer United” explores the lives of soccer players who are refugees from around the world.” —School Library Journal Description A talented thirteen-year-old goalkeeper, Victor Bayazid, is asked to join and captain a soccer team, the GTA Gazelles, to compete in the “Thank You, Canada” tournament. The tournament brings together teams of Syrian...
Read MoreWhen Wings Expand
When Wings Expand By Mehded Maryam Sinclair Published by Kube Publishing Ltd ISBN: 9780860374992 Age Range: 10+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “A 12-year-old Canadian Muslim girl chronicles the death of her terminally ill mother and her slow healing.” —Kirkus Reviews Description She wrapped her arms around me and said, “Nur! I know. I don’t want to go. But all I can do is keep trusting in Allah. Nur, I will always be with you! My love and advice will always be with you to guide you in the right direction.” She patted my heart....
Read MoreSwan Dive
Swan Dive By Brenda Hasuik Published by Groundwood Books ISBN-13: 9781773061467 Age Range: 14+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat Refugees from the Bosnian War, Lazar’s family flees the Siege of Sarajevo and arrives in Winnipeg in the early 1990s. Description Refugees from the Bosnian War, Lazar’s family flees the Siege of Sarajevo and arrives in Winnipeg in the early 1990s. Despite various mini dramas unfolding at home, as his parents and older sisters navigate a new language, the bitter cold and a strange city and country, Lazar manages to find a place for himself at...
Read MoreSadia
Sadia By Colleen Nelson Published by Dundurn Press ISBN-13: 9781459740297 Age Range: 12+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “Fifteen-year-old Sadi Ahmadi, a Muslim immigrant from Syria, learns that young voices can still be powerful in Nelson’s story about being loyal to one’s beliefs.” —Publishers Weekly Description Fifteen-year-old Sadia Ahmadi is passionate about one thing: basketball. Her best friend Mariam, on the other hand, wants to get noticed by the popular crowd and has started de-jabbing, removing her hijab, at school every morning. Sadia’s mom...
Read MoreChild Soldier
Child Soldier By Jessica Dee Humphreys, Michel Chikwanine Illustrated by Claudia Davila Published by Kids Can Press, Limited Age Range: 10+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “An enlightening, accessible, and, above all, child-friendly introduction to the issue.” —School Library Journal (Starred Review) Description Michel Chikwanine was five years old when he was abducted from his school-yard soccer game in the Democratic Republic of Congo and forced to become a soldier for a brutal rebel militia. Against the odds, Michel managed to escape and find his way...
Read MoreA Refugee’s Journey from The Democratic Republic of the Congo
A Refugee’s Journey from The Democratic Republic of the Congo By Ellen Rodger Published by Crabtree Publishing Age Range: 8+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat Readers will learn about the experiences of child soldiers and how they can help refugees in their communities… Description Eight-year-old Etienne and his family live in The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Kidnapped by a rebel army and forced to be a child soldier, Etienne finally escapes and is sent to a camp for freed child soldiers. He is reunited with his family who then flee the country,...
Read MoreThe Lotterys Plus One
The Lotterys Plus One By Emma Donoghue Illustrated by Caroline Hadilaksono Published by Scholastic Inc. Age Range: 8+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…the novel delves into universal themes of family relationships that will resonate with readers from all backgrounds.” —Kirkus Reviews Description Sumac Lottery is nine years old and the self-proclaimed “good girl” of her (VERY) large, (EXTREMELY) unruly family. And what a family the Lotterys are: four parents, children both adopted and biological, and a menagerie of pets, all living and...
Read MoreThief Girl
Thief Girl By Ingrid Lee Published by Lorimer, James & Company, Limited Age Range: 13+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “A modern teen novel with emotional veracity and real intelligence.” —Children’s Literature Description Sixteen-year-old Avvy Go straddles the line— between the immigrant neighborhood were she lives and works and the established neighborhood where she attends high school, the line between right and wrong, and the line between telling secrets and keeping them. Set in an urban Chinatown neighborhood, Thief Girl is a frank look at...
Read MoreMalaika’s Winter Carnival
Malaika’s Winter Carnival By Nadia L. Hohn Illustrated by Irene Luxbacher Published by Groundwood Books Age Range: 3+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…immersive and loving book that will benefit both young new arrivals to a country and those just meeting them.” —Kirkus Reviews Description Malaika is happy to be reunited with Mummy, but it means moving to a different country, where everything is different. It’s cold in her new city, no one understands when she talks and Carnival is nothing like the celebration Malaika knows from home! When...
Read MoreFrom Far Away
From Far Away By Robert Munsch, Saoussan Askar Illustrated by Rebecca Green Published by Annick Press, Limited Age Range: 4+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “A sad, challenging, and ultimately hopeful real-life story.” —Kirkus Reviews Description When Saoussan immigrated with her family from war-torn Lebanon, she was only seven years old. This picture book tells the story of how she had to adjust to her new home in Canada. She describes the frustration of not understanding the teacher when she started school, not knowing how to ask to go to the bathroom,...
Read MoreFrench Toast
French Toast By Kari-Lynn Winters Illustrated by Francois Thisdale Published by Pajama Press Age Range: 5 – 8 Years Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat Description Phoebe—half Jamaican, half French-Canadian—hates her school nickname of “French Toast.” So she is mortified when, out on a walk with her Jamaican grandmother, she hears a classmate shout it out at her. To make things worse, Nan-Ma, who is blind, wants an explanation of the name. How can Phoebe describe the color of her skin to someone who has never seen it? “Like tea, after you’ve added the milk,” she...
Read MoreBlue Gold
Blue Gold By Elizabeth Stewart Published by Annick Press Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N “Artfully blending psychological insights with global politics and business ethics, Stewart demonstrates the interconnectedness of the global economy with elegant prose and page-turning cliffhangers.” —Karen Doerksen Readerly, National Reading Campaign Description Coltan, or “blue gold,” is a rare mineral used in making cell phones and computers. Across continents, the lives of three teen girls are affected by the “blue gold” trade. Sylvie’s...
Read MoreBig Red Lollipop
Big Red Lollipop By Rukhsana Khan Illustrated by Sophie Blackall Published by Viking’s Children’s Books “Khan delivers another astute and moving story, ostensibly dealing with sibling rivalry, but actually about hard-won lessons emerging from clashes of identity and assimilation.” –Publisher’s Weekly Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description Rubina has been invited to her first birthday party, and her mother, Ami, insists that she bring her little sister along. Rubina is mortified, but she can’t convince Ami that you just...
Read MoreAfter Peaches
After Peaches By Michelle Mulder Published by Orca Young Readers “Written in first person with clarity and understanding, this chapter book reflects the experiences and emotions of the many immigrant children who work to fit in despite sometimes feeling ill at ease in their new countries.” –Booklist Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description After being teased at school, Rosario vows not to speak English again until she can speak with an accent that’s one hundred percent Canadian. Since she and her parents plan to spend the whole summer working on BC fruit...
Read MoreMy Friend Mei Jing
My Friend Mei Jing By Anna McQuinn Illustrated by Ben Frey Photography by Irvin Cheung Published by Annick Press “…A book that will get all children seeing how they are more alike than they are different, this book should have a place on most school and public library shelves.” — Tasha Saecker, Waking Brain Cells Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description Different cultures. Best friends. Ever since Mei Jing came to Monifa’s school they’ve been best friends. They’re both artistic and like to create wild designs together. They love to play at...
Read MoreMy Friend Jamal
My Friend Jamal By Anna McQuinn Illustrated by Ben Frey Published by Annick Press “What’s great in this book in the new My Friend series is that the friendship celebrates not only connections but also rich diversity.” —Hazel Rochman, Booklist “Joseph’s notes on what he has learned about his friend’s culture add to the usefulness of this matter-of-fact picture of mutual respect and cross-culture harmony.” —Children’s Literature Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description Different cultures. Fast friends. Jamal and Joseph were born in the...
Read MoreMigrant
Migrant By Maxine Trottier Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault Published by Groundwood Books “…[Anna’s] sense of herself as a rootless outsider is broadly applicable to other, perhaps all, migrant groups…a moving, inventive and thoughtful look at a way of life many people share.” —Kirkus Reviews Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description Anna is the child of Mennonites from Mexico, who have come north to harvest fruit and vegetables. Sometimes she feels like a bird, flying north in the spring and south in the fall, sometimes like a jack rabbit...
Read MoreWEAR YOUR WELCOME
