Getting Waltraut published has been an incredibly empowering experience for me. Growing up, I felt self-conscious and insecure about being from an immigrant family—especially a German one. Didn’t the Germans cause the war? Weren’t the Germans responsible for mass murder? Waltraut is a story the little girl inside me has wanted to read for a long time. I hope it helps other young readers find the courage to embrace their complicated family histories. I hope it encourages them to be kind to others who might also be struggling with low self-esteem and loneliness. Finally, we need to not just tell our stories but listen to others tell theirs. I hope Waltraut inspires readers to be curious and alert to the stories of people around them.
Courage, kindness and curiosity: my own 11-year-old protagonist discovers these three traits through reading her favourite books, Nancy Drew mysteries.
Here is a further sample of Canadian books about immigration and diversity. Books like these encourage and influence conversation among young people as they grow up to be the new leaders of our country.
Courage, kindness and curiosity: my own 11-year-old protagonist discovers these three traits through reading her favourite books, Nancy Drew mysteries.
This middle grade novel first came out in 1972. Nine-year-old Anna is a misfit in a family who judges her as inferior. When the family moves from Nazi Germany to Canada in the 1930s, Anna’s sense of being an outsider only increases. But through unexpected support, she blossoms into a confident girl with outstanding talents. She surprises not only herself, but also her family with her intelligence and her ability to adapt so quickly to the new life and language in Canada. It’s a novel about self-esteem, about kindness and about courage, timeless themes making this so readable even 50 years after it first came out.
This adult novel came out in 2022. Focused on an Asian family’s immigrant experience, Dandelion explores a mother/daughter relationship complicated by not only the cultural gap but also by the mother’s mental illness. I might come from a European immigrant family, but I could identity with stresses and conflicts experienced by the Asian families in this powerful novel. I loved the title and the closing words, referring to the face of her infant daughter, "unafraid, proud and strong."
Ignorance is the basis of prejudice and abuse in this YA novel set in a Canadian POW camp in Alberta during the Second World War. It’s too easy—and misleading—to stereotype people according to their ethnicity and Karen Bass does a great job showing readers the differences between a Nazi and a German. Our world’s current political volatility is partly because we lose sight of the people behind the flags. By making the effort to befriend people different than us, we might be surprised at our similarities. 17-year-old, German POW, Erich, along with 12-year-old Canadian-born, Max, show courage, kindness and curiosity as they struggle to do the right thing in difficult times. I think every high school student should read this book.
This picture book shows the vulnerability of a child when she loses her language during the immigration process. Losing a language and turning to art allows the child to regain her voice. The story begins in Prague, behind the Iron Curtain. Stark, grey illustrations express the sadness that Communism forced upon its people. As in the other books mentioned here, the immigrant protagonist struggles with loss of identity and low self-esteem. She finds or her voice and empowerment through her art. The book's illustrations grow colourful and happy as she develops confidence in her artistic ability. A book to inspire courage in young newcomers.
This coming-of-age story, told through the voice of a 12-year old Romanian girl, tackles immigration, menstruation and self-esteem. It’s easy to read and even new immigrants still struggling with their English,will appreciate the emotional struggles expressed by the young teen characters through visual cues. I loved how difficult topics lose their stigma through humour and expressive images. It’s just a very humanizing, humbling, empowering and fun book. Who knew? Immigrants are just like us!
Like any young person, 13-year-old Ali, a Pakistani-Muslin boy, desperately wants to fit in, hence his name Ali, becomes Al. This reminded me of an incident working in an after-school science program, a few years back. We had Syrian refugees in the grade three class and I was unsure of one boy’s name. “Just call him Mohammed,” one white boy shouted. “My dad says they all have the same name.” Like skin colour, names matter when you’re a kid—they can label you as different. While I didn’t have to deal with the challenges of racism, back in the sixties, I had to deal with the post-war stigma of having German parents. Ali lives in two worlds and struggles to find his voice. An uplifting, happy-ending book.
Filled with pictures and interesting facts, this book has ageless appeal but might be especially appealing to middle grade students. Immigration is a universal experience that has been around, literally, forever. Learning about the differences between the terms "refugee," "immigration," and "emigration" is only a small smattering of useful information I gleaned from this book. A must-read!
It’s been a while since I read this book, but I’m still aware of its power. With so many newcomers arriving from Ukraine in the last few years, it’s important to realize that our country has not always been open to others.
Canada remains the promised land to for many. Let’s not become complacent. Let’s not let fear control our policies. Let’s be brave, kind and curious, not cowardly, cold and close-minded.
Eleven-year-old Waltraut wants to fit in at school, but it’s not easy. Not only does her name rhyme with the ethnic slur that is often hurled her way, but no one can relate to her immigrant family and their complicated past. On weekends, however, she attends German school with friends who are just like her. They share a language, food, and customs—and they understand what it’s like to live in two cultures.
As Waltraut navigates between her two worlds, she copes by reading and imagines how much easier her life would be if her name was Nancy, like the heroine of her favourite mystery series. So when her family moves to a new neighbourhood, Waltraut seizes the chance to reinvent herself. But she soon learns the price of pretending to be someone else. With support from an insightful teacher, a warm-hearted father, a tough-minded mother, and even her annoying younger brother, she embraces her true self, with all of its complexities and contradictions.
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