Children's author to launch book on 'Georgetown Boys'

Coming up to the anniversary of the "Georgetown Boys" arriving in Canada, The Freckled Lion Book Store pays tribute to their journey through a beautifully illustrated children's novel that touches on the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Join author, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch and illustrator Muriel Wood, as they welcome the families of the original Georgetown Boys to the official launch of Aram's Choice. The launch will be held at The Freckled Lion, 87 Main St. S. in Georgetown, on tomorrow (Thursday), from 1-2 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. From the New Beginnings series, comes Aram's Choice, a story that follows the life of a boy who loses his family in the Armenian genocide in Turkey and is exiled in Greece. The book follows Aram while he travels to Canada with 47 other Armenian boys in what was Canada's first international humanitarian effort. Skrypuch first heard about the Armenian genocide 17 years ago while doing research for a magazine article about the first "Georgetown Boys" -- a group of 47 Armenian orphans who were rescued by Canada in 1923 and were housed and schooled at a farm in Georgetown (now Cedarvale Park area). Based on true events, this book gives children, ages 8-11 (Grades 3-6), a chance to learn about effects of genocide. Skrypuch is the author of many books for children, including Silver Threads and Enough as well as her YA novels, The Hunger and Nobody's Child, which was nominated for the Red Maple Award, the Alberta Rocky Mountain Book Award, and the B.C. Stellar Award. Wood has been illustrating books for children since 1964, including the Canadian classic, The Olden Days Coat written by Margaret Laurence. Other books include Old Bird, and the first two titles from the New Beginnings series, Lizzie's Storm and Scared Sarah.