(3) YA This unusual novel about the 1915 Armenian genocide is written in intricate verse and tempered by the magical realism of an eagle that helps three siblings during their escape from their village. Shahen (disguised as a girl), his twin sister, and younger sister flee after their family is killed, eventually making it to Syria. An excellent author's note and extensive resource lists are appended. Map. Glos.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Maria Zaikina. In an original story using Armenian folklore characters, the titular bird parlays the thorn a kind baker removes from its foot into items of increasing worth (bread, a sheep, a bride)--until the creature's satisfying comeuppance. In the well-defined illustrations, figures are outlined in black, then filled in with glowing textured color; each character vividly expresses his or her bemusement, guile, or resignation.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Muriel Wood. This accessible sequel to Aram's Choice is based on actual events. Aram is one of a group of Armenian orphans brought to Canada in 1923. The boys acclimate to life on a farm run by a minister and his wife, but they protest when told to take Anglicized names. Though the illustrations are stiff, they will help engage readers in the story. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Muriel Wood. Aram is an Armenian boy who is displaced to Greece by the 1915 Turkish genocide. In 1923, he leaves his elderly grandmother behind and immigrates to Ontario, Canada, to live on a farm for Armenian orphans. His journey is told simply (although it's stilted in places); realistic paintings decorate most pages. An author's note gives more information. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(1) YA This vividly, even horrifically, evoked novel tells of the genocide carried out against Armenians in Turkey during World War I. Like narrator Vahan Kenderian, who is twelve when the novel begins, a reader can't really prepare for this relentless tragedy before it unfolds. That the book is based on Bagdasarian's great-uncle's experiences gives it further gravity.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2000