Carry On began in a high school in Outremont, Quebec, where author and poet Simon Boulerice conducted creative-writing workshops for young newcomers to Canada. As the students began writing, their poems gave voice to their reflections on leaving family, friends, and countries of origin to make new homes and connections in their new home, Canada.

MY TAKE: The faces of 15 young people from all over the world are portrayed in stunning drawings. Study each and you will find the beginnings of a story. Each portrait takes up a full page and on the adjacent page is a poem, written with emotion, sorrow, and hope that they have after immigrating to a new country (Canada). They left the familiar and face the unknown.

The poems are short but all have a heartfelt component that give meaning to their upheaval. Here a few lines from some of my favorites:

I tossed out my twelve years (Dohee Kim/South Korea)

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I had to abandon my friends and family (Olhin Natola/Philippines)

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I have new friends to meet

As in a game of hide-and-seek (Valeriu Meleka/Moldova)

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Immigration is heartache

But a lucky break too (Dowhoo Kim/South Korea)

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What will Montreal be like?

Will I be accepted? (Tommy Zhang/Venezuela)

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Like birds migrating

I am lost

Far away in a foreign land (Amir Reza Saeidi/Iran)

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CARRY ON is a beautiful keepsake and provides understanding to the plight of those trying to make a new home. A great discussion starter for classrooms or at home.

(I received a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

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Blogging about middle grade books or authors next week? Join the celebration.

All you have to do is blog about a middle grade book on a Monday (contests, author interviews, or anything middle grade related also count). Email me the title of the book or feature and a link to your blog at gpcolo[at]gmail[dot]com

Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so it gets sorted accurately–and please don’t forget to say what book or author you’re featuring) You MUST email me your link by Sunday evening (11 PM Eastern Time) in order to be included in the list of links for the coming Monday.

Thanks for spreading the middle grade love and for being a part of this awesome tradition begun by Shannon Messenger and carried on here at ALWAYS in the MIDDLE! (CLICK HERE FOR PAST MMGM POSTS)

*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen reviews ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me.