Making Canada Home: How Immigrants Shaped This Country

Gr 5–8—This comprehensive, informative overview of immigration history in Canada is an updated and revised edition of Hughes's 2005 title, Coming to Canada. This book eloquently examines the country's rich multicultural makeup, from the ancestors of Canada's Aboriginal peoples to present-day Syrian refugees. Thorough chapters profile the early European settlers and then explore how the nation was built through the hard work of immigrants. Racist, exclusionary policies and discrimination are also candidly considered, such as the turning away of Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu passengers aboard the Komagata Maru in 1914, Japanese internment camps during World War II, and the systemic abuse and mistreatment of generations of the indigenous population. Many photographs, travel documents, and archival posters add immediacy to the text, as do the spotlights on personal stories. Students will find the time line, annotated list of websites, and index useful for school projects.