The Shacklands

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

In the early 19th century, the Shacklands was a low-income neighborhood
on the northwest fringe of Toronto. Criss-crossed by a junction of
railway tracks, the community was home to mostly new immigrants from
Great Britain and working-class Canadians. In 1908, Jessie Robertson,
16, starts a new life in the Shacklands. Like the rest of her family,
she has come to Canada hoping to escape the cycle of chronic poverty and
drudgery that is plaguing working-class people in her native England. At
first, it looks as if Jessie’s hopes may be realized. Her school
grades are so good that she is encouraged to consider completing her
education and become a teacher. But within six months of emigrating,
Jessie’s mother dies, her father is laid off, and the only course for
Jessie seems to be to quit school to either find work or take care of
her younger siblings.

Most novels about Victorian/Edwardian Canada are set in either the
wilderness or a farm community. This fine novel is a wonderful window
into turn-of-the-century urban English Canada. The author has combined a
wealth of historical detail with a fast-moving prose style. All the
characters are completely believable; her protagonists have flaws, her
antagonists possess redeeming graces. For those who like their history
lively and engaging, The Shacklands is highly recommended.