Last Days in Africville

Nanette Morton teaches English at McMaster University in Hamilton.

Ten-year-old Selina Palmer has problems. As the only African-Canadian
student in her Halifax classroom, she is a target for the mean kids, who
mock her for being different. Although she is good in school, Selina is
glad to go home to the African-Canadian community of Africville, where
her family and friends are warm and welcoming. But change is afoot, both
at school and at home. While Selina makes friends and becomes the star
of the track team, her newfound happiness is dashed when she learns that
the city is going to destroy Africville—including her grandmother’s
house, where generations of the family have lived.

Though the destruction of the community is heartbreaking, the story’s
ending makes it clear that life—and happiness—will go on. Last Days
in Africville is a well-written story that adroitly reveals Selina’s
experiences as well as the attitudes of her classmates and their
parents, making it clear that the former learned their prejudices from
the latter. Recommended.