The Color of My Difference

★ “Delivers a beautifully structured narrative that highlights the often unintentional but nevertheless cruel assumptions people of all ages make about a person based on their skin color. This gem is highly recommended for libraries looking to expand their verse novel collections.”—School Library Journal (SLJ), starred review

The boy has just started a new school. He stands in the school yard, feeling like he's floating in space, not knowing if he belongs.

When class starts, the teacher makes a big deal of pronouncing his name, syllable by syllable, and everyone laughs. His parents are from Haiti, though he was born in Montreal, so everyone in his mostly white class expects him to have an accent or to be from somewhere else. Even outside of school, he's seen as different. The police stop him because he looks like a suspect. The only similarity? His skin color.

The boy wonders if being Black is just about bearing the weight of all this difference. But when a kid hurls a racist taunt at him and he gets into a fight, the boy finally confides in his mom what he's been going through. She understands and offers advice: She wants him to stand up for himself—just in the right way. Her words help him realize that Blackness is nothing to be ashamed of...it's his greatest strength.

Ann Marie Boulanger is a certified translator and owner of Traduction Proteus Inc. When she’s not translating commercial texts, she’s an accomplished translator of adult and children’s literature. Her translation of The Woman in Valencia, by Annie Perreault, was named a World Literature Today Notable Translation of 2021. She’s also a part-time lecturer at McGill University and co-founder of LION Translation Academy, which offers business, tech and language training workshops for translators.

• Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesseShort-listed 2024

Mc Knoell Alexis grew up with a passion for reading. As a father of four and a graduate of the University of Quebec in Montreal, with a degree in literary studies, Mc Knoell divides his time between writing and teaching French to newcomers and adult learners. For several years he also offered creative writing classes. In 2009 he published the short story Le livre noire de ta mère, which was inspired by his own life. Mc Knoell lives in Montreal.

Ann Marie Boulanger is a certified translator and owner of Traduction Proteus Inc. When she’s not translating commercial texts, she’s an accomplished translator of adult and children’s literature. Her translation The Woman in Valencia, by Annie Perreault, was named a World Literature Today Notable Translation of 2021. She’s also a part-time lecturer at McGill University and co-founder of LION Translation Academy, which offers business, tech and language training workshops for translators.