A nostalgic picture book set in the diverse Cape Breton community of Whitney Pier from the duo behind Mayann's Train Ride, written by Nova Scotia's first Black lieutenant-governor. School is out for the summer, but eleven-year-old Mayann Francis doesn't have much to look forward to. Her two best friends, Eunice and Betty, will be away and her older sister won't let her play on her baseball team, the Hankard Street Crew. But Mayann's parents won't let her feel sorry for herself. They remind her how much she loves to help them cook traditional Caribbean foods. Coo-coo with corn meal, souse made from pig feet, oxtail, fishcake, johnnycake, sugar cake with coconut! Her mother also teaches her embroidery-and it's while stitching a project and watching the HSC play that she gets a great idea that will bring the whole community together, and may just save her summer in the process. One Summer in Whitney Pier is a love letter to the diverse Cape Breton community the Honourable Mayann Francis calls home, and a celebration of breaking bread with your neighbours. Featuring bold, colourful artwork by artist Tamara Thiebaux-Heikalo.

When Mayann Francis was named Nova Scotia's first Black lieutenant-governor, she wondered if the community would accept her. Francis was born just three months after businesswoman Viola Desmond was arrested for sitting in a whites-only section of a movie theatre in New Glasgow. Had enough changed? In this candid memoir, Francis describes her journey from humble beginnings in Whitney Pier, the daughter of immigrants, to the vice-regal office. She explains how her religious faith and her family's belief in education equipped her for life's challenges, including the loss of much of her vision.Before Francis was named lieutenant-governor, she had earned a masters degree in New York City and worked in a series of senior positions. But her time in the vice-regal office was not without challenges. Francis was unable to live in Government House for much of her term because the official residence was being renovated. As the renovations dragged on, there were rumours, she writes, that some politicians and bureaucrats did not want her to ever move in. Was it, she asks, because she was Black? Francis poses tough questions in this book, but also offers advice and encouragement to anyone faced with challenges.