Bibliography
Curtis, Christopher Paul.
Elijah of Buxton. New York: Scholastic Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-4390-2344-3
Plot Summary
Elijah is the first free-born child in the settlement of
Buxton, a haven for freed slaves in Canada just north of the Michigan border. His story is one of humorous adventures and a
dangerous chase to make amends for a mistreated friend, all of which works
together to reveal his journey from childhood to maturity.
Critical Analysis
Elijah of Buxton
is an excellent option for students who may be resistant to reading historical
fiction. Readers in the target age group
(4th to 7th grade) will be so entertained by Elijah’s
character and his many adventures that they won’t even realize they are
learning history. Elijah’s home of
Buxton is authentically based on the actual Canadian Elgin Settlement and
Buxton Mission. Curtis creates
characters that are relatable and distinctive.
For example, it doesn’t take the reader long to figure out that the
Preacher is not the type of man he claims to be, a conclusion that Elijah has a
more difficult time making. Elijah is quite the embodiment of an adolescent
trying to adjust to that difficult time between childhood and adulthood. He displays childish naiveté while at the
same time indicating that he wants to be treated like a “grown up”. But he is still learning, and at times in the
story this becomes painfully obvious to both Elijah and the reader. Elijah respects Mr. Leroy, partly because he
doesn’t speak down to Elijah like other adults do. But when Mr. Leroy teaches Elijah a lesson on
respect due to others of his race, Elijah understands he still has a lot to
learn. Using both humor and drama,
Elijah leaves behind his “fra-gile” ways of which his mother is so critical and
becomes a courageous young man willing to do terribly difficult things to set
things right.
Curtis’ story depicts the horrors of slavery without being
too graphic for the 9-12 year old reader.
Because Elijah has never known slavery personally, he and the reader
learn together as the story progresses some of the realities of slave
life. In his dialogue, Curtis’
characters speak with a dialect that is realistic without sounding demeaning. Descriptions of the settlement are accurate
to the time period: sawmills, one church, a single schoolhouse, and
transportation is either by foot or by hoof.
Curtis paints a welcoming picture of a tightly-woven, friendly community
that has pulled together to help all those strong enough to have made it to
their settlement.
Awards and Review
Excerpts
2008 Coretta Scott King Award
2008 Newbery Honor
2008 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction
- Booklist: “These scenes show an emotional range and a subtlety unusual in children's fiction.”
- Kirkus: “This is Curtis’s best novel yet, and no doubt many readers, young and old, will finish and say, ‘This is one of the best books I have ever read.’”
- Publishers Weekly: “The powerful ending is violent and unsettling, yet also manages to be uplifting.”
Connections
- Create a Readers Theater depicting the scene in which Elijah sneaks a snake into his mother’s sewing basket to encourage students to read this book.
- An important scene in the book is when Mr. Leroy reprimands Elijah for using the word “n-----.” Have students discuss (or write about) the power of words. Can words really hurt someone? Can they also help or heal? Have students give examples of how words can affect people positively.
- Give students an introduction to the plight of a runaway slave seeking freedom. Before students read this book, read aloud to the class the historical picture book Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford. Have students discuss the hardships of such a journey.
Personal
Reflections
This was my favorite of the three books I read for this
unit. It is written so well. As can happen in a good horror movie, at times
I wanted to shout at Elijah, “No! Don’t
go in there!” or some similar warning. It’s
an all-around great experience for a reader of any age.
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