Module 10

Module 10

March 30 – April 4

Elijah of Buxton

By Christopher Paul Curtis

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Elijah of Buxton. Scholastic Inc. 2007. ISBN: 0439023459

Newbery Honor Book

Coretta Scott King Award

Synopsis:

Elijah is the first African who was born free in the town of Buxton, Canada, which is a town formed for freed and runaway slaves from America. Every person there works for their living on a farm. Elijah has many run-ins with a man whom he calls Preacher. However, Preacher usually does things that seem a bit suspicious to Elijah. However, he was taught not to question a preacher. Elijah works with Leroy on most days. Leroy is finally able to get enough money to buy his son, wife, and daughter back from a slaver in America. However, Leroy is too anxious to wait for a representative from the Underground Railroad to help him. Instead, he sends Preacher and another man from town to get his wife and children. Preacher takes the money for himself. In a desperate attempt to try to free his wife, Leroy goes back into America to find Preacher and takes Elijah with him. Leroy is killed in this attempt, and Elijah is left on his own. He sees slaves and slavers for the first time there before he is able to get home.

My Version of the World:

This is a wonderful book. It is all told from the viewpoint of Elijah. Although, slavery is spoken of often and something that Elijah hears about, he is very insulated from the idea of slavery. He doesn’t really understand what it looks like or means. This book follows his path to a realization of the tragedy of slavery and how he can help.

Book Reviews:

11-year-old Elijah is the first child born into freedom in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway and freed slaves, in Christopher Paul Curtis's Newbery Honor book (Scholastic, 2007). When money that Elijah's friend has been saving to send to America to buy his family's freedom is stolen, Elijah crosses the border into Detroit on a dangerous mission to help recover it. Narrated by Elijah, the horrors of slavery are revealed. This engrossing tale is read by Mirron Willis who effortlessly varies his rich, textured voice to make each character unique. This story will captivate listeners.-Karen T. Bilton, Mary Jacobs Memorial Library from July 1, 2008. School Library Journal.

Elijah is eleven years old and the first person born into freedom in Buxton, a small Canadian settlement of runaway slaves. Elijah attends school, enjoys time with his loving parents, and loves fishing. His carefree life in 1859 changes when he is seen catching fish by throwing rocks rather than using a fishing pole. A local preacher, who is anything but religious, tries to exploit this talent by using him at a carnival. Elijah begins to mature as he realizes that people are not always who they appear to be. His maturation continues as he welcomes runaway slaves to town and reads a letter to a family friend about the death of her husband who was a slave. He understands through these experiences that, although he is free, slavery greatly affects his life. Elijah later decides to travel across the Canadian border to track down a thief who had stolen money that was to be used to buy a settlement member's family out of slavery. This task becomes more complicated than Elijah expected as he gets a glimpse of what slavery is really like. Curtis creates an absolute gem of a novel. It is both humorous and heartbreaking and full of crisp dialogue that propels this character-driven story. Elijah is a funny but flawed character who is wholly original and wonderfully dynamic. Curtis does what is so difficult to do in young adult fiction-convincingly show the maturation process of an adolescent without making him seem like a completely new character or like an adult at the conclusion of the novel. A fascinating portrayal of history, a strong first-person narrative, and a most remarkable main character make this work perhaps the author's finest to date.-Jeff Mann. December 1, 2007. Voice of Youth Advocates.

In My World:

I would use this book with a unit about history in the United States prior to the Civil War. It gives excellent descriptions of the reality of slavery and what life for slaves in American was like for slaves. It could also be used with Black History month or as a read aloud. It would appeal to many students, especially African-Americans.