Bibliography
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2007. Elijah of Buxton. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 9780439023443
Plot
Elijah Buxton is the first born free child in Buxton, Canada. Buxton is a settlement that was started as a safe place for former slaves in 1849. Elijah learns about the burdens of those that are stuck in slavery as he hears tales from every one of the adults living in Buxton who had physical and emotional scars from their past. When Elijah is forced to accompany Mr. Leroy to Michagan in an effort to save his family Elijah is face to face with the terrible condition of the slaves and is forced to make a decision most eleven year olds would never have to make.
Critical Ananlysis
In Elijah of Buxton we are introduced to an eleven year old that is much like every eleven year we have ever met. He has a sense of humor, a skill that some would find useless (chunking rocks), is a magnet to mischeif and a pro at finding a way to not have to be responsible. He's very different from the eleven year olds of today though because he is the first born free child in a community estabolished for former slaves just over the Michigan border in Canada. While Elijah has grown up hearing tales of slavery, and in turn the reader hears them too, it isn't until he, and the reader, experience the terror themselves that the freedom he has is really appreciated.
Christopher Paul Curtis introduces the reader to a setting that is filled with hope and warmth within the members of the Buxton Community as they welcome in newcomers to the community. Family ties are strong and community members work together to create a support system, helping to overcome the battles the adults have all faced in their pasts. While the community is tight knit, they must deal with the threats of those that are ignorant and still believe in the ideas of slavery.
While hope and family are a central theme in the book, perhaps the most important theme, and the theme that educates the reader is that of racism and slavery. Elijah, who is aware of the struggles those around him faced, grows up in front of the reader as he steps up to the plate to do what is right for Mr. Leroy and his family, making a decision most eleven year olds would never even dream of. The authenticity of the the novel, from the stereotypes to the forming of such settlements gives the reader a history lesson they are sure to enjoy.
Review Excerpts
Awards:
-A Newbery Honor Book
-Coretta Scott King Award Winner
-A School Library Journal Best Book
-Parent's Choice Gold Award Winner
-NAACP Image Award Nominee
"Inexperienced and prone to mistakes, yet kind, courageous, and understanding, Elijah has the distinction of being the first child born in the Buxton Settlement, which was founded in Ontario in 1849 as a haven for former slaves. Narrator Elijah tells an episodic story that builds a broad picture of Buxton's residents before plunging into the dramatic events that take him out of Buxton and, quite possibly, out of his depth. In the author's note, Curtis relates the difficulty of tackling the subject of slavery realistically through a child's first-person perspective. Here, readers learn about conditions in slavery at a distance, though the horrors become increasingly apparent. Among the more memorable scenes are those in which Elijah meets escaped slaves—first, those who have made it to Canada and, later, those who have been retaken by slave catchers. Central to the story, these scenes show an emotional range and a subtlety unusual in children's fiction. Many readers drawn to the book by humor will find themselves at times on the edges of their seats in suspense and, at other moments, moved to tears. A fine, original novel from a gifted storyteller." - Booklist
"Christopher Paul Curtis knows how to write characters so engaging and believable you want to meet them in person. In fact, after reading his books, you feel like you have...Readers will slip into the story as they, along with eleven-year-old Elijah, assume a life of freedom, but this is the 1850's and slavery still exists in America, alarmingly close to the freed slave community of Buxton, Canada...Elijah's heroism is believable, growing from almost accidental, to faltering, to determined, albeit limited, saving one tiny soul rather than a whole group, which is all that can be expected of a child. Indeed, giving a child the opportunity to learn the horrors of the past but understand the hope of the future is the most we can ask of a character—and of an author." -Children's Literature
Connections
Other books by Christopher Paul Curtis:
-The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963
-Bud, Not Buddy
-Mr. Chikee's Funny Money
-Bucking the Sarge
-Have students research other notable figures from slave backgrounds
-Track the underground railroad and other routes slaves would take to freedom
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