Eleven-year-old Elijah is the first child in Buxton, Canada born into freedom. He has never had any experience with slavery other than being born to former slaves. When a thief steals money from a friend, Elijah decides to do something about it. His friend was saving money to free his enslaved family and bring them to Canada. Elijah decided to leave Canada and cross into the dangerous territory of America in pursuit of his friend’s money. Elijah discovers first hand what his parents endured. Elijah saw the unimaginable horrors of the life his parents fled. This story shows how a fragile child becomes a capable young man. His withstands a confrontation with slavery in order to pursue a crooked preacher.
This chapter books shows a lot of diversity. The language in the book reflects the Southern and African-American dialect known during the era. The way African-Americans were treated by whites is shown in this book. The African-Americans were treated worse than animals. They really had no rights and were in no way treated as citizens. This book gives a lot of facts about the Buxton settlement. It gives a lot of insight while being humorous and sad at the same time. This book is fairly easy to read and is a must have for any school or public library.
Curtis, Christopher Paul. (2007). Elijah of Buxton. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
Curtis, Christopher Paul. (2007) Retrieved on May 1, 2009 from website
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