Elijah of Buxton

Curtis, Christopher Paul. (2007). Elijah of Buxton. New York, New York: Scholastic Inc.

Brief Annotation: Elijah was the first child born free in the settlement of Buxton, Ontario, a town of freed and runaway slaves right across the border from Michigan. He goes to school and also helps Mr. Leroy, a freed slave who is trying to save money to buy his own family out of slavery. Elijah befriends a "Preacher" who is impressed with Elijah's rock-throwing skills, and who lives in an uneasy relationship with the other members of the community, who do not trust him. Their mistrust is shown to have good reason, as the preacher steals the money Mr. Leroy was saving up and takes off for America. Elijah and Mr. Leroy follow him, to tragic results. In America, the free born Elijah is introduced to the reality and brutality of slavery, and has to make a difficult decision regarding some captured slaves.
Genre: historical fiction
Grade Level: 4-7
Readers who will like this: Readers learning about slavery, readers who like books with a vivid historical setting, readers who like books with a mix of humor and very serious subjects
Response/Rating (1-4): 4. This book introduces readers to an interesting historical period through the eyes of a likable, complex character. The moral dilemmas in the book would allow for some interesting discussions, and Curtis has clearly done a lot of research on Buxton.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: What do you think runaway slaves did when they reached Canada?