ELIJAH OF BUXTON by Christopher Paul Curtis

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Curtis, Christopher. 2007. ELIJAH OF BUXTON. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439023443

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Elijah an eleven year old boy who was born into freedom lives near the American border in Buxton, Canada.  He and his family live in a settlement of runaway slaves.  As a young boy he made a great impression on Frederick Douglass, but things change when a former slave steals money from his friend.  Elijah discovers for himself what his parents went through to become free as he begins a journey to find to the thief.  Knowing only what it feels like to be free Elijah finds himself trying to gain the courage for the journey back home where he will always have freedom.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This story of hope and determination is heartbreaking, exciting, and humorous it will keep its reader interested.  Curtis’s style shows through his use of dialect throughout the book, “Then cold as maple sap on a cold day, I started sliding my eyes off to the left…” and “The noise commenced again, sounding like someone fishing ‘round trying to figure which song they were ‘bout to hum”.  ELIJAH OF BUXTON’s setting is explicit and vividly describes the settlement as if the reader were there.  Each character has their own personality and is well developed allowing the reader to understand every character.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

*CHILDREN’S LITERATURE- “Christopher Paul Curtis knows how to write characters so engaging and believable you want to meet them in person.”

*Coretta Scott King Award- 2008

*Newbery Honor Book- 2008

*Starred review in BOOKLIST: “Central to the story, these scenes show an emotional range and a subtlety unusual in children’s fiction.”

*ALAN REVIEW: “Though written in modified dialect, the language flows and rolls off the page like poetry.”

*KIRKUS REVIEW: “…a setting so thoroughly evoked, with characters so real, that readers will live the story, not just read it.”

5.  CONNECTIONS

*The Underground Railroad www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad:

Have the students take a virtual journey of the Underground Railroad.  Also have the students research the Underground Railroad and report interesting facts to the class.

*Writing- Have the students write a letter to Fredrick Douglass from the perspective of Elijah Freeman about his experiences as the youngest conductor on the Underground Railroad.

*Scholastic: The Underground Railroad http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/:

This is a great resource for exploring the Underground Railroad.  This web site also has teachers guides, activities, resources, and much more.