Publisher: Scholastic Press, New York, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-439-02344-3
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reading Level: YA, Level 5.6
Summary: Eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American South in 1859, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family's freedom.
Awards and Reviews: Wilson's Children 01/01/09, Wilson's Junior High School 11/01/08, Newbery Medal/Honor 01/14/08, School Library Journal starred 10/01/07, Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/08, Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/09, Booklist starred 09/01/07, Horn Book starred 11/01/07
Terri's Review: 5 Bean and Cheese Nachos (out of 5) Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!! Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner! This was my favorite book read for this portion of the Database submission. The wonderfully talented Christopher Paul Curtis does it again, this time tackling the subject of slavery. Elijah is the first free child born into the Canadian settlement, Buxton, which was founded in 1849 for former slaves in the American south. Written in "real dialect" (although they are in Canada, the inhabitants maintain southern accents), Curtis captures all the emotion - both exhilarating and tormented - that comes amongst settlers of this unique community. Elijah is a very observant boy who has only heard of the awful stories of slavery. It is not until a good friend is robbed of money to be used to free his family, that Elijah takes a dangerous journey over the border to the U.S. and experiences first-hand the awful reality he has only heard about. Curtis takes a harrowing subject, and still manages to write with sensitivity and humor. I feel this book will soon make it to the required reading lists for middle schoolers, if not already.
Extensions: Use the reading of Elijah of Buxton to jump-start interest in Civil War studies. Using the month of February for the project, have a selected class of fifth-graders work as teams of 3 or 4 to research subjects associated with the causes, events and consequences of the Civil War. Students may also choose to research how Uncle Tom's Cabin or John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry was related to the war. Students will use at least 2 electronic library databases, 1 website and 2 books to support their research. Papers will be submitted and assessed on collaboration, content and cohesiveness.
