Elijah of Buxton | ABC Diversity Library | TinyCat |

2024-05-01 2:14 am

Elijah of Buxton

by Christopher Paul Curtis

Paperback, 2008

Status

Available

Series

The Buxton Chronicles (1)

Genres

Children's Books

Collection

Children's Circulating

Publication

Scholastic (2008), Edition: 1st, 346 pages

Description

In 1859, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American south, 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.

Media reviews

Publishers Weekly

Elijah Freeman, 11, has two claims to fame. He was the first child "born free" to former slaves in Buxton, a (real) haven established in 1849 in Canada by an American abolitionist. The rest of his celebrity, Elijah reports in his folksy vernacular, stems from a "tragical" event. When Frederick

Douglass, the "famousest, smartest man who ever escaped from slavery," visited Buxton, he held baby Elijah aloft, declaring him a "shining bacon of light and hope," tossing him up and down until the jostled baby threw up-on Douglass. The arresting historical setting and physical comedy signal classic Curtis (Bud, Not Buddy), but while Elijah's boyish voice represents the Newbery Medalist at his finest, the story unspools at so leisurely a pace that kids might easily lose interest. Readers meet Buxton's citizens, people who have known great cruelty and yet are uncommonly polite and welcoming to strangers. Humor abounds: Elijah's best friend puzzles over the phrase "familiarity breeds contempt" and decides it's about sexual reproduction. There's a rapscallion of a villain in the Right Reverend Deacon Doctor Zephariah Connerly the Third, a smart-talking preacher no one trusts, and, after 200 pages, a riveting plot: Zephariah makes off with a fortune meant to buy a family of slaves their freedom. Curtis brings the story full-circle, demonstrating how Elijah the "fra-gile" child has become sturdy, capable of stealing across the border in pursuit of the crooked preacher, and strong enough to withstand a confrontation with the horrors of slavery. The powerful ending is violent and unsettling, yet also manages to be uplifting. Ages 9-12. (Oct.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

— 3 more

Resource Links,

Krista Johansen (Resource Links, December 2007 (Vol. 13, No. 2))
It may surprise some to discover that Christopher Paul Curtis, who has both a Newbery Honor and a Newbery Medal to his credit, has actually lived in Canada for a quarter of a century. In Elijah of Buxton he sets a story in Canada West

(soon to become Ontario) just before the time of the American Civil War. Elijah Freeman is the child of former slaves, the first baby born in the settlement of Buxton. He is a quick-witted, resourceful, and imaginative boy with strong reactions to what he sees going on around him and a wry, self-depreciating way of presenting himself. The book is a first-person narrative, and Elijah seems to be telling the story not long after it happened. He is no adult looking back on his past but still a young boy getting events clear in his mind. Curtis can be a very funny writer and some of the more subtle comedy in the story (and some of the more sombre moments too) arise from Elijah's failure to fully understand adults. Some of these may be lost on younger children, no more experienced than Elijah, on a first reading, but they benefit older readers. Through various episodes in Elijah's daily round of school, chores, fishing, and family life, the first part of the story introduces Elijah's character and his relationships with people like Mr. Leroy, who is saving money to buy his family's freedom, and the untrustworthy, self-proclaimed Preacher. It also depicts everyday life in Buxton and conveys the history and principles of this idealistic, successful settlement of people who had escaped slavery. Elijah's pranks and adventures and the stories of loss and courage his elders tell all weave a background full of interest for the story to come. The second part of the book is about Elijah's journey across the border into Michigan, accompanying Mr. Leroy, without his parents' knowledge. They are tracking down the Preacher, who has fled with money entrusted to him to free Mr. Leroy's family. Mr. Leroy suffers a heart attack and dies. Elijah continues his hunt alone, but finds instead four men, a woman, and a baby who had escaped slavery only to be recaptured almost within sight of the border. They are chained up naked in a barn. The Preacher's body is there as well; he has been killed and Mr. Leroy's money is long gone. Elijah is horrified by the reality of slavery seen firsthand - at first he did not even realize the people were human, but thought them ghosts or demons. He tries to get some free Africans in the neighbourhood to help him rescue them, but they refuse, fearing for their own safety. He returns to take a baby back to Buxton with him, saving at least that one life. The story is one of tragedy: the baby's parents and the other captives are likely to die, because although they cannot escape their chains, Mrs. Chloe has the Preacher's revolver, given to her by Elijah; Mr. Leroy's family is still enslaved, not even knowing their husband and father has died trying to save them. It is also one of hope and small, enduring victories, as Elijah brings the baby, Hope Too-mah-ee-nee, safely to Buxton. Elijah of Buxton is an excellent story, funny, suspenseful, and horrifying. The historical background is brought to life with great attention to detail and accuracy, while Elijah's role as a narrator examining himself and his world allows the unfamiliar to be explained in a natural and unobtrusive way. Elijah is a very realistic eleven-year-old who goes from being an ordinary boy dealing with everyday problems to a person facing a situation in which even an adult would have found himself helpless to do more. Though he calls himself fragile for his overwhelming emotional reactions to events, Elijah's courage, resilience and determination make him a hero. Elijah of Buxton will quite deservedly find a place in every elementary and middle-school library. In the classroom, it could be used in units studying this period in Canada's history, in examining the history of slavery and the Underground Railroad in North American, and as a portrayal of mid-nineteenth-century life in general.

Kirkus Reviews

Eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman is known for two things: being the first child born free in Buxton, Canada, and throwing up on the great Frederick Douglass. It's 1859, in Buxton, a settlement for slaves making it to freedom in Canada, a setting so thoroughly evoked, with characters so real, that

readers will live the story, not just read it. This is not a zip-ahead-and-see-what-happens-next novel. It's for settling into and savoring the rich, masterful storytelling, for getting to know Elijah, Cooter and the Preacher, for laughing at stories of hoop snakes, toady-frogs and fish-head chunking and crying when Leroy finally gets money to buy back his wife and children, but has the money stolen. Then Elijah journeys to America and risks his life to do what's right. This is Curtis's best novel yet, and no doubt many readers, young and old, will finish and say, "This is one of the best books I have ever read." (author's note) (Fiction. 9+)

New York Times

Floating up like a bubble through layers of history, buoyed with hope and comic energy…Elijah of Buxton tells the story of Elijah Freeman, the first freeborn child in the historic Elgin Settlement, a village of escaped slaves in Canada…As in his previous novels, Curtis is a master at balancing

the serious and the lighthearted: as Langston Hughes said of the blues, "not softened with tears, but hardened with laughter." He has already received a Newbery medal and an honor for two novels rooted in the experience of black Americans: "The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 and Bud, Not Buddy. His latest book is another natural award candidate and makes an excellent case, in a story positively brimming with both truth and sense, for the ability of historical fiction to bring history to life.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Whisper1

This book is so breathtakingly beautiful that I'm at a loss to adequately write a review that would provide justice.

Christopher Paul Curtis is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. A three-time Newbery award winner, his works shine like a bright beacon of hope for any aspiring writer. A 13-year

assembly line worker in Flint Michigan, Curtis became a fledgling writer during breaks in the factory. With the encouragement of his wife, he took a year away from his job and spent his days in libraries writing and researching the background for his stories while learning how to submit his work to publishing companies.

Never returning to the factory, he became a highly successful writer. His books Bud, Not Buddy, The Watsons Go To Birmington and Elijah of Buxton are filled with incredibly likeable characters you would love to meet. When reading his stories, the characters seem to jump off the pages and become vibrantly alive.

Elijah of Buxton is set in pre Civil War 1860. Buxton Ontario provides the setting for the marvelous character of Elijah Freeman whose claim to fame is that he is the first child born free in the settlement.

Buxton, Ontario was indeed an actual community in the Canadian wilderness founded by Rev. William King, a white man from Philadelphia, PA who was severely critical of slavery and empowered to put his feelings into actions.

In all his books, Curtis deftly weaves historical fact with fictional characters. This marvelous book is packed full of humor, wit and seriousness. Without over bearing preaching and prostelytizing, Curtis paints a vivid portrait of the joy of freedom and the brutality of slavery.

According to his mother, Elijah is a "fra-gile" child, quickly prone to tears and emotion. When The Right Rev. Zephariah W. Connerly III leaves Buxton with the money that Elijah's adult friend Mr. Leroy saved in order to purchase his family from slavery, Elijah's fragility is agumented with a keen sense of indignation and courage.

Traveling with Mr. Leroy to America in search of the crooked scoundrel, Elijah witnesses the brutality of slavery and learns first hand the extreme horror his parents fled.

In the end, Elijah keeps his wonderful fragility and learns that his sensitivity provides the strength needed when facing adversity.

If you read one of my recommendations this year, please let it be this book!

This is a powerful symphony of hope and a testimony to the power of the human soul striving to be alive and free!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

LibraryThing member jgbyers

Elijah is the first generation of free citizens of his family. His family before him where forced into slavery. Escaping the hard times of the pre-Emancipation Proclamation and pre-Civil War torn United States, Elijah's family escaped to an established free from slavery african american community

in Candada. The book focuses on events in Elijah's life - attending school, doing chores, fishing, and playing with his friends. Elijah experiences growing up free unlike some of his family that were former slaves. He is also learning that life is hard to understand when the local "preacher" steals money that is being saved to purchase the freedom of others trapped in the U.S. Elijah embarks on a mission to return the funds to their rightful owners and crosses into the prejudice ridden United States. This book is an excellent book for young adults to read.

LibraryThing member vortega

Elijah of Buxton is a fresh and brilliantly written book set in the pre-Civil War era. Christopher Paul Curtis, a master storyteller, brings ante-bellum history to life through Elijah, the ingratiating eleven year old, main character and narrator. Buxton in southern Ontario, Canada, a three mile by

six mile plot of land was founded by a white Prebyterian minister in 1849 as a refuge for runaway slaves. Based on fact, 8th grade History teachers could enrich their curriculum by introducing students to Buxton and the light and hope it inspired in the lives of slaves.

LibraryThing member ed118188

Great book ton have in your library. Starts off slow but keeps you glued in once it gets started.

LibraryThing member smaley

This book was excellent. It was a little slow to get into but once you were into the story I couldn't put it down.

LibraryThing member johnstod

Curtis teaches the reader about one of the many 'North Stars' that escaped slaves traveled to on the Underground Railroad. This one was across from Detroit in Buxton, Ontario, Canada. Elijah is born free and though he is often told he is too fragile, he demonstrates grit when he travels to America

to help a friend retrieve stolen money that was meant for freeing/buying his family. I really grew fond of the voice and perceptions of Elijah.

LibraryThing member lindamamak

When you learn something from a book it makes it even more enchaning. Elijah tells the story of the first free born black child in the free community of Buxton in Canada.

LibraryThing member rroper

Elijah is the first child born free in the black settlement of Buxton, Canada. He's known for being "fragile" and for peeing on Frederick Douglass as an infant. But when a friend is swindled out of the funds to buy his family out of slavery, Elijah shows incredible courage to try and put things

right.

I really enjoyed the second half of this novel. I felt it took too long to get started. The beginning is full of humorous vingettes that middle schoolers would probably enjoy, but the action doesn't get going until the latter half of the book. However, this is a good way for young people to learn about the African-American experience as free and slave. It may be a little long for the younger targeted office, but the humor may keep them reading.

LibraryThing member DLVLibrary

There isn't a false note in this novel that combines humor with understated pathos. The author sustains the narrator's voice throughout - the voice of Elijah Freeman, soon to be 12 years old, whose "burden" of an overly sensitive temperament ends up being his (and others') salvation. Elijah is the

first free child to be born in Buxton (a community of former slaves situated on the shores of Lake Erie in Ontario). Through his daily rounds in the village, his eavesdropping on adults' conversations, and his witnessing the small joys and heartaches of those who experienced slavery first-hand, Elijah comes to a deep understanding of the cruelty of the human soul and of the preciousness of freedom. The first three-quarters of the novel are a pretext to the heart-wrenching conclusion, when Elijah's so-called "fra-gile-ness" becomes his greatest resource. First-rate historical fiction for intermediate and middle school students.

LibraryThing member tiburon

A novel about events and famlies in a Canadian border town called Buxton that is reminiscent of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books about frontier life. Through a series of seemingly unrelated events, the reader is exposed to the adventures, trials, and tribulations of Elijah Freeman.

LibraryThing member kwillis

This book was a heart-wrenching, inspiring, hilarious all around amazing read. From the voice of 11 year old Elijah Freeman, comes a heartwarming tale of Buxton, a free settlement in Canada, north of Detroit, Michigan. Elijah is a 'frag-ile' (read sensitive) young man who's trying to figure out the

grown-up world and how to be more grown amongst a tight nit community. Through his eyes, we see how slavery shaped the grown-ups and are shown the contrast between the grown-ups and the children raised free. We catch glimpses of racism, when he leaves Buxton on a few adventures and learn the resilience of his town. This book brought me to tears and had me laughing out loud, sometimes simultaneously and for sure had me valuing my freedom.

LibraryThing member bnhays

This story is a bout a boy going up in a free town. When the preacher steals money that was meant to free a mans family, elijah goes with the man to find the precher in hope of finding the money. After the man suffers a heart attack the boy finds the preacher dead and saves a baby while having to

leave the babies family with a gun knowing they would use it.

This is a very heavy story. I was almost in tears at the end.

LibraryThing member booksofcolor

I don't know how much mainstream buzz this book has gotten outside of Canada, but I certainly hope people have heard of it, given that it's the winner of the Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor Medal, and has been recognised by the CLA and ALA. It

tells the story of a fictional first free-born boy in Buxton (a real community of escaped slaves in Canada West) named Elijah, his life in the community, and what happens when a con artist steals money another man in the town was saving to buy his family out of slavery. The book touches on some very serious issues, obviously, but also has a good bit of humour, and is primarily a coming of age story that I enjoyed very much.

The two books I most recently read were both by people of colour (both for a Children's Literature course I'm currently taking as part of a Library Science program - school doesn't give me much time for reading for leisure these days). Both are just a bit shy of young adult, so they're quick but substantial reads for adults.
That said, the class discussion on it made me cry, and not in a good way.

LibraryThing member beckyjauch

Absolutely wonderful! The story is a masterpiece of storytelling. Curtis takes the time to develop all characters -taking the reading from laughing out loud to near tears. Like real life, the story does not wrap everything up neatly but does leave the reader full of hope. The audio version really

brings to book to life- the narration could not be better!

LibraryThing member cmcvittie

Elijah of Buxton is set during the post Civil War period of the Underground Railroad. Elijah is the first freeborn child of the village, Buxton, in Ontario, created by Reverend Hill as a refuge for escaped and emancipated slaves. Elijah is working hard at growing up and being less “fragile”, as

his parents refer to him. Over the course of a few months, Elijah learns lessons about con artists and hucksters, about familiarity breeding contempt and how adults mean many things behind the words they speak. His greatest adventure, though, comes when he tries to track the village con man who has escaped with money that was to be used to purchase another villager's family from slavery. This is an amusing and emotionally charged coming of age novel.

LibraryThing member bkladyatl

An excellent read. Although I had a hard time getting into it at first, Curtis once again takes a serious subject and brings in humor and a child's view to make this a very compelling read.

LibraryThing member wortklauberlein

Thoroughly engaging, this historical novel is carried along in the first half by humor, the narrator and his adept if sometimes inaccurate use of language (toady-frogs, "clearing flum outta his throat," "all sorts of who-struck-John busted loose," "my senses took off, squawking and flapping away

like a flock of pheasants in a field"), and in the latter part by the suspenseful plot and powerfully understated depiction of slavery. Young free-born Elijah is utterly believable even if his two-fisted fish-chunking is not.

As an introduction to this sorry time in U.S. history, "Elijah of Buxton" is a must for grade-schoolers, perhaps read to them by a parent. For older readers, including adults, who've never heard of the Canadian settlement of Buxton, this novel certainly will pique their interest. I hope it helps to bring the original Buxton liberty bell back into the open.

One tiny nit to pick: Elijah's nasal fluids get far too much attention and the chord of his sensitive "fra-gile" nature was struck too often.

But Elijah's powers of observation are keen, and his descriptions memorable. Of fresh-baked cherry pie, he remarks: "When you're smelling something real good, you only get two or three first-place smells of it afore your nose won't take no more notice. I didn't want to move or nothing so I could enjoy the smell before my nose started recalling I was toting six dead fish."

A delight to read, it will make some hard lessons easy for younger readers to digest.

LibraryThing member ronda73ca

... The characters in this book are so well developed you'll feel like you know them and have entered into their world. The book slows somewhat in the middle, but hang in there keep reading. The ending is absolutely incredible, get your tissues ready! brillant book!

LibraryThing member debnance

I was told at TLA that Christopher Paul Curtis said this is his favorite book. For a person who loved Bud Not Buddy like me, I couldn’t see how this could be. Having read Elijah, I would say I still like Bud Not Buddy a little more, but this is a worthy sibling.Elijah is the first child born free

in Canada to former American slaves. Buxton is a real town in Canada that was founded by a Presbyterian minister in the 1800’s as a refuge for American slaves and as a place to make a brand new, wonderful start. This was a novel of great hope and terrible sadness. One of the last big scenes in the book, the scene that takes place in the barn, is a scene of heart-wrenching sadness and yet beautiful hopefulness. Newbery Honor.

LibraryThing member Taxi_Cab

Elijah of Buxton is the wonderful adventures of the life of the first free-born black child born in Canada.

LibraryThing member amandacb

Elijah of Buxton tells the story of a boy, the first freed slave to be born in a newly-founded free town for former slaves, and his day-to-day trials. Also, a corrupt priest steals money from Elijah’s friend and Elijah must gather his wits to outsmart the priest. The priest has been giving him

trouble since the opening of the book. Elijah, through his wits and intelligence, discovers a way to recollect the money. The story is told from Elijah’s (young) perspective, and it is written in a rather distracting dialect. Unlike, for instance, Their Eyes Were Watching God, which vacillates between dialect and high English, Elijah of Buxton is consistent in its usage of dialect. This usage may be off-putting to some readers.

If a student can get past the dialect, then this would be a rewarding read. It is not circulated nearly enough for how good of a story it is.

LibraryThing member mscoopsyalist

Elijah, is eleven years old. He was the first child born as a free person in Buxton, Canada, a settlement founded for runaway slaves just over the border. Elijah is a very observant boy who has the amazing ability to throw stones with extreme distance and accuracy. He is most well-known for his

first experience with the famous historic figure, Frederick Douglass. However, Elijah's happy-go-lucky life changes drastically when he heroically attempts to right a terrible wrong and discovers, first-hand, the terrible life his parents escaped from.

LibraryThing member crystalmorris

Great for an elementary read-aloud, dialect used may be challenging.

LibraryThing member stornelli

In 1859, eleven-year-old Elijah, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, a haven for slaves fleeing the American South, uses his wits to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family's freedom.

Setting: Buxton is located on Lake Erie near

Windsor, ON, and used as a drop off on the Underground Railroad.

LibraryThing member teacherliz

This story takes place in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of hard-working, freed slaves just north of the United States border. Elijah is an eleven-year-old boy who was the first free born child in the settlement. In the beginning, the community looks at him as a fragile boy, but throughout the book

he does a lot of growing. It culminates with an adventure he takes to recover his friend's stolen money.

Coretta Scott King Award 2008

This is a unique perspective on this period in history that could be used to complement a study of American history. In addition, it is a good example of voice in writing and has some interesting figurative language.

Awards

A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2007)

Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award (Nominee — 2010)

Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2010)

Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — 2010)

Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2009)

Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Junior — 2010)

William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2009-2010)

Newbery Medal (Honor Book — 2008)

Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee)

Nēnē Award (Nominee — 2009)

Coretta Scott King Award (Winner — 2008)

Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award (Shortlist — 2008)

Great Lakes Book Award (Winner — 2008)

California Young Reader Medal (Nominee — 2011)

Red Maple Award (Nominee — Fiction — 2009)

Jane Addams Children's Book Award (Honor Book — 2008)

Scott O'Dell Award (2008)

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People (Winner — 2008)

Odyssey Award (Honor — 2009)

The White Ravens (2008)

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award (Finalist — 2008)

Rocky Mountain Book Award (Nominee — 2009)

Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award (Nominee — 2009)

Wisconsin Battle of the Books List (2016)

Booklist Top of the List: Best of Editors' Choice (2007)

CCBC Choices (2008)

Notable Book for a Global Society (2008)

Read Aloud Indiana Book Award (2009)

Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book for Children and Teens (2008; Audiobooks, 2009)

Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth (2007)

NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People (2008)

Michigan Notable Books (2008)

Notable Children's Book (2008)

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2007)

Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (2009)

Language

Original publication date

2007

ISBN

9780545110846

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