Book Review – Elijah of Buxton
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2007. ELIJAH OF BUXTON. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439023443
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2008. ELIJAH OF BUXTON [SOUND RECORDING]. New York: Random House/Listening Library. ISBN 9780739364154
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman had no first-hand experience of being a slave. He has only heard the stories from his parents, ex-slaves of America. In one respect, he is the pride of his small settlement town, Buxton in Canada (a refuge for runaway slaves), because he was the first one there born free. In another respect, he is seen as a fearful young man trying to find his way. In an effort to help a friend capture a cunning preacher that stole money which was meant to buy his family’s freedom, Elijah is faced with finding courage he never thought fully existed. As Elijah journeys into America to make things right, he witnesses the dreadful reality of slavery, as well as the strength he has gathered to bring him through safely.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
ELIJAH OF BUXTON is a winner of numerous book awards by no coincidence. The main character Elijah, along with supporting characters, give a believable account of the daily lives of both those freed and slaves. The author, Christopher Paul Curtis has a suspenseful writing style that leaves readers wondering what will happen next every step of the way. Furthermore, Curtis interestingly weaves elements of fact and fiction to create a convincing plot that would be authentic to the pre-Civil War time period. The mention of abolitionists John Brown and Frederick Douglass offer a distinctive way to draw in readers with familiar names in real-life history to reference. The Author’s Note at the conclusion of the book supplements the works authenticity with true information about Buxton (a real town designed specifically for fugitive slaves and free Blacks).
In the audio-version of the book, the “rich, textured voice” of narrator Mirron Willis paints each scene vividly (School Library Journal). Amazingly, Willis gives well over 10 characters their own distinguishing sound. His portrayal gives life to the dialect of the people of the time. From grammar (i.e. “afore” – to mean before; gunn – to mean going to; “’bout” – to mean about), to vocabulary (i.e. “brogans” – a high-ankle shoe), pronunciation (i.e. asked pronounced “axed”; fragile pronounced “fra-gile”), to even curse words of the time (“doggone-it-all” and “blang it”), readers are exposed to how individuals of various descents spoke in that era. The sounds enthrall readers into the humor, fear, horror, pain, determination, and triumph of the culture.
Most remarkably, readers will be left with one central theme: hope. This hope led Elijah from a “fra-gile” existence into a world of courageousness. Readers of many ages will enjoy the small bit of victory Elijah receives as his confidence soars. Many will be waiting for a sequel to this masterful work.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
SCOTT O’DELL AWARD 2008
JANE ADDAMS BOOK AWARD 2008
NEWBERY HONOR BOOK 2008
CORETTA SCOTT KING AUTHOR AWARD 2008
KIRKUS: “…many readers, young and old, will finish and say, ‘This is one of the best books I have ever read.’”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “This engrossing tale is read by Mirron Willis who effortlessly varies his rich,
textured voice to make each character unique. This story will captivate listeners.”
5. CONNECTIONS
· For an excellent discussion guide to accompany this book, please visit Scholastic at http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=31061
· Another book about an 11-year-old (Maddie) enslaved during the Civil War Era:
Forrester, Sandra. 1995. SOUND THE JUBILEE. ISBN 0525674861
Students may compare this text to ELIJAH OF BUXTON. As a further extension, have students create a 3-part Venn Diagram or another type of comparison chart to show similarities and differences between the main characters in the books and themselves. Special attention should be given to factors of each time period, such as daily activities and responsibilities, speech, dress, etc.
· Be sure to check out YouTube and the author’s website for more fascinating real-life information in which this book was based: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GdevJ6jjHI and www.nobodybutcurtis.com
· No feature film or made-for-TV movie available? No problem. Have your students reenact some important scenes in this captivating account during Black History Month as you video tape the live performance. Parents, teachers, and children can enjoy all that can be learned from this story.
Other resources used:
http://www.kirkusreviews.com
This book review was created as an assignment for a course at
Texas Woman’s University.
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