ELIJAH OF BUXTON - Christopher Paul Curtis

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2007. Elijah of Buxton. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 978-0-439-02344-3

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Elijah was the first free-born child in the community of Buxton, Canada, home to former United States slaves. This book contains stories of the regular escapades of eleven-year-old boys at school, at home and with friends. Elijah finds himself mixed up in dubious missions with the Preacher and Mr. Leroy. Elijah of Buxton is also a story about growing up and gaining personal perspective on what adults have been teaching, particularly about how precious freedom is.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Buxton, Canada, is just across the border from Detroit, Michigan. The story dates to 1859 because of a reference in the text. Because this is a first person narrative, description of the historical period is limited to what a child would have understood and noticed out of his experience. This is not an adult Elijah recalling events from his childhood, and there are no narrator interludes to give additional information. Within the story, the reader’s understanding grows with Elijah’s.

Curtis includes an author’s note at the end of the book, though, talking about the historical roots of the Buxton settlement, established by Reverent William King in 1849. He states that portions of the book are fictionalized retellings of actual events. Curtis describes the settlement, Liberty Bell, and modern museum in Buxton, but does not give a list of sources or recommendations for further reading besides his own website. Elijah’s narrative matches the information provided in the author’s note. He describes the community rules for building houses and clearing land, and visits to several houses show how each takes on a unique character based on who lives there. He tells about the school and the all-important Liberty Bell, which signals new members of the community.

Elijah is a believable character, trying to make sense of the way adults reason and speak, trying to make good choices, and thinking about the welfare of others. He is at times unsure of himself, and does not always make the best choices. He yearns to be seen as grown up, but finds the responsibilities can be more than he is ready to handle. There are friendly rivalries between the children. Many of the issues in the book are common today: respect for adults, working hard, being reliable. The parents are kind, but maintain expectations for their children.

Part of the characterization in the book is transmitted through the dialects used in dialog and narration. The speech of the teacher and educated children follows standard grammar and vocabulary more closely than the speech patterns of the uneducated adults. All use what sounds like a rural Southern accent, which corresponds with where the former slaves would have lived. The dialect is so strong that it is almost distracting from the story, however. Because of the phonetic transcription of their pronunciation of some words, readers may need some assistance to figure them out at the beginning. Some vocabulary, like a “truck patch,” would benefit from a vocabulary supplement or dictionary.

Because Elijah of Buxton is a story about the regular life of an eleven-year-old boy, many scenes could be recast in a variety of times and places by changing a few details and the dialect. It is, however, a story strongly rooted in the struggle for freedom. Frederick Douglass and John Brown are mentioned. The adults try to maintain a balance between telling their children what it was like so they appreciate their freedom and avoiding the subject, not wanting to remember it and trying to protect the children from the truth. The horrors of slavery do not get pushed aside entirely, though. There are overheard discussions of things that happened, chastisement for a flippant comment, runaway slaves who made it to Canada, and slaves still in shackles. Sensory details capture the roughness of a slave’s skin and the smell of fear. Death because of the color of a person’s skin is a reality.

Emotions run high in a number of scenes, and they are realistic and compelling (Some scenes may be difficult for younger or more sensitive readers). Elijah is idealistic, expecting the best resolution. Because the story aims to capture reality, not all the story lines have happy endings. Elijah learns that one person cannot change everything, but that it is essential to make the greatest difference possible. He learns to cherish what Buxton represents. We may no longer have slavery in the United States today, but struggling to overcome prejudice does. Elijah holds fast to hope, loyalty, and doing the right thing, even when that is neither clear nor easy.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) AND AWARDS

Newbery Medal honor book, 2008

Odyssey Award honor book, 2009

Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 2008

Coretta Scott King Book Awards and Honors, 2008

Jane Addams Children's Book Award, Honor Book Books for Older Children, 2008

NAACP Image Award, Nominee Outstanding Literary Work-Children, 2008

BookList Editors Choice, 2007

Horn Book Fanfare Honor List, 2007

ALA Notable Children's Books, 2008
School Library Journal Best Books, 2007

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People from the National Council for Social Studies, 2008

Bank Street College of Education  Best Children's Books of the Year, 2008

BookList Top 10 Black History Books for Youth, 2008

BookList Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth, 2008

Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books, 2007

H. W. Wilson’s Children’s Core Collection, most highly recommended

School Library Journal: “Elijah is an engaging protagonist, and whether he is completing his chores or lamenting his Latin studies or experiencing his first traveling carnival, his descriptions are full of charm and wonder. Although his colloquial language may prove challenging for some readers, it brings an authenticity and richness to the story that is well worth the extra effort that it might require. . . [H]is true character shines out when a disaster occurs in the close community. . . His guileless recounting of the people he meets and the horrors he sees will allow readers to understand the dangers of the Underground Railroad without being overwhelmed by them. Elijah's decisions along the way are not easy ones, but ultimately lead to a satisfying conclusion. Curtis's talent for dealing with painful periods of history with grace and sensitivity is as strong as ever.”

Publishers Weekly: “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. . . 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.”

BookList: “Inexperienced and prone to mistakes, yet kind, courageous, and understanding, Elijah has the distinction of being the first child born in the Buxton Settlement, which was founded in Ontario in 1849 as a haven for former slaves. Narrator Elijah tells an episodic story that builds a broad picture of Buxton’s residents before plunging into the dramatic events that take him out of Buxton and, quite possibly, out of his depth. In the author’s note, Curtis relates the difficulty of tackling the subject of slavery realistically through a child’s first-person perspective. Here, readers learn about conditions in slavery at a distance, though the horrors become increasingly apparent. . . Central to the story, these scenes show an emotional range and a subtlety unusual in children’s fiction. Many readers drawn to the book by humor will find themselves at times on the edges of their seats in suspense and, at other moments, moved to tears.”

Kirkus: “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. . ."

Horn Book: “The story of the Underground Railroad, which led escaping slaves to Canada, has been richly celebrated in fiction. But what happened after they arrived? In Elijah's story we visit the community of Buxton, a refuge for freed slaves established in 1849 in Canada West, close to the American border. Eleven-year-old Elijah, the first child to be born free in the settlement, is an irresistible character. Ebullient and compassionate, he is a talker who can torture a metaphor until it begs for mercy. Opening chapters lull and delight us with small-town pranks and tall tales. The mood gets chillier when a new family of fugitives arrives. . . When a con man takes off with the funds Elijah's friend Mr. Leroy saved to buy his family out of slavery, Elijah and Mr. Leroy pursue the thief across the border to Michigan; and there, while hiding out in a barn, Elijah discovers a small group of captured slaves, shackled to the wall, barely alive. There is no easy happy ending here, but, in a heart-rending scene, Elijah reacts with courtesy, courage, and respect, according the wretched their dignity and giving them the one gift of freedom in his power. This arresting, surprising novel of reluctant heroism is about nothing less than nobility.”

5. CONNECTIONS

-          Visit the resources page at Curtis’s website, www.nobodybutcurtis.com. There is a book trailer for Elijah of Buxton narrated by Curtis (showing maps, historical photos, and filmed in Buxton), a Reading Rockets interview about writing, and links to discussion resources and a video book talk through Scholastic.

-          Use a study guide with students while they are reading, for example,

http://novelstudies.org/downloads/Elijah.pdf. This study guide includes student learning skills, questions for reflection, vocabulary exercises, and extension activities.

-          Take a virtual field trip to the museum in Buxton. This site includes some photos of historical Buxton buildings, virtual exhibits, and educational packets (must be purchased to download).

www.buxtonmuseum.com

-          Study more about the Underground Railroad in books or online.

Martin, Michael. Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. ISBN 978-0-7368-3829-0

Lassieur, Allison. The Underground Railroad: An Interactive History Adventure. ISBN 978-1-42960164-1

Rappaport, Doreen. Escape from Slavery: Five Journeys to Freedom. ISBN 0-06-021631-X

Ford, Carin T. Slavery and the Underground Railroad: Bound for Freedom. ISBN 0-7660-2251-X

Bial, Raymond. The Underground Railroad. ISBN 978-0-395-69937-9

-          Have students write out the scene that would have happened after the end of the book when Elijah gets back to the settlement. Have students explain why their proposals fit with the rest of the book. Students could work in groups and then act them out for the rest of the class.

-          Have students work on a debate. The class could brainstorm topics related to the book and do research to support their positions.

-          Pick a scene, character, or theme from the book and write a poem about it. Students could be given specific types of poems to choose or could write their own. They could also try to recreate the speech patterns or vocabulary in the book.

-          Read another book by Christopher Paul Curtis to look for similar themes or how the message depends on the time of the book, for example, The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 (ISBN 978-0440228004).