Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold)

I read this with my class every year. One student loved it so much she chose it as her end of the year reward. It’s by their favorite author of Bud, Not Buddy.

Buxton is a community just north of the Canadian border to which escaped slaves could flee for freedom. Elijah's parents were two such slaves, but Elijah himself was the first free child born in the community. Here he is a pre-teen, working alongside an adult, attending school and Sunday school, and engaging in mischief appropriate for his age and the time. As a character, he is easy to relate to and care for. His unique rock-throwing, chunking, skill plays interesting and sometimes humorous roles in the story. His basic good nature and sensibilities merge gracefully with his "fra-gile" side. The opening funny chapters draw the reader in well, but the characters and events keep one firmly with Elijah. A very appropriate book for an intermediate-grades reader, especially one studying U.S. history, a lone reservation is that, because the speaking is dialectically true, there are times when the speech or era-appropriate words may be unclear to a young reader ("I'm-a" or "our'n" for example or "spectacles" or "brogans"). Those moments are largely addressed if a reader's context-decoding skills are strong. In that case, I recommend this without reservation as a book to both learn from and enjoy greatly.

This is a book everyone should read. Normally I don't enjoy books that other people say, "You *should* read." I did learn a lot from this book, but I also enjoyed it immensely. I think it would be very difficult NOT to like Elijah. He is a very complex young man, living what seems to be a very simple life. The dialect is sometimes a bit difficult to understand. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I had listened to someone read the first few chapters, but eventually I was able to "hear" the dialect in my head. School, riding an old mule vs. horse, fishing, parents -- it all seems normal until suddenly it doesn't. The "normal" to "oh!" can happen in a paragraph, sometimes in a single sentence. It's a book that kept me doing some mental gymnastics. It didn't just hold my interest - it kept me fascinated. In places it shocked me. In places I cried. And then I got to that amazing final chapter... It's been weeks since I first read this book (I've reread it twice) and I still don't know exactly what I'm feeling throughout that final chapter. I feel sick. I feel proud. I'm horrified. And elated. I put the book down and try to think, but I'm feeling too much to think. I've learned a lot from Elijah of Buxton. And I'm still learning.

During Elijah's time as a boy, the villagers he lives near consider him a fragile child. When something terrible happens or when Elijah becomes afraid, he will become “fragile” or cry. Though Elijah has strived for many years to reverse this title and his inclined soft nature, he has not availed. Elijah's friend and work partner, Mr. Leroy, saves his hard-earned savings to buy his family out of slavery. When a sudden and unexpected gift from a friend sets him ahead on his journey to rescue his family, ecstatic emotion occurs. This excitement does not last long, however, for his savings are then stolen. Will Elijah solve this unexpected dilemma and help Mr. Leroy retrieve his money, family and at the same time perhaps reverse Elijah's title as fragile? Or will fate have a different turn of events? I believe this book offers a wonderous read for children. It offers excitement, joy, adventure, and challenges. Elijah demonstrates courage and love to the people around him. With these traits involved, this book is a wonderful way to encourage children to act with good behavior. Although, I believe the author took too long getting to the moral of the story. It had not needed information, and the story really starts in the last few chapters. Even with this, it is well written, and congrats to the author on the success of this book!

I first heard of Elijah of Buxton from the 6th grade English teacher I work with. When she described the storyline of one of the books the students would read this year to the parents at Curriculum Night, I knew I wanted to read it, too. This wonderful book tells the story of Elijah, the first freeborn child in the Canadian settlement of Buxton, a real village of runaway slaves who gain their freedom in Canada. The story is told from his perspective with 11-year-old thoughts and struggles to figure out the "growned-up" world he lives in. Frequently funny, sometimes foolishly superstitious, and heartwarming to the core, Elijah of Buxton is a great read for pre-teens and adults alike. I can't wait to do more research on Buxton!

Elijah of Buxton was a wonderful book. It was full of information about slavery, those who escaped from slavery, and the new settlement in Canada. One thing that struck me was that some of the anecdotes about particular people were a little bit heavy and could be difficult to read, particularly for children. But, there was also so much humor in the book, as well. One theme is that Elijah is referred to as a 'fragile' child. But, by the end of the story, you see that he has accomplished things that many adults would not have been able to accomplish. Parts of the story were sad, such as when Mr. Leroy basically dies of a broken heart. I knew that slaves had escaped into Canada, but I never knew anything about Buxton. Because my dad is from Ontario and most of my family lives in that province, there was a sense of pride in Canada being their 'promised land.' I look forward to reading more books from Mr. Curtis.

Elijah of Buxton is a wonderful addition to any YA novel collection. A work of historical fiction, the novel tactfully and respectfully educates readers about issues related to slavery and freedom, all while entertaining us with moments of humor and humbling us with scenes of loss and sadness. Curtis has a created yet another masterful work! This novel is a must read for any middle school student and those who teach, coach, or parent them.

This has been a staple in my 5 th grade classroom. Mostly the boys tend to gravitate toward the novel. One my focus reading group selected it as their novel choice. Although the dialect was/is a little tough. Group meetings help to clarify any misinterpretations. My other groups kept asking "what's so funny" as there were many outburst of laughter. I love love this book. I included the audio with the group so they could hear the dialect from a different person. I have also done this as a whole class book and that went well. Some of my other colleagues borrowed my class set and their students enjoyed this book as well.

Superb children's story about slavery and its aftermath - age range 8-14 well worth a read

Arrived as promised, book as expected used as a read a-loud with class.

J'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre qui nous replonge dans la fin de la période esclavagiste aux États-Unis, grâce à ces anciens esclaves qui se sont réfugiés au Canada.

Great book !!!! Worth buying

Great for children of an age to be interested in the world around them and how it is affected by recent history - worth the time of adult readers too