Elijah of Buxton

Elijah of Buxton

By: Christopher Paul Curtis

Published By: Scholastic Inc.

Copyright: 2007

Elijah is an eleven year old, African-American boy who lives in Buxton, Canada. Buxton is known as a place or settlement for runaway slaves coming from America. Elijah is well know in this town for two reasons; being the first child to be born in the town and for throwing up, as a baby, on Fredrick Douglass. He struggles in convincing those around him that he is ready to be considered a grown-up. In this town he is also known for being "fra-gile" and a bit of a talker. As the story progresses Elijah takes an eye opening journey in order to help a friend who was robbed of money that he was going to use to save his family from slavery in the South. In Canada, Elijah had only heard stories of slavery and the treatment of African-Americans. Along his journey to help his friend he experiences first hand the horror of slavery in America and the life that his parents left behind.  Elijah puts his life on the line by crossing the border into America. During his journey his life changes as he encounters escaping slaves and witnesses slaves being re-captured. He also becomes a conductor of the Underground Railroad as he tries to save others by bringing them back to Buxton. He must find his way back to Canada; he must find his way back home.

Reading Level: Grade 6; Lexile: 1070

Suggested Delivery: Independent Read, Guided Reading, Read Aloud (Content Specific - Social Studies)

Web Resourses:

Author's Site: This is Christopher Paul Curtis's website where you can learn more about the author of this text, you can learn about his other award-winning novels, and find out what the author is up to (new books on the way!?!). 

The following links are examples of lessons and activities that you can use to help students stay engage in the text while expanding their knowledge of slavery in America.

Example 1 

Example 2

Example 3

Key Vocabulary:

• Tormentation
• Haints
• Daft
• Felling
• Brogans
• Blaspheming
• Tithing
• Fretting
• Contempating
• Parlour
• Scallywags
• Questers
• Diversion
• Environs
• Dexeterity
• Mesmerist
• Augmented
• Broadaxe
• Slew
• Persnickety
• Bevy
• Prestidigitation
• Seritude
• Remunerate
• Rigors
• Retaliation
• Pickaninnies
• Missive
• Enquirerys
• Paddy
• Smote
• Abolitionists
• Calamity
• Manumission
• Carousing
• Rapscallion
• Sullied
• Tarry
• Jacklegging
• Bushwhacks
• Shackles

Suggestions for Activities for Students:

After Reading:

As Elijah is trying to get back to Buxton, Canada he tries to help others escape to freedom. One of the ways slaves escaped to the North was through the Underground Railroad. To help students understand how the Underground Railroad worked, students can be exposed to this interactive link that will guide them on a journey through the Underground Railroad.
Student can also do a narrative essay from the perspective of someone who experienced the Underground Railroad. They can use primary or secondary sources to create a narrative that expresses the dangers of escaping, the fears or problems that people experienced while traveling the Underground Railroad, the encounters that people had as they traveled along the Underground Railroad, and what it was like for people to reach Canada.

Awards and Acknowledgements: 
Newbery Honor, 2008
Coretta Scott King Award, 2008
A School Library Journal Best Book.
A Parent's Choice Gold Award Winner.
IRA Notable Book For A Global Society.
A Publisher's Weekly Best Book.
A Booklist Editor's Choice.
A Scott O'Dell Award Winner.
A Kirkus Best Book.
A Horn Book Fanfare Book.
A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book.
A Booklinks Lasting Connections Book.
A TD Canadian Children's Literature Award Winner.
A Governor General's Award Children's Text Finalist.
A Canadian Library Association Book Of The Year.
An NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book For Young People.
A White Ravens by the International Youth Library of 2008, Germany Award.
A Geoffrey Bilson Award For Historical Fiction For Young People Award Winner.
A Jane Addams Peace Association of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Book for Older Children Honor Award.
A Great Lakes Book Sellers Association's Children's Chapter Book Award.
A Red Maple Award Nominee.
An NAACP Image Award Nominee.
A 2008 Michigan Notable Author Award Winner


Booklist Review:

*Starred Review* After his mother rebukes him for screaming that hoop snakes have invaded Buxton, gullible 11-year-old Elijah confesses to readers that "there ain't nothing in the world she wants more than for me to quit being so doggone fra-gile." 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. Among the more memorable scenes are those in which Elijah meets escaped slaves—first, those who have made it to Canada and, later, those who have been retaken by slave catchers. 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. A fine, original novel from a gifted storyteller. Phelan, Carolyn