Elijah of Buxton

The age range says 7-9 but I loved the book and I am a few years over that. It takes a little while to get to the problem (more than halfway through the book) but there are a lot of laughs to get you there. The voice of Elijah is hilarious. I especially love the part about the hoop snakes. But this story is also very serious at times, and may make you want to cry, then laugh, then cry. Highly recommended.

Christopher Paul Curtis has written an amazing book about an eleven year old boy named Elijah who was the first freeborn child in Buxton. His parents were former slaves in America along wih almost every other resident in Buxton. Elijah finds himself getting into situations that he shouldn't be in with his friend Cooter or with the Preacher. Elijah learns a great deal of knowledge through his adventure in this book relating to slavery and life lessons themselves. Elijah doesn't know how slavery can impact someone's life tremendously except for the little he hears through the community. Elijah has great talent for chunking stones and finds that he can be fra-gile much of the time, but when times call him to be strong he pulls through.

This book is an enjoyable adventure for parents and their children to read together so that they can learn life lessons together. This book can be a little frustrating because of the dialect used but once the reader gets a hang of it, the book is a quick read. Children can relate to Elijah through many of the obstacles that he face, such as tall tales told to scare and whether to believe them or not. Children will also relate times that they misused or spoke a word that was not to be spoken and getting yelled at for it. Everyone who has ever been oppressed can also relate to the book and how important it is to gain the freedom that you once longed for. This story is humorous, but enduring as well. A great deal of knowledge can be learned by following Elijah on his journey from being a boy to becoming the adult he must be.

The writing style of Christopher Paul Curtis seems like that of a "storyteller" and at times it's very funny, as the story is told from the perspective of a sweet, "frag-ile" 11 year old boy. There are some very touching moments as well, when we find out some of the details of the earlier lives of some of the people who escaped from slavery to settle in Buxton, near Chatham, Ontario in the mid-1800s.
This is a good read for young people (or adults) who are interested in the Underground Railroad and the settlements of slaves in Canada so many years ago.

I recently read this book and its one of the most enjoyable books I have read. You definitely get a picture of what life was like for the people in the settlement.

I am now planning a visit to the Buxton Museum for my family, just to see what this place looks like today, and somehow reconnect with the characters I read about.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for information about the settlement of escape slaves from US to Canada.