Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

I have really enjoyed all of Christopher Paul Curtis' books, and this one was no different. Elijah of Buxton was a Newbery Honor book in 2008. Elijah was the first child born free in the Canadian settlement of Buxton. He is a likable boy who gets into some mischief, but is trying to grow up. His parents, mom especially, thinks he is a fra-gile boy because he cries often. He is a great shot at throwing stones, and catches fish by throwing a rock at their head. He would rather ride his mule, Flapjack, someplace because he travels nice and slow than one of the horses that go too fast for him and make him worried that he will fall off. He is learning to read and write, which most adults in Buxton are also learning to do, but the children are learning much faster.

There are two parts of the story that really touched me. One is when a family a runaway slaves makes it to Buxton. When they are spotted a young, small girl is sent to greet them so they will not be frightened. Then Elijah and Cooter, his friend, are sent to ring the Liberty Bell. Each time a runaway slaves makes it to the settlement the bell is rung 20 times. Everyone in Buxton comes to greet and welcome the new people with "Looky there, look at that sky! Ain't that the most beautifullest sky you ever seen? ... Looky there! Look at that land! Look at those trees! Have you ever seen anything so precious? It's the land of the free!...Today you are truly free, and you choosed the most beautifullest, most perfectest day for doing it! ... All I'm wondering, is what kept you?" p. 340-341.

The other was when Mrs. Langdon finds out that her husband died after being whipped by his owner and writes as best she can a message about his life and death to be carved into wood and hung above the door. Elijah takes what she has written and turns it into a passage that is beautifully and simply written that conveys exactly what she wanted it to.

The book has some sad events that show that life isn't perfect and things don't always go the way you want them to, but the overarching feeling is uplifting. The dialect may make this book hard for some students to read, especially for those that still rely heavily on decoding skills and are not good at figuring out words in context.