Elijah of Buxton

Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis

This Newbery Medal Winner is a FANTASTIC novel that ties in some elements of true American history with fiction. Elijah is a little boy who just so happens to be the first born child in a new, free settlement in Canada. Since he doesn't know much of what slavery is, he is sure for surprise when he chases after another free slave for stealing his friend's money. The money that his friend saved was of course going to be used to free his family, who were still being kept as slaves in the South. Elijah travels back to America, and through the use of his childish language, the audience sees slavery through the eyes of a little boy. After he makes it safely back to Canada, he realizes what he shouldn't ever take for granted- his freedom.

When I become a teacher, I am going to either read this book to my class, or have our entire class read it altogether. I think it is perfect for cross-curricular activities. We have the historical aspect, but then it also fits in with reading. It is not like any other book I have even read. The language is different, and a bit difficult, but I think that the students will be completely drawn to Elijah and his story. Getting students connected to characters seems to be a challenge in books these days. However, this book would hopefully be a step in the direction of preventing that from being the case anymore. This is certainly a book that I would want my students to become excited about reading, mainly because of this character that Mr. Curtis has created for us all to enjoy. The elements of a story are so important, and as I said before, it takes a lot these days to draw children to books. However, if they can relate to a character in any way, even if it is just because the character is a child like they are, then they will hopefully become excited about what is to come in this book. I can't wait to use it someday in my classroom.