Christotpher Paul Curtis,
Elijah of Buxton
Scholastic Canada, 2007.

Rating: E*

It may surprise some to discover that Christopher Paul Curtis, who has both a Newbery Honor and a Newbery Medal to his credit, has actually lived in Canada for a quarter of a century. In Elijah of Buxton he sets a story in Canada West (soon to become Ontario) just before the time of the American Civil War. Elijah Freeman is the child of former slaves, the first baby born in the settlement of Buxton. He is a quick-witted, resourceful, and imaginative boy with strong reactions to what he sees going on around him and a wry, self-depreciating way of presenting himself.

The book is a first-person narrative, and Elijah seems to be telling the story not long after it happened. He is no adult looking back on his past but still a young boy getting events clear in his mind. Curtis can be a very funny writer and some of the more subtle comedy in the story (and some of the more sombre moments too) arise from Elijah's failure to fully understand adults. Some of these may be lost on younger children, no more experienced than Elijah, on a first reading, but they are there to add richness and texture to later re-readings, and of course for the benefit of older readers.

Through various episodes in Elijah's daily round of school, chores, fishing, and family life, the first part of the story introduces Elijah's character and his relationships with people like Mr. Leroy, who is saving money to buy his family's freedom, and the untrustworthy, self-proclaimed Preacher. It also depicts everyday life in Buxton and conveys the history and principles of this idealistic, successful settlement of people who had escaped slavery. Elijah's pranks and adventures and the stories of loss and courage his elders tell all weave a background full of interest for the story to come.

The second part of the book is about Elijah's journey across the border into Michigan, accompanying Mr. Leroy, without his parents' knowledge. They are tracking down the Preacher, who has fled with money entrusted to him to free Mr. Leroy's family. Mr. Leroy suffers a heart attack and dies. Elijah continues his hunt alone, but finds instead four men, a woman, and a baby who had escaped slavery only to be recaptured almost within sight of the border. They are chained up naked in a barn while the slave-catchers celebrate. The Preacher's body is there as well; he has been killed by men he cheated at gambling and Mr. Leroy's money is long gone. Elijah is horrified by the reality of slavery seen firsthand - at first he did not even realize the people were human, but thought them ghosts or demons. He tries to get some free Africans in the neighbourhood to help him rescue them, but they refuse, fearing for their own safety. Finally he understands something that the woman, Mrs. Chloe, was trying to hint at, and returns to take her baby back to Buxton with him, saving at least that one life. The story is one of tragedy: the baby's parents and the other captives are likely to die, because although they cannot escape their chains, Mrs. Chloe has the Preacher's revolver, given to her by Elijah; Mr. Leroy's family is still enslaved, not even knowing their husband and father has died trying to save them. It is also one of hope and small, enduring victories, as Elijah brings the baby, Hope Too-mah-ee-nee, safely to Buxton.

Elijah of Buxton is an excellent story, funny, suspenseful, and horrifying. The historical background is brought to life with great attention to detail and accuracy, while Elijah's role as a narrator examining himself and his world allows the unfamiliar to be explained in a natural and unobtrusive way. Elijah is a very realistic eleven-year-old who goes from being an ordinary boy dealing with everyday problems to a person facing a situation in which even an adult would have found himself helpless to do more. Though he calls himself fragile for his overwhelming emotional reactions to events, Elijah's courage, resilience and determination make him a hero.

Elijah of Buxton will quite deservedly find a place in every elementary and middle-school library. In the classroom, it could be used in units studying this period in Canada's history, in examining the history of slavery and the Underground Railroad in North American, and as a portrayal of mid-nineteenth-century life in general.

Thematic Links: Historical Fiction; African-Canadians; Sslavery; Underground Railroad; Buxton Mission of Raleigh; Elgin Settlement; Abolitionists.

Krista Johansen
Vol. 13, number 2
December 2007

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.