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Elijah of Buxton

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Elijah of Buxton
AuthorChristopher Paul Curtis
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical fiction
Published2007, Scholastic
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages341
Awards2008 Coretta Scott King Author Award
Newbery Honor
ISBN0-439-02344-0
OCLC86090238
LC ClassPZ7.C94137 El 2007
Followed byThe Madman of Piney Woods 

Elijah of Buxton is a 2007 children's novel by Christopher Paul Curtis. The book won critical praise and was a Newbery Honor[1] book and the winner of the Coretta Scott King Award.[2] It also was a children's book bestseller.[3]

Summary

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Elijah of Buxton is about an eleven-year-old boy, Elijah Freeman, who lives in Buxton, Canada. It was started as the Elgin Settlement, a refugee camp for African-American slaves who escaped via the Underground Railroad to gain freedom in Canada. Elijah is the first free-born child in the settlement, and has never lived under slavery. He has only heard of it. He goes into the United States to help stop a man from his settlement from stealing money from his friend, and learns there that it is a privilege to be free.

Reception

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Elijah of Buxton has been well received. School Library Journal called it "an example of everything Curtis does well. His historical research is superior. His characters heartwarming. His prose funny and heart-wrenching in turns." and "A great book and well deserving of any buzz it happens to achieve."[4] Kirkus Reviews gave a starred review, declaring "This is Curtis's best novel yet, and no doubt many readers, young and old, will finish and say, "This is one of the best books I have ever read.""[5]

Publishers Weekly wrote, "The arresting historical setting and physical comedy signal classic Curtis (Bud, Not Buddy), but while Elijah's boyish voice represents the Newbery Medalist at his finest, the story unspools at so leisurely a pace that kids might easily lose interest." and "The powerful ending is violent and unsettling, yet also manages to be uplifting."[6] Common Sense Media awarded it five stars, calling it a "humorous, powerful, masterful escape-slave tale" and asserted "This wonderful, moving novel is sure to become a staple of discussion groups in schools and libraries across the country."[7]

Awards

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Awards for Elijah of Buxton
Year Award Result Ref.
2008 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award Winner [8]
Coretta Scott King Award Winner [9]
Newbery Medal Honor [10]
Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award for Young Adult/Middle Grade Novel Finalist [11]
Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction Winner [12]

References

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  1. ↑ "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present". American Library Association. 2009. Archived from the original on February 11, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Coretta Scott King Book Award Recipients: Current and Past". American Library Association. 2009. Archived from the original on April 6, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  3. ↑ "CHILDREN'S BEST SELLERS: CHAPTER BOOKS: Sunday, March 9th 2008". New York Times. March 9, 2008. pp. 18, Section 7.
  4. ↑ Elizabeth Bird (June 28, 2007). "Review of the Day: Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis". www.slj.com. School Library Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Elijah of Buxton". www.kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Media LLC. August 15, 2007. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Elijah of Buxton". www.publishersweekly.com. PWxyz LLC. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Elijah of Buxton". www.commonsensemedia.org. Common Sense Media Inc. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Canadian Library Association | Book of the Year for Children Award". Cla.ca. April 19, 2005. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Coretta Scott King Book Award Recipients | Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT)". American Library Association. Archived from the original on April 6, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present | Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)". American Library Association. Archived from the original on February 11, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Familiar names shortlisted for Schwartz kids' book awards". CBC Books. April 17, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Scott O'Dell Award". Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
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