About this title: Eleven-year-old Elijah lives in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway slaves near the American border. He's the first child in town to be born free, and he ought to be famous just for that. Unfortunately, all that most people see is a "fra-gile" boy who's scared of snakes and talks too much. But everything changes when a former slave steals money from Elijah's friend, who has been saving to buy his family out of captivity in the South. Now it's up to Elijah to track down the thief--and his dangerous journey just might make a hero out of him, if only he can find the courage to get back home. ...
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Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780439023443ISBN:0439023440
Description: Good. Used item may show library stamps, stickers and marks. Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780439023443ISBN:0439023440
Description: Good. Used item may show library stamps, stickers and marks. Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Description: Good. 0439023440 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Description: Very Good. Former Library book. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: New. Orders placed after Dec. 7 cannot be guaranteed delivery before Christmas. GREAT BUY. Brand New From US Distributor. WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER with OVER 3, 500, 000 BOOKS SOLD. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780439023450ISBN:0439023459
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Scholastic Press, New York
Date Published: 2007
Description: Near Fine. No Jacket as Issued. Advance Reading Copy (ARC) 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. U4-An uncorrected proof trade paperback in near fine condition that has light discoloration and shelf wear. Newbery Medal Winner. 8.25""x5.5", 341 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: SCHOLASTIC
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780439936477ISBN:0439936470
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. Hardcover with dust jacket, Very Good, clean, tight, unmarked, light edge wear to dust jacket, some inside pages are creased, outside edge has a bump. All orders are shipped by kbooks every business day. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic
Date Published: 2007-09-01
ISBN-13:9780439023443ISBN:0439023440
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780439023443. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780439023443ISBN:0439023440
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
""Elijah of Buxton" is a novel best suited for middle-schoolers. It doesn't start out quite as you would expect for a fictional novel with so serious a topic as the evils of slavery. It begins a light-hearted story about an eleven year-old civil war-era boy named Elijah who was the first free-born colored child in the Buxton Mission of Raleigh (Canada) free settlement. He and his friends are in school, read and write, have care-free childhood adventures. There is ample educational background about civil rights leaders, and there are situations showing how former slaves might feel after escaping to freedom.
A no-account Preacher character's mis-deeds lead Elijah and a neighbor, Mr. Leroy, into the States, near Detroit. This journey puts them into mortal danger, as slavery is still the law there. Elijah has to be braver and more grown-up than he ever imagined he could be, and face choices about life and death that no one should ever have to face in a lifetime. The novel ends on a bittersweet note of hope and renewal.
"Elijah of Buxton" was based on many facts, such as Frederick Douglass' and John Brown's visits there, and the existance of an 1850 Liberty Bell from Pittsburgh. "Elijah" teaches us that the Buxton Mission and the Elgin Settlement really existed, and provided shelter and a safe, fulfilling life to many former slaves. Several hundred descendants of the original settlers still live and farm in the area. In fact, Buxton is now preserved as a Canadian National Historic Site and Museum. I highly recommend this (Newbery Honor) book to bring empathy to the hearts of our fortunate, free young readers."
"I have a few, unrelated thoughts on this. First, if you're going to read it, Do NOT read the back or inside jacket. I don't usually, but since just picked this up without any recommendation I went ahead and did and it kind of ruined the book for me. The intros should sample the appetizer or maybe beginning of the main dish, but this one skips right to the dessert. So then, the whole time that's what I was looking for and didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I could have.
But the book itself was great. I loved the dialogue. The voices were great--the schooled but child voice of Elijah, the unschooled but wise voices of the adults, the slick voice of the Preacher, etc. I could really hear them.
And I loved the setting. There are lots of books about the Underground Railroad and escaping from slavery. But they always end when the characters arrive at "freedom." This look from the other side was educational and enlightening. Especially from the point of view of the free child. I really felt like it filled in whole new scenes in my understanding.
Finally, the ending was sad. Which left me feeling rather blue. But the more I have thought about it, the more I've decided I like it--it's realistic for the time and people it's dealing with. There was sweet in their lives, but mixed in with a whole lot that was bitter. And despite that, life is good and I, who like Elijah enjoy my freedom and don't really understand not having it, intend to enjoy it all more."
"MJ For the first two thirds of this novel, I recognized that in plot, time period, theme and characters, this novel was very derivative from Huckleberry Finn: the same innocent rogue for a narrator (though Elijah is a free born black, rather than white, and is slightly younger than Huck-12 years old), similar use of dialect, episodic (really picaresque) plot, with vivid characters in a true to life historic setting contemporary with Huck's. However, the last third gives the true meaning of the novel, developing an authentic heart-tugging plot with theme related to Huck, but with the too true-to-life counterpart of the actions Huck and Tom make Jim go through at the end of Twain's novel. The setting is different: Buxton was a historic town established as a refuge for escaped or freed slaves in Canada. This well written novel deserves its honors. Positive. However, the action and the explicit portrayal of many of the worst aspects of this time of slavery would prove too strong for lower elementary grades, particularly at the end of the novel with violence and death. The book, though aimed at 5-6th graders, is still appropriate for high school readers interested in the effects of slavery on blacks and whites outside of the South and for the point of view of blacks who have escaped or are trying to escape slavery."
"Gr 4-8-Eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman has two claims to fame: he was the first free black to have been born in Buxton, an actual settlement in Canada established in 1849 by the abolitionist Reverend William King; and, during his infancy, he threw up all over the visiting Frederick Douglass. Elijah is an engaging protagonist, and whether he is completing his chores or lamenting his Latin studies or experiencing his first traveling carnival, his descriptions are full of charm and wonder. Although his colloquial language may prove challenging for some readers, it brings an authenticity and richness to the story that is well worth the extra effort that it might require. While some of the neighbors believe Elijah to be rather simple, and even his mother tends to overprotect her "fra-gile" boy, his true character shines out when a disaster occurs in the close community. Elijah's neighbor, Mr. Leroy, has been saving money for years to buy freedom for his wife and children who are still in the U.S. When this money is stolen, Elijah blames himself for inadvertently helping the thief and, risking capture by slave catchers, crosses the border into Detroit to get it back. His guileless recounting of the people he meets and the horrors he sees will allow readers to understand the dangers of the Underground Railroad without being overwhelmed by them. Elijah's decisions along the way are not easy ones, but ultimately lead to a satisfying conclusion. Curtis's talent for dealing with painful periods of history with grace and sensitivity is as strong as ever.-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information."
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