68 pages • 2 hours read
Elijah of Buxton
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Elijah of Buxton is a 2007 middle grade novel by American writer Christopher Paul Curtis. Set in the 1850s, it follows 11-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first freeborn child of Buxton, a Canadian settlement of escaped slaves, as he makes a dangerous journey into the United States. The novel was a Newbery Honor Book and won the Coretta Scott King Award.
Plot Summary
The story opens as Elijah investigates strange animal tracks with his friend Cooter. A local man known as the Preacher tells them that hoop snakes, dangerously poisonous reptiles that roll after their victims, made the tracks. Elijah runs home afraid, earning a talk from his mother on being gullible. Elijah puts a toad in her sewing basket as a reminder that everyone is afraid of something; in return, Ma pranks Elijah with a snake in the cookie jar as a lesson in tasting one’s own medicine.
Days later, Elijah throws rocks at fish to catch enough for several neighbors’ dinners; in Buxton, everyone helps each other and gives charitably. The Preacher sees Elijah do this and is convinced that Elijah’s aim can help the Settlement.
Mr. Travis, the schoolteacher, gives a lesson on respecting elders, education, and opportunities. Just after Mr.
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By Christopher Paul Curtis
