Elijah of Buxton

Eleven-year-old Elijah lives in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway slaves near the American border. Elijah is the first child in the settlement to be born free, so he grows up without the firsthand experiences of slavery that his parents and the other settlers had to endure. Most of the other people just see Elijah as a "fra-gile" boy who's scared of snakes and talks too much. Everything changes when a former slave steals money from Elijah's friend, who has been saving up to buy his family out of captivity down South. Elijah bravely sets out to catch the thief, encountering obstacles, danger, and challenges along the way. The back of the book includes biographical information about the author, as well as information about the real Buxton settlement that inspired the story. A Newbery Medal Winner. By Christopher Paul Curtis. 341 pgs, pb. ~ Lisa