Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis
While the United States was being torn apart over the issue of slavery, Canada became a refuge for freed or escaped slaves. 11 Year old Elijah Freeman has lived all his life as a free person in Canada. What he knows of slavery, he has learned second-hand from those who made the perilous journey north. He is considered “fragile,” and has had a comfortable and safe life – that is, until he undertakes a hazardous adventure across the border in pursuit of a thief, who has stolen the money a friend has been saving to buy his family’s freedom. The winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, and a Newbery Honor book, Elijah of Buxton brings a different and fascinating perspective to a tragic historical period.
