I think one of the things I like about reading historical fiction is having the opportunity to learn about places and events in history I had no idea about. The book Elijah of Buxton is about a eleven year old boy who was the first child born free into a settlement in Buxton, Canada started by runaway slaves. I think this book would be great to include in a unit of study of the underground railroad, slavery in the United States or the abolitionist movement.
I really ended up enjoying this book, but have to admit I really struggled in the beginning. Christopher Paul Curtis is extremley detailed and spends a long time introducing the characters and setting in the story. I have to admit I began wondering when he was it was going to get to "good part". I think I was almost 100 pages into the book before the action started picking up. Fortunately, I found the main character very likable so I stuck with it. I am not sure many of my students would be willing to invest that much time in the book before giving up. I keep trying to teach them that sometimes you have to give the story time to build. A lot of readers want action from page 1. I would definitely say it would be most appropriate for middle school age students.
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