Elijah of Buxton

I had wanted to read Elijah of Buxton, or any Christopher Paul Curtis book, for so long. The author's name came up over and over again in different classes and his books have been enticing me on my classroom library shelves for a while. Yet, like so many other fabulous books waiting to be read on my TBR list, I had not read any of his books yet.

I was glad to see Elijah of Buxton available at my university library as an audio book. I am starting to notice a trend of thoroughly enjoying the voices in the audio books that I have been able to listen to this summer. Mirron Willis really brought this book to life. I loved how Christopher Paul Curtis was able to present his historical fiction, a genre that I always love.

He told the story of Buxton, a settlement in Canada for escaped and freed slaves. Elijah, the first boy to be born free in the settlement holds a special role in the community, but his mom also brings up often that he is a fragile boy. This is a key part of the book as Elijah encounters various situations in the book in which he needs to be anything but "fragile". Mixed in with the serious aspects are funny boy pranks and memorable childhood experiences with friends that had me rolling. I can see why Christopher Paul Curtis has made a name for himself!