Published: New York: Scholastic, 2007341 pages
Target Audience: ages 9-12
Reading level: 7.8
Genre: Multicultural
Themes: Courage, Honor, Slavery
Synopsis: Eleven-year-old Elijah lives in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway slaves near the American border. He's the first child in town to be born free, and he ought to be famous just for that. Unfortunately, all that most people see is a "fra-gile" boy who's scared of snakes and talks too much. But everything changes when a former slave steals money from Elijah's friend, who has been saving to buy his family out of captivity in the South. Now it's up to Elijah to track down the thief--and his dangerous journey just might make a hero out of him, if only he can find the courage to get back home.
Newberry Honor 2008
CHARACTER: ****
PLOT: ***
THEME:***
LANGUAGE: **
OVERALL RATING: ***
This story includes a role model in Elijah as he shows compassion for others and bravery in the face of violence towards other slaves. It contains an important examination of slavery and its effects. This book is appropriate for the older elementary student with some violence towards slaves, language and a boy smoking a cigar. The reader will be drawn to the book through its humor and will find themselves at times on the edges of their seats in suspense and, at other moments, moved to tears.
About the author: Christopher Paul Curtis
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3261
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