In my opinion this is Christopher Paul Curtis’s best novel yet. He is a gifted storyteller, making you laugh one chapter and cry the next. Elijah is the first child to be born free in Buxton, Canada, a town of freed and escaped slaves. We see this period of time through Elijah’s eyes and ears, as he has adventures, welcomes escaped slaves to town, & overhears adults discussing their lives as slaves. He learns to appreciate his freedom and so will the reader. This is a moving, beautiful novel. I am recommending it to fifth graders and up. It would make a great read aloud, especially when teaching American history and the Underground Railroad.
- Posted by Michelle