Eleven-year-old Elijah is the first child born into freedom in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway slaves just over the border from Detroit. He's best known in his hometown as the boy who made a memorable impression on Frederick Douglass. But things change when a former slave steals money from Elijah's friend, who has been saving to buy his family out of captivity in the South. Elijah embarks on a dangerous journey to America in pursuit of the thief, and he discovers firsthand the unimaginable horrors of the life his parents fled--a life from which he'll always be free, if he can find the courage to get back home. Christopher Paul Curtis's first novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, was awarded both a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor. His second novel, Bud, Not Buddy, won the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award in 2000. He is also the author of the Golden KiteAward--winning Bucking the Sargeand, most recently, Mr. Chickee's Funny Moneyand Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission. These titles are all available on audio from Listening Library. Mirron Willis has appeared onstage in The Members, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Wild Oats, Daughters of the Revolution, The Belle's Stratagem, and A Raisin in the Sun, among many others. His numerous television and film credits include Monk, ER, 24, The Parkers, Star Trek®: Voyager, Fracture, and Independence Day. Excerpted from Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
