Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.

This winningest book of the ALA awards was definitely deserving of each and every accolade. 

Elijah is almost twelve and was born the first free child in Buxton, Canada.  Elijah’s life is filled with nighttime adventures into the forest, fishing using stones, and going to Sunday school and regular school.  The Buxton settlement is filled with people who escaped slavery in the United States and fled north.  They bear the scars, both physical and mental, of their time as slaves.  Elijah is a “fra-gile” child who cries easily, runs when frightened, and tries his best to grow out of it.  He has a trusting soul, despite dealing with the Preacher, who is not really a preacher and has a beautiful revolver with a muddied past.  The book is filled with the rhythm of Elijah’s life in Buxton, until he finds himself caught up in a situation of Preacher’s making and face-to-face with the horrors of slavery.

The writing here is gorgeous.  It reads like a sleepy afternoon spent fishing, where one is lulled into complacency.  But throughout the novel, disturbing things happen to draw the reader back into reality and out of the dream of Buxton.  Curtis has done a masterful job of bringing the settlement and its people to life in small details, turns of phrase, loving discipline, and unique situations.  It is a joy to spend time in this book.  Curtis especially excels at showing rather than telling.  Emotions are conveyed with actions, not narrative. 

But one can’t read about Buxton without the opposite of freedom, slavery, coming into the story.  As jarring as those moments are, as cruel, as evil, they are very necessary for children and readers to understand the entire story of the times.  Elijah is a well-written protagonist who often interprets things through his own lens.  Readers will see beyond that and to the truth of the situation.  The secondary figures of the story are equally well-rendered.  They are unique and interesting, fleshing out the settlement fully.

Highly recommended, this book is appropriate for ages 11-14.  Harsh truths about slavery are revealed and a handy box of tissues is recommended for the ending.

The Poet Slave of Cuba: a biography of Juan Francisco Manzano by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Sean Qualls.

I was sent this book a long, long time ago after hearing wonderful things about it.  In clearing my shelves, I found it again, opened it to glance in and was caught in the story.  This morning, it won the Belpre Medal for writing. 

This is the story of the poet Juan Francisco Manzano, who lived in slavery in Cuba.  His story is told in verse, allowing readers to see the horrors of slavery and the atrocities committed against Juan.  Juan was set free as a child when his owner died, but was immediately taken back into slavery by a deranged woman who called herself his Mama.  Though his real mother purchased Juan from slavery for a second time, Juan was still enslaved until he escaped himself.

From a young age, Juan showed his gift with words and language.  But as a slave he was not allowed to express these gifts.  If he was caught, his owner would fly into a rage and have him whipped or worse.  Yet Juan could not allow his mind to be still.  He continued to think, express himself, and find poetry even in his pain.

Engle’s verse does not shy away from the horrors of Juan’s existence.  But just as his poetry did, she finds a way to show the beauty that surrounded him, his defiance, his rage and his ability to hope.  The verse is often painful and horrific, but readers will be able to turn the page because of the hope and strength that is also portrayed there. 

Readers will enjoy the tastes of Juan Francisco Manzano’s poetry at the end of the book and will be fascinated to know what happened to him after his escape.  This book is amazing, and I wonder at the strength and nerve it took the author to evoke a poet’s life in verse.   Her own poetry is strong, unflinching and speaks directly to the soul.  I can’t imagine the book done without the poetry infusing each word.  Only in this way could the book have enough of the subject’s personal song inside of it.

Highly recommended, libraries will struggle with where to put this book that is poetry, biography, and novel.  I recommend putting it out where teens are likely to find it.  Burying it in nonfiction will make sure it doesn’t check out.  Highlighting it in fiction will get it into the hands of teens who will be thrilled to find such a deep read.